Top 4: Team Electric Cleaners - Water Turbine

Group Members from 104:
Goh Cheng Yang, Reiner Goh, Rae Kuan

"Protect the environment a step at a time. "

The first problem is global warming and the second is lack of access to clean water in some countries. To understand how our product can help to solve these 2 problems better, let me ask a few questions:

What is global warming? What are the causes of global warming and what is the impact of global warming?

Global Warming is the increase of Earth's average surface temperature due to effect of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels or from deforestation, which trap heat that would otherwise escape from Earth. Global warming is happening as we speak. In the past century, the earth’s temperature rose by 0.7 degrees. That is roughly 10 times faster than average.

If we ignore this, the temperature will keep rising. This can lead to drastic consequences like what we already have been experiencing. Our product helps to reduce the burning of fossil fuels for electricity usage using water turbines.

According to this table from United Nation website, we can see that the rural areas still in Africa still lack the provision of clean water in 2012.

Our product addresses the problem of clean water through filtration.

The Water Turbine consists of a filter and an electricity generator, which generates electricity through the movement of water.The Water Turbine will be used in households as the power generated by it can only power small appliances that use less electricity.The water can come from the bathroom,toilet and the sink,just to name a few. Water will enter the mouth of The Water Turbine, then gets filtered to become cleaner. Then, the water will spin the turbine to generate electricity, which could be used to power electrical appliances such as lights,television and the telephone. After that, the water will be sanitised by the UV rays before it is collected and used. Our product saves electricity by using the water turbines to generate free electricity, and at the same time does not pollute the environment. Water enters… the water gets filtered off big particles… the small particles get filtered at the main filter… the clean water gets sanitised by the UV rays, and spins the turbine, and the turbine generates electricity. Then the clean water comes out, safe for usage.

Transcript of the speech by Prof Wood

Speech – Guest of Honor

Prof Kristin L. Wood

May 18, 2016

School of Science and Technology (SST)

Singapore

SST-3M InnoScience Challenge, 2016

Principal Linda Chan, Distinguished Management Team of SST, Faculty, Students, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is an absolute pleasure to serve as the Guest of Honor for this year’s SST-3M InnoScience Challenge. This Challenge embodies the fabric and soul of SST and Singapore. Since its inception in 2010, SST has embraced:

“Imagination and Innovation”

“Flaming Curiosity and Inquiry”

and the Applied Learning Approaches represented by SST’s Hexagons element of

“Active and Relevant”

“Authentic”

“Community Focused”

“Integrated”

“Learner Centered” and

“Process Focused”

As a Head of Pillar for the Singapore University of Technology and Design (or SUTD), we share this lineage with SST and value a transdisciplinary approach to create the next generations of technically grounded leaders for Singapore. In the context of the SST experience, the theme of InnoScience 2016 is   

“Livable Cities: Smart Nation, Smart Solutions”

Can you imagine a more important theme? To place this theme in context, let’s briefly explore some numbers about cities.

• By 2050, 70% of the world’s population will live in large cities
• In 2012, large cities made up 33% of the world’s global population, but produced greater than 55% of global economic output
• The world’s population grew from 2.5 billion in 1950 to 7.0 billion today, and is expected to grow to 9.10 billion by 2050
• In 1990, there were 10 “mega-cities” with more than 10 million inhabitants. In 2014, there were 28 mega-cities worldwide
• In 1950, 5% of the world’s population were 45 years of age and older
• In 2000, 7% of the population were 45 years of age and older
• And in 2050, the percentage is expected to increase to 16%

Clearly, aging cities are key issues, where Singapore percentages are even higher than international averages.

These numbers related to cities tell a story.  But they also engender a number of questions for now and the future:

• “How will healthcare change for the escalating age of city populations?”
• “How will technology change and by used to foster urban environments, families, and daily experiences?”
• “What transformations will be needed in personal transportation, energy harvesting and distribution, water collection, storage, and delivery?”
• “How do we engage the experience and wisdom of the elderly to add creative value to our city’s productivity?”
• “How will the ideas of community and workplace change as cities grow?”
• and “How do we address the environmental impact and sustainability of our world’s resources?”

 These questions are difficult, but they are also quite exciting. We have the opportunity to innovate and transform people’s lives.

It will take all of us to realize this innovation and transformation, especially our youth.

And this is why we are here today. The young men and women of SST have presented their ideas for designing a better and smarter world.

We have seen ideas ranging from

-          energy harvesting,

-          to clean water,

-          to healthcare devices,

-          to aids for a better life, and

-          to systems for improving transportation congestion

I loved hearing from the students and seeing their passion realized through technology. We have experienced the students’ love for Singapore, and the city and Smart Nation that Singapore represents.

In the words of Mark Twain,

“You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.”

Let’s be thankful for having the students’ imagination infect us all and bring our eyes into focus.

Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to take part in InnoScience 2016.

Congratulations to all the student teams and especially the finalists.

...and we have a winner!

Straits Times news article of the winning team: http://str.sg/4oz7

The article attached:

Best presenters

The team of judges have decided to award the Best Presenter award to NOT one, but TWO presenters. They are (in alphabetical order):

• Goh Cheng Yang (from Team Electric Cleaners)
• Isaiah Leong (from Team Quadrifoglio)

Congratulations to both!

Isaiah Leong, 105

Goh Cheng Yang, 104