2006 Ohio Student Research Forum

Abstract

Development of a Smart Balloon
Jose Blanco
University of Akron
Department of Engineering
Mentor(s): Dr. Jiang Zhe, Dr. Paul Lam

The undergraduate research project entailed the development of an aerial platform in which atmospheric studies, remote sensing, and image capturing were performed at near-earth altitudes. Atmospheric conditions such as barometric pressure, temperature and wind speed were measured, graphed and compared against calculated meteorological established models. Images were captured to analyze correlation with changes in the studied atmospheric parameters.
The multidisciplinary aerial platform, The Smart Balloon, emphasized the utilization of methods such as the Engineering Design Process and the Scientific Method to acquire desired results.