Purpose:

The booth for the balloon toss was constructed as part of the Engineers Week Grubby Contest held as SDSMT. This contest was designed to bring local students and college students together for a day of free.

Description:

The idea of the booth was to have in place in a mesh. The person stood under the mesh and maneuvered the balloons with air from a low pressure supply hose. On the opposite side of the mesh were various holes through which the balloons were blown to obtain points. The incentive to successfully move the balloons was provided by placing a small amount of water in the balloons which would shower the person if the balloon hit the pins.

Preparation:

Stick pins were stuck into a four foot wide piece of chicken wire. The pins were bent 360 degrees to insure that they would not fall out. The wire was stretched across a two feet by two feet frame. Another frame was constructed which would hold the mesh six feet off the ground. An enclosure was built above the mesh to keep the balloon above the mesh and to prevent it from blowing away. The booth had to be constructed so that it could be easily put together and taken apart.

Materials:

Stick pins, four feet by feet of wire mesh, wood for wood frame, plastic to cover frame and keep balloon in place, balloon, nails, cardboard in which holes were cut so that the balloons could blow through, low pressured supply.

ASME Students: 12

Students Participating: 100

Comments:

The contest went very well. After the fear of getting wet had passed, the students were eager to try again. The booth took quite a bit of time to construct and because of its size, is not an easy item to store.