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IMG Bag It Up Box Kite finished.jpg

Abstract

Bag it Up Box Kite was designed at Humboldt State University's Engineering 215 during Spring 2013. SCRAP Humboldt asked us to repurpose products from the waste stream. Our group was given the task of repurposing malt bags. This led to the creation of the Bag it Up Box Kite.

Background

The client for ENGR 215 Spring 2013 class is SCRAP Humboldt. SCRAP Humboldt was created to fill Humboldt County’s need for a creative reuse center. SCRAP began in 1999, when a local Portland Oregon teacher received a grant to open up a reuse center for all the unused materials that teachers had accumulated. As they grew, SCRAP began the SCRAP USA program, which works with setting up reuse centers around the United States. As of right now, SCRAP has reuse centers in Portland, Oregon; Humboldt, California; Denton, Texas; Washington D.C.; and Traverse City, Michigan (SCRAP 2013).

Objective and criteria

The objective given to team Reduce, Reuse, Remalt Bag was to create a product that repurposes malt bags and keeps them out of the waste stream. Before deciding on a specific product, we created and weighted criteria that we wanted our final product to fulfill.

Criteria Description Weight (1-10)
Sustainability Over 75% recycled materials 10
Re-Creatability DIY Project 10
Entertainment Value Interactive for those who use and/or recreate it 9
Aesthetics Looks like a DIY project 7
Portability Small enough to be held by two people 7
Durability Must last more than 3 years w/ maintenance 6
Safety Safe for kids 5
Cost Less than $50 to create 2


Fig 1: Materials needed to build the Bag it Up Box Kite

Description of final project

Our final project is the Bag it Up Box Kite. The box kite consists of used malt bags for the skin and bamboo sticks for the frame. The box kite's dimensions are is approximately 20"x20"x30". The Bag it Up Box Kite removes 2 malt bags from the waste stream.

Costs

The table below outlines the cost to recreate the Bag it Up Box Kite. All of these items can be used to make more than one kite.

Material Our Cost ($) Retail Cost ($)
Malt Bags $00.00 n/a
Bamboo Sticks (bag) $03.85 $03.85
Masking Tape $03.00 $03.00
String $02.50 $02.50
Parchment Paper $04.00 $04.00
Hot Glue Sticks (bag) $02.65 $02.65
Needle and Thread $00.00 $00.50
Total $16.00 $16.70

Maintenance Cost

To maintain the Bag it Up Box Kite you will need more bamboo sticks in case the frame is damaged. If the malt fabric is damaged,depending on the severity, it can either be fixed with duct tape or another malt bag.

Testing Results

The Bag it Up Box Kite was tested on its ability and ease to fly, while also testing how easily it could be recreated.

Flying Results

The bag it Up Box Kite flew very well in moderate wind. It took of with ease and was steady in the air. When it did crash, it did not suffer any damage. The kite was found to fly best under non-rainy conditions with moderate wind speeds around 10-20 MPH.

Recreating Results

Instructions and materials to build the Bag it Up Box Kite were given to a adult and a child. They were asked to recreate the box kite without any help from the team, Reduce, Reuse, Remalt Bag. The purpose of this test was to see if the instructions were clear enough for an individual with limited crafting skills to recreate the kite. The pair were able to understand most of the instructions and made note of the steps that were confusing. With their help, team Reduce, Reuse, Remalt Bag was able to develop a set of instructions that are easy to follow. The test subjects were able to build the box kite, and they got it to fly.

Media

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REMALTBAG 215SH S13Poster.jpg

How to build

File:IMG.Bag_It_Up_Box_Kite_Step1.jpeg
Steps to Build Box Kite

Authors

References

See Help:Footnotes for more. Template:Reflist

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