NU - SmartTree

During Spring quarter, SmartTree achieved significant milestones! We mostly completed our base foundation structure, finalized our modifications to our solar panel mounting method, designed our benches, and made progress on our electrical system. We also displayed SmartTree at Northwestern’s Engineering Week project showcase!

To finish our bottom structure, we caulked the gaps between our wood panels. This was done for the aesthetic as well as waterproofing and protection of the electrical system from the environment. We also attached the lid pieces by mounting brackets through drilled holes. Once we finished all this, we were able to fit together the entire bottom assembly! All that’s left is mounting the two other flanges for the two other poles.

We also finished our modifications to our solar panel mounting method. We ended up 3D printing custom-designed brackets out of nylon to improve their strength and make them compatible with our specific solar panels.

On the design side, we designed our benches and began to design our tables. The benches will be simple wooden benches with two benches on two sides of SmartTree, resulting in a total of four benches. The tables will fold out using standard folding shelf brackets strong enough to support laptops and other objects placed on the tables by students. We also made some progress on our electrical system layout and are ready to test our solar panels!

Looking ahead, we’re excited to receive our SmartTree merch after applying for and receiving the MSAB grant from Northwestern! We will also be manufacturing our benches and tables in the Fall, as well as testing our solar panels and manufacturing other parts of the electrical system.

SmartTree is headed by PMs Thomas Hoang (thomashoang2025@u.northwestern.edu), and Fiona Ireland (fionaireland2026@u.northwestern.edu). Please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or interest!

During Winter quarter, SmartTree continued to construct the base of our structure, including mounting our poles and solar panels, as well as finishing staining and sealing all our wood pieces. We also took another look at our plan for the electrical system and made some modifications.

One of our main milestones of the quarter was finishing all the staining and sealing. Now all of our wood pieces for the base structure are ready to be assembled once we figure out the alignment for our flanges to hold the poles.

To complete the rest of the bottom structure, we needed to align our flanges so that the poles would be straight, fitting through the hole in each lid piece. To do this, we assembled one of the three modules that would hold the poles. We then placed the pole through the hole we made in the lid piece and marked where the flange needed to be located on our plastic base piece. Once we had these markings, we drilled and tapped holes through the thick and thin plastic that the flange sits on top of, securing it to the base of our structure. After assembling the module with the flange secured, we had officially completed one module. Knowing that our assembly method was sufficient, we ordered the other two poles and flanges to repeat the process for the other two modules in the Spring.

We also decided to look at our electrical system again since there were only ever preliminary calculations done. To help out with this, we had a PhD student with experience in photovoltaics help us run through some more complicated calculations. By the end of the discussion, we realized that for our goals of operation, we may need more solar panels or more batteries. However, we plan to talk with some professors and consult other resources in the Spring to have a more concrete plan moving forward with the electrical system.

Looking ahead, we plan to finish the entire SmartTree base structure in the Spring, along with solidifying the electrical system. We may also start working on the benches/chairs/stools as a side project, leaving us with an almost complete SmartTree by the end of the school year!

SmartTree is headed by PMs Thomas Hoang (thomashoang2025@u.northwestern.edu), and Fiona Ireland (fionaireland2026@u.northwestern.edu). You can find more information about SmartTree on the ESW Project Database, where we post detailed quarterly blogs and an updated project summary. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or interest!

During the Fall quarter, SmartTree continued to improve our design and consult with shop professionals and professors about the different options we had in terms of design and manufacturing methods.

To ensure our design can withstand Evanston’s strong winds, we met with a civil engineering professor to discuss any concerns about our design options. Based on his feedback, we decided to start by having a pole in each corner of the base assembly and have one solar panel mounted to each pole. Then if the structure ends up needing more support, we can add crossbeams between the poles or put sandbags on the flanges that connect the poles to the baseplate.

The first few weeks of the quarter were spent updating the overall CAD model. We split this into various teams: base piece remodeling, solar panel mounting, base piece connection, and electrical box. This helped our members gain experience in CAD, specifically Solidworks, and it gave us a more up to date reference that we can now use to help us figure out the best way to construct what hasn’t been built.

After making significant progress on the CAD models, we ordered a flange, a pole, and a solar panel mount. Even though the full design involves three of each, we purchased one of each for now to be able to assemble one full module and test its rigidity. Toward the end of the quarter, we continued staining and sealing our wood base pieces, picking up where we left off at the end of the Spring quarter. We also began drilling holes in the lid pieces for the poles to go through.

Looking forward, we plan to finish the top portion of SmartTree this quarter, leaving the benches and any remaining electrical projects for the Winter quarter, with a goal of having a fully operational SmartTree by the end of the school year!

During this spring quarter, SmartTree mainly focused on the construction side of things as we finished up the base pieces and started planning and constructing the solar panels' support system.

We encountered a few problems with our current design choice for solar panel support. From the exploded view of the current model seen below, we initially planned to have three poles converging into a platform, which will house the connection system of our solar panels. However, this approach made unnecessary choices that hindered the support capability as well as made it more difficult to construct, namely the diagonal angle of the pole.

As such, we decided to switch the design to something a bit more simple yet effective in supporting the solar panels. After a lot of brainstorming sessions and consulting with the shop professionals, we have arrived at the design shown in the sketch below. The new design has 3 straight standing poles, connecting beams, and potentially a small garden at the top of SmartTree. This design would also allow an additional solar panel to be present in the electrical system, increasing the power output!

We have settled on this new design and had wished to start construction as soon as possible. However, the materials took longer to arrive than anticipated, so in the meantime, we start on the treatment of wood in the base pieces. This includes staining and varnishing to ensure water resistivity and rot resistance. By the end of the school year, we had completed 2 out of 4 base pieces and will plan to finish the job next quarter.

We also finished up some small construction jobs such as routering the top lid, adding the rubber seal, and water-jetting pole mounting plates in preparation for the new materials to arrive. On the electrical side, we are designing a waterproof box to house all the electrical equipment, which will also be finalized by next quarter.

We have a lot of things planned for the near future and will try to complete the first prototype of SmartTree very soon. Be on the lookout for future updates!

During winter quarter, we finally managed to complete our base pieces and make progress in the electrical side! For construction, we hit the ground running and started with using the water jet and table saw for the base plate and base piece walls, and spent the rest of the quarter drilling and assembling all the different parts of our base pieces together! On the electrical side, we tested our MPPT (which allows us to charge and use our battery!) and solar panels, which can successfully charge devices!

At the start of the quarter, we had a small team learn to use the waterjet in order to cut out our base pieces. Because of the large nature of our construction, we had to split the base plate into 4 smaller triangles (similar to our 4 triangular base piece modules). After consulting different shop experts, we decided to go with a “T” shaped puzzle piece to fit together our base plates. After cutting the first piece, we tested different sized “T” pieces on the waterjet first, to ensure that the two pieces would fit together (since the water jet cut was not 100% accurate and we needed to allow space to easily assemble/disassemble the puzzle pieces).

After trying different pieces, we finally found the correct fit and were able to cut the rest of the base plate, including the thicker top layer to it as well! Simultaneously, we had another team working with the table saw to level out previously uneven base piece walls. Then, we were ready to start assembling!

We first temporarily lined up the side pieces and brackets to mark holes and drill each 60° bracket. When first drilling these brackets, we did not take into account the difficulties in lining them up with the corresponding walls to drill - in the future we should definitely make them uniform! After lots of trial and error, we managed to drill all the holes correctly, counterbore the holes, and screw together all of the side piece walls. With our full assembly, we were able to router out the middle bottom and use short wood screws and glue to attach the connecting brackets (which hold each of the modules together). For future iterations, we hope to better consider how we are attaching each part ahead of time - if we had designed and lined it up correctly, the middle bottom could have been screwed straight into the middle piece module with longer wood screws for a more secure, permanent fix. However, the entirety of the base of our structure was complete!

On the electrical side, we were able to test our MPPT (which allows our batteries to be charged), discharging from the battery, and also charging from the solar panels! We were able to first charge a set of LED lights, and later even a laptop! We also tested charging multiple devices at once, since that is our ultimate goal. Next steps include creating an electrical box to hold and weather-proof all of our components.

Fay-Ling and Thomas are both extremely proud of what the team has accomplished this quarter, and are looking forward to making more progress into new parts of the structure in the spring! Our construction goal is to move from the base pieces of our structure to the poles and locking mechanisms (which will ultimately hold up our solar panels), and to integrate in our electrical system and components! Look forward to seeing our prototype soon!

This past quarter, the team made substantial progress in construction and finalized a renewed electrical plan! We’ve been figuring out some new ways to structure and organize our work, including creating electrical and different construction project teams. This quarter, we had a sub team working on using the table side to miter the base piece walls, while another learned the router to be able to cut out triangular base piece lids. The electrical also drafted and approved a new plan, ready to wire next quarter!

On the construction side of things, this quarter we worked on mitering the side of all the base pieces so that they would fit flush against each other in a triangle shape. After brainstorming and consulting many different Shop Professionals, we determined that no tools could miter such thick wood to our desired 60° cut. The only solution was to build a support that held the pieces vertically upright when clamped to it, so that the table saw only had to cut at a 30° angle. The table saw team received formal training and guidance from Prototyping Shop Professional Scott Simpson, and spent the first few weeks building and testing this support. Once they were familiarized with the tool and setup, the rest of the pieces were a breeze to miter!

At the end of spring quarter, a couple of members received training on the router, however, the machine broke shortly after so we were unable to complete the base piece lids. Thankfully, we got to try again this quarter - some newer members got trained while old members refreshed from ship trainer Sarah Yung. We were able to practice before creating a file to router all 3 of the side base piece lids. We’re currently waiting to assemble and measure exact lengths before creating the middle piece lid (which also requires an indented rim to allow for insulation!).

The last construction decision made was regarding the benches. After realizing the work and materials required to create concrete bench legs using the mold and finding the resulting weight too heavy, we decided to switch to metal (likely aluminum) bench frames. This is both more sustainable and more convenient as it uses less material and can be moved more easily.

Regarding electrical progress, the team met with a professor to revise our out of date electrical diagram. We replaced our original 120V system with a 20V system (low enough voltage to not be harmful to humans), so we no longer have to worry about grounding our structures. Unfortunately, this means that we can no longer incorporate sockets into our design. However, we’ve come up with practical solutions like providing low voltage USB hubs and universal chargers in weather protection boxes. We’ve ordered the necessary components for testing, and can’t wait to start working on it in the winter quarter!

Overall, The project managers Fay-Ling and Thomas are both extremely proud of what the team has accomplished this quarter, and hope to keep the momentum going into winter quarter. Our goal is to finish the base pieces and start on the base plate, the other main component of our structure. We also aim to have a working electrical system by the end of the quarter, so be on the lookout!

Hope everyone has had a great school year and we will touch base soon!

Transitioning to new leadership has led to SmartTree having a slower start to a quarter. However, both the new PMs, Fay-Ling and Thomas, quickly found their rhythm and excellent progress was made, especially on the construction side. While still trying to finish off the base pieces from last quarter, the team also started focusing on the manufacturing process of benches and top pieces.

Regarding progress toward the base pieces, the team has shifted their focus to making brackets reinforcing and connecting the side pieces. We drilled holes into the 90-degree brackets and metal sheets cut to size last quarter, countersunk them, and bent said metal sheets into 60-degree brackets.

Bending the metal sheets was especially challenging due to an oversight of high-strength galvanized steel used as stock material. It was too thick and tough for the machines available in the Prototyping Workshop at Ford Design Center. After consulting with the shop professionals, we were directed to Salomon Rodriguez, the director of the Research Workshop at Technological Institute, who aided us through the building process and granted us access to a more powerful machine that could get the job done. Here we also realized the problem of not having a clear angle to screw wood screws directly through the brackets into the base pieces, so we quickly came up with a new plan to use machine screws and acorn nuts instead.

The construction team also worked on the top pieces, which are 4 simple triangular-shaped pieces with one of them having a special indent from the side to create a removable lid (see drawing below).

Due to the size and shape of the piece, we had concluded that the best way to manufacture the part was to use a router. None of the members had used it before, so we enlisted the help of formula team member Sarah Yung. Because of our inexperience, we entered the wrong measurements for the drawing fed into the machine, so the piece that was cut had incorrect dimensions. On the day that we tried again, we heard news of the miter going under maintenance for the rest of the quarter. Though unfortunate, we are still looking forward to next year when we will successfully manufacture the top pieces.

Good progress was also made on the benches. We started the quarter off by cutting rectangular wood pieces into long, thin slats using the vertical bandsaw. Then, we enlisted the help of the campus’s Concrete Canoe team with creating concrete slabs acting as support for the benches according to the mold bought. A concrete mixture was created and poured into the mold at the last meeting of the quarter. The mixture is now being cured over the summer and we are expecting to return to fully cured, sturdy concrete supports ready for decorations next fall.

In terms of electrical, progress has been slow due to the waiting for ordered parts to arrive. Furthermore, due to inexperience, there was hesitation to wire anything together with a power source for safety concerns. However, we have connected the solar panels together in parallel and tested the DC/DC converter and its capability to charge phones. The electrical team members have been tasked with doing more research on solar power over the summer and are hopeful to have major development upon return.

Overall, Fay-Ling and Thomas are both extremely satisfied with the results achieved throughout this quarter as first-time project managers. Both are excited to continue leading the team and to advance the project further throughout the next year.

Hope everyone has had a great school year and we will touch base soon!

Between the first two weeks being virtual and the shop being closed off to non-DTC students at the end of the quarter, SmartTree made excellent strides in the construction and electrical groups. The construction team was only permitted 4 shop sessions, so we'd use the other weeks prior to review the construction plan and decide what needed to be done in the shop. In the shop, the team became increasingly independent, which made SmartTree PM's Cally and Katie extremely proud. Members returned to the table saw to cut the final base piece wood sheets to dimension as well as cut the bench slats using a 96" piece of wood!! Learning how to use the machine to the full capacity, members gained they'll be able to take with them to future shop builds. Additionally, all members learned how to use the jigsaw to cut out the circular shapes for wire holes as well as the complex geometries for the inner face of the base pieces (blueprint seen below).

The center hole of the circle requires a smooth finish because members may need to fit a body or an arm through the holes to fix wiring. Thus, members tried multiple methods to find the best method for sanding. At first, they tried to use a classic orbit sander, but this became hard around the edges. After consulting a shop specialist, we tried to use an oscillating spindle sander. This machine had functional issues, so then another shop specialist directed us to a small handheld belt sander which did the job very well. Now, all the wood pieces requiring the smooth finish are sanded. A video is attached below as a shared link to our drive

In our last session, members learned how to cut metal sheets and brackets. Each wooden connection requires a reinforcement in form of metal brackets. We have 90 degree angles and a metal sheet we plan on bending to a custom 60 degrees to reinforce to converging wooden base piece faces. A foot shear was used for the metal sheet, and a metal bandsaw was used for the 90 degree angles. After cutting the angles to dimension, we smoothed them with a belt sander.

Then, there was a whole lot done for the electrical side as well. We reviewed and finalized plans with hopes to construct at the beginning of the Spring. The team reconfigured and simplified an old bill of materials that optimized cost and reliability. We are very excited for the electrical team to get the same hands-on experience as the construction team when the materials arrive.

Finally, we have appointed two new project managers. Cally and Katie are very honored to announce new PM's Fay-Ling Laures and Thomas Huang to continue SmartTrees progress! Fay-Ling (Class of '25) is a natural leader and has been part of our construction team. She takes what she is taught and runs with it, asks the necessary questions and will be starting as a shop trainer next quarter. We are excited to have her expertise spread to our entire team! Thomas (Class of '25) is another natural leader and has been one of the most committed of SmartTree upon his arrival. He's part of both construction and electrical teams, holding great knowledge in both fields. Having knowledgeable leaders in both fields will allow for more effective meetings and progress.

Cally and Katie could not have been happier with the commitment from our team, having multiple applications for the role of project manager. As time progresses, members have gained confidence and autonomy, which has leading to a more cohesive, close-knit team working together with a common goal of assembling SmartTree!

Follow the link to view a few videos recorded over this past quarter: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1t9Fmixj68-cB_TF6MM6yUNTZLG7yShS9?usp=sharing .

We will check back after the Spring quarter with another update on construction and electrical. Have a great Spring, everyone!

SmartTree has made great progress this quarter! After a very successful spring/summer, Project Managers Callista and Katie hoped to continue this momentum by bringing in new members, finalizing project details and starting construction. SmartTree is extremely excited to share that we have done it all!

We brought in multiple new members of backgrounds to aid progress on accomplishing all the tasks we had planned over the summer. Here’s a picture we took with most of our active members!

Although former experiences varied, all the SmartTree members were eager to join design conversations while we were finalizing the SmartTree design and learn new things outside of their comfort zone. We even had a group of three students, two of which with no prior experience, create an electrical team to focus on building the very core of our structure, which will help convert the solar energy harnessed into usable power! Cally and Katie really enjoyed watching this group grow in confidence and knowledge over the quarter.

Beyond electrical, SmartTree also had a construction team that met for around 4 hours/week in the Ford Design Shop to build our structure. We learned how to be safe in the shop around the heavy machinery, how to use various machines and power tools, as well as and how important tolerancing is. At this point, we have a significant portion of our giant modular base pieces cut out with most of our materials delivered to our office.

Mostly we focused on the outer base pieces. First, we cut out the exterior portions using a panel saw. Then, we drew and cut out the geometries on the bottom using a band saw. These angles are cut out so these pieces fit snug on the triangular foundation. We also started mitering these pieces so they fit together smoothly at the proper angle of 60 degrees. We'll definitely be continuing to miter throughout the winter as it's a lengthy and time-consuming process. 

For the interior portions, we followed the same procedure of cutting with a panel saw then tracing the complex geometries and cutting them out with the band saw. We are still in the middle of tracing and cutting with the band saw and plan to continue this process throughout the winter. The unique part of the interior portion is the gaping hole used for access to electrical wiring. We will be cutting these out with a handheld table saw during the winter. 

With that being said, we’ve also finalized plans, ordered materials, prepared parts and are so excited to continue on in the winter! Hope everyone has an amazing rest of their 2021, and we will touch base once again at the end of the upcoming quarter with even more updates on our structure!

Even during the summer, SmartTree has continued to make progress on our structure! We are hopeful to begin manufacturing this upcoming quarter, so SmartTree’s project managers (Katie and Callista) decided to meet weekly for the last two months to finalize unfinished details from the spring.

A major portion of the work completed this summer consisted of Katie and Callista printing out CAD drawings for each part, previously completed by our team members in the spring, and then discussing each part individually. These conversations consisted of finalizing dimensions, manufacturing feasibility and material choice. They also spent a significant amount of time focusing on the top and bottom locking mechanisms, a topic of long discussion in the spring as the previous plans were not as feasible to manufacture as anticipated. Thus, our project managers came up with an alternate plan that they are going to propose to our teammates: create a metal-platform base with a 15 degree angled wooden wedge to hold an umbrella pier base for a pole of 3”.

Speaking of 3” poles, that is another big change that occurred this summer. Previously, SmartTree was planning on using a pole of a larger diameter; however, locating such a pole, especially one to fit our pier base plan for the locking mechanisms, does not exist. After doing some mathematical analysis, modeling the pole as a fixed-fixed beam with gravity and weather loads, Katie and Callista concluded making the pole size 3” with an inner diameter of 2.5” would not significantly decrease the structural integrity of SmartTree.

Katie and Callista also discussed the base pieces and base plates, or the giant triangular focus of the structure and its foundational element. First, they decided that the entire base plate (foundation) would be allowable to slice into 4 modular puzzle pieces rather than 8. Four pieces will not be unmanageable to manufacture nor move, and 8 pieces would lead to more complex tolerancing. For the base pieces (triangular center of structure), the lid for the center will fit on top of the triangular piece encapsulating the electrical home of the structure and will have no taper as water could perform capillary action and trap itself in the wood. The connection between the lid and center base piece walls will be lined with rubber to prevent water from seeping inside.

More minor decisions were considered this summer, all summarized on a spreadsheet placed in our shared team folder for easy reference. All general meetings between the project managers were also carefully recorded in our team’s meeting minutes folder. Katie and Callista are excited for team input and for the soon-approaching manufacturing phase! OH! And how could we forget… we now have a MINI-SCALED MODEL of our structure!!!! After Katie and Callista redid the CAD for each piece, Callista put extra hours in Ford Design Center printing each part. This model is supposed to act as a method for our new and returning members to better understand the structure. It sure helped our project managers identify missed details and holes within the project…

Hope everyone is having an amazing rest of their summer, and we will touch base once again this coming fall with even more updates on our structure!