Cat Cannon combines sports, engineering
Interdisciplinary Capstone Team 25502 presents their advanced T-shirt cannon design at the Craig M. Berge Winter Design Day on Dec. 5.
Wildcats sports fans can now be closer to the action, even from the highest rows. Interdisciplinary Capstone Team 25502 has developed the "Cat Cannon," an advanced T-shirt cannon that reaches people in the farthest seats.
"When you’re at a basketball game and someone comes out with a T-shirt cannon and fires it -- there’s not really that sense of ‘Whoa, that was impressive,’” said Daniel Northcott, systems engineering major and team lead. “The traditional cannon barely reaches the second level of the stadium.”
The team studied existing T-shirt cannon designs, then identified ways to improve performance and audience appeal. The Cat Cannon features a multi-barreled, multi-directional design that launches multiple balls in rapid succession to all sections of the crowd. Audience members can trade in their catch at a designated spot for a variety of sponsored swag, like shirts, mugs, or free food, for example.
The project generated significant excitement, not only for its playful concept but also for the rare opportunity it gave the team to debut their creation inside McKale Center.