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Elephants push engineering students to think outside box |
| By
Chelsea-Lynn Carey |
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Dec 5, 2007 |
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Last fall five UT engineering students used their knowledge and educational experience to counter the clever elephants at the Toledo Zoo. The students were charged with designing and building two automatic elephant feeders, which posed a more difficult task than originally thought.
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| Toledo Zoo elephant trainer Don Redfox loaded the feeder designed by UT engineering students as Renee and her son, Louie, wait for snacks. |
The students unveiled their feeder during the 2006 UT College of Engineering Undergraduate Research and Senior Design Exposition, and the Toledo Zoo has been using the feeder for almost a year.
The five engineering students were Brandon Via, Jeremy Oyer, Alyssa Main, Brett Anderson and Michael Burghardt. Their faculty adviser was Dr. Lesley Berhan, associate professor of mechanical, industrial and manufacturing engineering.
“The Toledo Zoo wanted a device that could feed the elephants small amounts of food at intervals throughout the night, which is healthier and more interactive for them,” Via said.
The group developed four concepts, but only had time to physically test the final design, according to Via.
“We took all of our conceptual designs and evaluated them on a number of criteria. There were several things to consider on the zoo’s behalf, such as ease of use, making it small enough to fit in their facility, making it mobile so they can use it in various locations, and making it durable so it will serve the zoo for a long time,” Via said. “We also had to look at such issues as cost, functionality, maintenance and safety. We compared the pros and cons of each design based on these issues, and chose the one that seemed the most feasible.”
The final design was chosen based on simplicity and functionality. “The design chosen took up less space than the other designs and only requires an electronic timer to work. We could also very easily put this product on wheels, which would allow the zookeepers to move it between the various facilities and feed the elephants from different locations,” Via said.
There were multiple elephant-caused concerns that developed as this design came together, said Don Redfox, Toledo Zoo elephant trainer. These included the elephants’ ability to destroy most anything put in their reach and their problem-solving skills.
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| Renee, the adult female elephant at the Toledo Zoo, and her son, Louie, eat apples they released from the feeder. |
“We quickly came to find there is really no such thing as ‘elephant-proof,’” Via said. Almost anything put within their reach can be, and most likely will be, destroyed quickly. It became evident that the device needed to be out of the reach of the elephant rather than “elephant-proof.”
“Renee, our adult female elephant, has applied her natural problem-solving skills to figure out how to spring the doors by hitting them with sticks, toys and other objects,” Redfox said. “I put a top on the feeder to prevent this, and she learned to throw sand into the opening under the top and above the doors until she weighted down the area enough to spring the doors and get the hay and treats. I added a hinged panel on the front, and so far this has solved the problem.”
“When we heard several months later what the elephants were trying to do to get the food, by throwing branches and sand at the device, it was pretty amusing,” Via said. “It was also great news to us — it means our product was serving its purpose well. As an added bonus, it’s almost an enrichment tool for the elephants. Now they’re using the mind a little more each day to figure out how to get their food, and the zookeepers can keep them guessing where the food will drop by moving the device around every day.”
“The feeders are used every day and working great,” Redfox said. “The team was great to work with and really stepped up to solve an unconventional problem.”
“I had a blast working on this project. Not many people get to use their engineering degree to try to improve the lives of animals and humans at the same time,” Via said. “Personally, I found just how valuable my engineering degree could be — they certainly don’t teach courses on designing feeders for elephants — but our group had no doubt that we had the tools and knowledge to apply from our engineering course work to make the project work.”
Via and the other group members graduated in December 2006.
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