TJ ALPHA - Blogs
3D Model
2009-03-27 20:21:20Team TJ Alpha is pleased to announce that for the innovation summit, we will have a 3D model of our concept available. This model will be made using a 3D plotter and we hope that it will help everyone to better visualize our idea. More updates on the model to follow! Team TJ Alpha
Response to Feedback Posted
2009-03-17 17:22:07The past few weeks have been extremely busy for the members of Team TJ Alpha as we take the SATs, finish school projects, and work on our concept design and presentation for the upcoming Innovation Summit. Because of this, we apologize for our delay in responding to many of the recent feedback that has been posted regarding our idea. However, a response to all the unanswered feedback has been posted, and we hope that this response will be able to answer all of your questions. However, if you still have questions regarding our idea or would just like to offer us some helpful suggestions, please offer us feedback on our profile or email us at tj.alpha1@gmail.com.
Once again, we apologize for the delay and hope that the recent updates to our profile page help you all understand more about our concept.
Team TJ Alpha
Updated Team Concept
2009-03-14 19:38:58Hi everyone. We would first like to thank everyone for their support and helpful feedback about our concept. We apologize for any delays in responding to feedback and promise to do so in the next few days. Meanwhile, our concept description has been updated. Please check it out and let us know what you think.
Thanks!
Team TJ Alpha
P.S As always, you can contact us at tj.alpha1@gmail.com
Video Script
2009-03-02 18:09:34Hey! As many of you know, we recently put up a video regarding our design. Here is a script of the video:
*Luke, Allison, Judy, Dan on stage*
Judy: Hi everybody, we are team TJ Alpha. The four of us are juniors at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.
*Members of the team introduces each other*
Allison: Alright, now that you’ve gotten to know us a little better, we can move on to talking about our concept, which is the Modular Wave-Powered Ocean House, which we like to call the MWOH.
Luke: Our inspiration for the MWOH was a patent that Google had filed for a floating data center that generated energy using a Pelamis wave power converter. Then we found out about an energy-harvesting wave farm off the coast of Portugal. This was really exciting for me, because before learning about these structures, I didn’t know that you could convert kinetic energy from waves into electrical power.
Dan: Upon learning that electric power can be harnessed from waves, I started thinking of potential ideas that could utilize wave power. One day during chemistry class, an idea suddenly hit me. I thought, what if we created a self sustainable floating house that would be powered by a buoy-like wave power generator? The more I thought about this idea the more I liked it. Not only would this ocean house incorporate the latest renewable energy technologies, it would also appeal to vacationers, ocean lovers, and environmentalists.
Judy: Our concept incorporates an inner hemisphere constrained within a rotating outer shell to which the wave energy converter is tethered that moves freely with the waves. The inner hemisphere is a one-room house with folding screens that divide it into the living room, bathroom and bedroom areas. The MWOH has a floating outer ring surrounding the outer shell on which residents can walk and enjoy the scenery. Beneath the hemisphere and underneath the water, we have a solar still desalination system and containers for waste and water storage. Above the ceiling is a solar-powered air-conditioning system.
Allison: The MWOH is unique to the marketplace in all aspects; while being energy efficient and essentially self-dependant, it is also a chic, classy place for people to relax and enjoy the ocean’s natural beauty. It will be primarily marketed towards hotel companies, who will be able to use these modular houses as units in an exotic, luxurious resort. Think about Dubai’s man-made Palm Islands—they dumped tons of sediment into the Persian Gulf in order to construct the foundations for their commercial and residential infrastructure. Our option, on the other hand, is low-cost, has minimal ecological impact, and uses renewable energy. We are also confident that other parties, such as the Department of Defense and ocean-bound scientists will find that many of the technologies implemented in our design will be useful in their fields. The gyroscopic stabilization system, the integration of living quarters with a wave energy converter, and the use of a carbon fiber reinforced shell all have applications in the military and in scientific research.
Conclusion: And that’s pretty much it! Thank you for watching and please support us by voting for our concept! If you have any questions feel free to email us! Bye!
As always, if you have any questions, please contact us at tj.alpha1@gmail.com and we'll get back to you as soon as we can!
Looking Forward
2009-02-22 19:15:18We have made a video, which we hope will be posted up soon for everyone to enjoy. We are also hard at work on the details of our development plan and learning a lot about patents and the market in the process! Plans for the trip to the Innovation Summit have been made, and we are really excited about seeing the other teams' products as well. Thanks for the great questions, and a big thank you for all the support! Any questions can also be directed to our team email: tj.alpha1@gmail.com
Updates coming soon!
2009-02-13 11:37:33Team TJ alpha would like to thank everyone for their votes and support. We know that some of you would like to see more information about our concept so we are currently in the process of updating our profile page. Check back in the next few days for more updates. If you have any additional questions about our design, feel free to contact us at tj.alpha1@gmail.com.
Finalists!
2009-02-04 16:08:15We were all extremly excited when we heard that our team made it to the finalist round. We plan on working on the next step of the competition soon, and hope to see everyone in California!