College of Engineering Unit:
Bilge pumps are designed to pump out excess water accumulated in the bottom of a boat, otherwise known as the bilge. When excessive volumes of water are detected, bilge pumps often have an embedded alarm system to alert the crew of a possible leak. On-board alarm systems can also indicate a failure of the pump itself, which can occur due to many environmental factors depending on the type of pump. Although bilge pumps can become critical life-saving equipment when a crew is underway, they also play a large role in preventing a boat from sinking at the dock. When left unattended, boats remain subjected to many of the same environmental stresses and equipment failures that would lead it to sink while underway. In fact, a boat is four times more likely to sink while at the pier as a result of the crew not knowing until it’s too late. To solve this problem, we have teamed up with the Hatfield Marine Science Center to develop a battery powered maritime vessel alert system (MVAS) capable of sending an SMS text message to notify a boat owner as soon as high water levels are detected in the bilge. This early warning system will give boat owners a chance to save their boat from sinking before it becomes too late.
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| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
 Project Poster.pdf | 20.64 MB |