A complete project is not born overnight. In this challenge, despite the difficulties of materials and restrictions to leave or seek external resources, we have learned to: apply creativity; to unite what was separate; improve negotiation skills; the ability to give, because nobody does anything alone; interact with the family; plan time and deliveries; reverse activities; maximize the ability of each member; to work together and in a team; observe and analyze what you have at home to transform it into something new; check the environment where the project will be implemented and minimize interference. Actions carried out safely, and according to engineering knowledge and practices were the means we found to meet the challenge.
We noticed that in this project we learned to adapt to minimize negative impacts intrinsic to isolation. You have to adapt to win. We identified that we would have to delimit the dimension and complexity of art and prioritize the vision of a cyclist when pedaling his bike, when seeing the world through the window, participating in a video conference with family members and accessing other information by cell phone, in new conditions.
What inspired our team was the need to combine the useful with the pleasant. To meet the need to replace physical exercise with a bicycle on the street, and that we were missing, by performing physical exercise with a bike on the apartment's balcony and meeting the challenge. So, how to approach the reality of exercising with a bike on the street for a bike adapted to be mounted on the balcony of the apartment? Assembling a new product. Firstly, we identified that the act of cycling involves many other acts, such as: good food, good physical and mental health, good sleep, social contact and balance. And its continuity, would provide minimization of physiological, psychological, economic and social impacts. That's right, minimizing social impacts, because now many are on the balconies of their houses and apartments and beckon or show interest in the method developed. As for the economic impacts, because there is the possibility of generating electrical energy by taking advantage of the rotating movement of the rear wheel, transformed and injecting energy into the network of the local concessionaire.
We use the agency's data to scientifically prove the need to live and work, in social isolation, during this pandemic period. But this method can also be used during periods of extreme rain, cold or other times.
Regarding hardware and software, we only use three notebooks with internet access; scanner and editing and presentation software: Microsoft Word® and Power Point®. Wonderware Filmora9®, Youtube®.
In this project we had to overcome some drawbacks:
1) with the elevation of the angle at the back of the bike due to the need to align the center of the rear wheel with the height of the iron chair seat. What left the bike tilted forward, this was resolved with the installation of a skateboard oriented forward and towards the front wheel, this even promoted balance in the movement.
2) with forced ventilation, as the heat generated in a closed environment compared to the street environment is greater. We had to go to the balcony area, turn on the air conditioning in the ventilation function. As well as, use towels to wipe away excessive sweat. With a bottle of water in hand.
3) with noise insulation due to the tendency to drag the chairs, which was solved with the installation of noise insulation for the feet of the chairs.
4) we had difficulties with braking as resistance, with macro control using the act of tying the brake by means of cable and fine braking with proper adjustment of the bike.
5) it was not possible to develop or acquire any equipment associated with the transformation of mechanical energy into electrical energy and injection of this electrical energy into the network of the local concessionaire, due to lack of details for the prototype, difficulties in the purchase and delivery of equipment.
https://youtu.be/f36-xs36kPk
REFERENCES
[1] "Over the past several weeks, NASA satellite measurements have revealed significant reductions in air pollution over the major metropolitan areas of the Northeast United States. Similar reductions have been observed in other regions of the world. These recent improvements in air quality have come at a high cost, as communities grapple with widespread lockdowns and shelter-in-place orders as a result of the spread of COVID-19.
Nitrogen dioxide, primarily emitted from burning fossil fuels for transportation and electricity generation, can be used as an indicator of changes in human activity. The images below show average concentrations of atmospheric nitrogen dioxide as measured by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA's Aura satellite, as processed by a team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland. The left image in the slider shows the average concentration in March of 2015-19, while the right image in the slider shows the average concentration measured in March of this year. (JACOBS, 2020)."
[1] JACOBS, P. NASA Satellite Data Show 30 Percent Drop In Air Pollution Over Northeast U.S. 2020. Available in: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/drop-in-air-pollution-over-northeast. Access in: 31 mai. 2020.
[2] "Joiner and Duncan at NASA Goddard are also revealing lower nitrogen dioxide levels in the air, but on a global scale. Both work with data from the Dutch-Finnish Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) aboard NASA’s Aura satellite (launched in 2004) to help reveal how COVID-19 policies are impacting air quality. OMI is a precursor to TROPOMI. Although TROPOMI provides higher resolution information, OMI has a longer record.“We’re looking at changes in nitrogen dioxide to understand how economies are changing,” Duncan said. “If the amount of pollution emitted continues to grow over time, your economy is likely booming,” he said, but noted that pollution can decrease even as coal use remains the same because of improvements in efficiency and the implementation of emission control devices. (GOLDBAUM, 2020)."
[2] GOLDBAUM, E. NASA Probes Environment, COVID-19 Impacts, Possible Links. 2020. Available in: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/drop-in-air-pollution-over-northeast. Access in: 31 mai. 2020.
[3] "The images show Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) data of SO2 (left) and NO2 (right) over South Asia as an average of March 25 – April 25. The top images show the means of the period in previous years, while the bottom images show the means for 2020.
The highest SO2 levels are over eastern India and primarily associated with electricity generation; the coal burned has sulfur impurities. Independent estimates indicate that electricity generation for India was down about 10% and 25% in March and April 2020, respectively, as compared to March and April 2019. One exception is in southern India which could be related to increased thermal power generation that came on line before the stay-at-home order. However, there was not a similar increase in NO2, so possibly coal with higher sulfur content was used in 2020 relative to 2019 without a significant increase in coal consumed.
NO2 is primarily emitted from fossil fuel use. The images show that widespread decreases (~30-60%) in NO2 levels have occurred over most of South Asia. The highest NO2 levels are in eastern India and are primarily associated with electricity generation. (LI, C et al, 2020)"
[3] LI, C. et al.Reductions in Sulfur Dioxide & Nitrogen Dioxide Air Pollution over South Asia Associated with Efforts to Control the Spread of COVID-19. 2020. Available in: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/drop-in-air-pollution-over-northeast. Access in: 31 mai. 2020.