Project number
25502
Organization
BATYL Industries
Offering
ENGR498-S2025-F2025
Background: The University of Arizona is home to one of the very best basketball teams in the country. The electricity at McKale Center is spectacular and something that all Wildcats should be proud of. Currently, during intermission breaks, they have t-shirt giveaways. In order to distribute the shirts, cheerleaders come out and throw them into the crowd; occasionally, they will use a t-shirt gun. The cheerleaders are unable to throw the shirts very far and the gun frequently jams, creating a very underwhelming experience for the fans. The Cat Cannon will solve this problem!
The Cat Cannon is a multi-barrel, multi-directional robotic cannon which will distribute a high quantity of shirts in rapid succession to ALL areas of the arena safely. This includes both lower, middle and upper sections of McKale Center. The Cat Cannon will autonomously deploy to center court and fire the arsenal of t-shirts to the crazed fans. Requirements are as follows:
- Cat Cannon will be able to be programmed or operate via remote to deploy to its position on the court.
- Cat Cannon shall have a minimum of 4 multi-directional barrels to accommodate t-shirts and can target specific areas of McKale Center simultaneously.
- There needs to be some kind of feeder system to reload each cannon in order to launch at least 50 shirts per deployment. This will likely be the most difficult piece of this project.
- T-shirts should be able to hit all levels of McKale Center safely.
- The Cat Cannon must be able to deploy to center court and position itself within 60 seconds, and all shirts must be launched within 2 min of reaching enter court.
- Cat Cannon must have court-friendly wheels so as not to damage the playing surface.
- The system must be accurate and repeatable, as well as user-friendly.
- Fit & Finish - Would like it to look good…if the team doesn’t have time to make it aesthetically pleasing, please build it so it can easily be wrapped or be able to paint or add decals without affecting the operation of the unit. Alternatively, can have a decorative shell that encloses the inner workings.
- As a stretch goal, there will be two super cannons which will shoot a basketball out each side to make a half-court shot at each rim as the grand finale.
The Cat Cannon is a multi-barrel, multi-directional robotic cannon which will distribute a high quantity of shirts in rapid succession to ALL areas of the arena safely. This includes both lower, middle and upper sections of McKale Center. The Cat Cannon will autonomously deploy to center court and fire the arsenal of t-shirts to the crazed fans. Requirements are as follows:
- Cat Cannon will be able to be programmed or operate via remote to deploy to its position on the court.
- Cat Cannon shall have a minimum of 4 multi-directional barrels to accommodate t-shirts and can target specific areas of McKale Center simultaneously.
- There needs to be some kind of feeder system to reload each cannon in order to launch at least 50 shirts per deployment. This will likely be the most difficult piece of this project.
- T-shirts should be able to hit all levels of McKale Center safely.
- The Cat Cannon must be able to deploy to center court and position itself within 60 seconds, and all shirts must be launched within 2 min of reaching enter court.
- Cat Cannon must have court-friendly wheels so as not to damage the playing surface.
- The system must be accurate and repeatable, as well as user-friendly.
- Fit & Finish - Would like it to look good…if the team doesn’t have time to make it aesthetically pleasing, please build it so it can easily be wrapped or be able to paint or add decals without affecting the operation of the unit. Alternatively, can have a decorative shell that encloses the inner workings.
- As a stretch goal, there will be two super cannons which will shoot a basketball out each side to make a half-court shot at each rim as the grand finale.