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    • 2013 Publication

Product Design Reflection by Ivan Fithian ('18)

My invention is an automated ice pick. When I was shoveling snow over winter break, I kept hitting a bunch of ice on the sidewalk. The ice was hard and it took a lot of effort with a shovel to break it up. My invention makes it much easier to break up the ice by using an electric motor to replicate the motions of a person trying to break ice with a shovel. In addition to making it easier to break ice, the machine can also make it so elderly, weaker and disabled people can break up ice without injuring themselves as well as have an easy and efficient way to get rid of ice. Stores and businesses can also use this machine to clear the sidewalk of pesky ice to help keep people safe as well as avoid lawsuits.
The way the device works is that it has an oscillating hammer that spins inside of a protected cage (like how small household fans do). The hammer is rotated by a small electric motor attached to a battery pack that can easily be recharged. Each rotation, the hammer hits a spring and compresses the spring enough so that the hammer can pass and complete another rotation. The spring is attached to a large rod and when the spring is hit, the rod is pushed towards the ground and exerts a force on the ground. This cycle repeats which creates a jackhammer like motion of the rod. By attaching an ice pick to the end of the rod, an effective way to break up ice is created.
To make the device more versatile, I also thought of being able to add different attachments to the front rod. The first idea started out with just an ice pick to break up ice, but two other proposed tips that I thought would be useful are a mop and a broom tip so the device can be used indoors. Another improvement that I thought of was how the device would be mounted. At first, I had the contraption set on top of some simple supports. Then I realized that if this was going to be breaking ice, I might want to add some skis to the supports so the device could be easily transported on snow/ice. After also realizing the device could be used indoors, I decided to add retractable wheels (like the ones on the goals at pier 5 which make the goals easier to move) to the skis so wheels could be used on hard grounds and the skis on the snow. Lastly, to make it so the device could be moved more easily, I made one of the supports retractable. This not only makes it more efficient to move, but makes it take up less space in storage.
Another idea that I had was to make a smaller handheld device that works in a similar fashion as the larger one. One of the problems with my original design is that it’s a little bulky for the simple task it does. By making a smaller handheld version, it would not only be easier to use and store, but it could have different functions such as scraping ice off of a window sill or cleaning a pool and so much more.
While my device could have applications for cleaning and being able to clear ice, it does have some problems. If improperly used/too much force is applied, the ice pick could damage the sidewalk/floor. The device is also quite bulky and might be hard to store in NYC where storage space is at a premium. Lastly, it might just be a bit too complicated to warrant replacing a person standing on the sidewalk and hitting the ice, even if it would be helpful for weaker people who cannot do that themselves.


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  • Home
  • Who We Are
  • HOW TO SUBMIT
  • Past Publications
    • 2019 Publication >
      • Scientific Research
      • Mathematical Exploration
      • Scientific Exploration
      • Computer Science
    • 2018 Publication >
      • Artistic Creations
      • Historical and Current Explanations
      • Mathematic and Scientific Exploration
      • Scientific Research
    • 2017 Publication >
      • Artistic Creations
      • Historical and Current Explanations
      • Mathematic and Scientific Exploration
      • Reactions and Responses
      • Scientific Research
    • 2016 Publication >
      • Historical and Current Explanations
      • Mathematic and Scientific Explorations
      • Scientific Research
      • Reactions and Responses
      • Artistic Creations
    • 2015 Publication >
      • Historical and Current Explanations >
        • Bell Curves
        • Birds Vs. Turbines
        • Energy in the Obama Era
        • The Future of Neuroscience
        • Gender Gap in Math
        • GMOs--Yes or No?
        • The History of Minecraft: How a Swedish Indie Game Came to Dominate the World
        • The Effect of Prozac on the Brain
        • Philae Lander's Discovery of Organic Molecules
        • Advantages and Disadvantages of Wind Turbines
        • Your Own Worst Enemy: An Overview of Lupus
        • The Methylhex Ban
        • The Effect of Lyme Disease on the Immune system
        • Infectious Mononucleosis
        • Replacing CFCs
        • The Switch
      • Mathematic and Scientific Explorations >
        • The 43rd Figure
        • The Clock
        • The Collatz Conjecture
        • Constructing a Soccer Ball
        • Determining how Ballparks Affect Batter's Ability to Create Hits
        • The Rotating Conundrum
        • Pythagorean Puzzle
        • Mathematic and Scientific Explorations
        • Kinetics Lab
        • Math in the Restaurant Business
        • Math as a Vessel for Social Change
        • Sustainability of Bottled Vs. Tap Water
        • Thoughts on the Lottery
        • Understanding Player Efficiency Rating
      • Scientific Research >
        • Communicating With Computers
        • The Mystery of Asthma
        • The Nanoscopic War Against Cancer
        • Phytochemistry
        • Solving the energy crisis with Intermediate Band Solar Cells
        • A Pain That Never Ends
        • Rapamycin Resistance
        • Ampacity of a Single Core Horizontal Cable
        • Morphological Properties of Texting Acronym Formation
        • cGAS and STING Expression
      • Reactions and Responses >
        • Can Humans Survive the Climate Crisis?
        • My Experience as a Teacher's Assistant
        • Ted Talk Responses
        • Teens For Food Justice
      • Artistic Creations >
        • Chandelier
        • Deltoidal Hexacontrahedon
        • Dodecahedron Card Trick
        • Eye of the Triangle
        • Free Radric Delantic Davis
        • The Grid
        • What Does A Randomly Composed Song Sound Like?
        • Science Wing Mural
    • 2014 Publication >
      • Cover Photo
      • Artistic Creations >
        • Art Using the Fibonacci Sequence
        • Computer Generated Architecture and Designs
        • Mathematical Landscape
        • Math Art
        • Math in Music
      • Historical and Current Explanations >
        • Algae Bio-Fuel
        • An Energy Alternative
        • Clean Energy In Transportation
        • Calorie Restriction
        • Creating Energy in the Modern World
        • Dietary Intervention Impact on Gut Microbial Gene Richness
        • Earthly Applications for NASA Technology
        • Explaining Relative Motion
        • Exploring Artificial Inteligence
        • Gamma Function
        • How Leaves Work
        • Hydrogen Fuel Cells
        • Music and Brain Development
        • Programming Calculators
        • The Science of Microsatellites
        • Sci-Fi Taser
        • Sloane's Gap
        • Sustainable Energy: Why Some Ideas Shine Brighter than Others
        • Understanding The Galvanic Cell
        • The Virus: Our Unforeseen Philosopher's Stone
        • What Are Fuel Cells and How Do They Work?
      • Mathematic and Scientific Explorations >
        • Astrocytes Expressing ALS-Linked Mutated SOD1 Release Factors Selectively Toxic to Motor Neurons
        • Big Bang
        • Dictyostelium Discoideum
        • The Future of Solar Cell Technology
        • And Many More...
      • Reactions and Responses >
        • Alternative Energy Sources, New but Unused
        • An Insight Into the Curious World of Ethnobotany
        • Challenging What We Think We Know
        • The Current State of American Education
        • Discovering New Numbers
        • Interview With an Architect
        • Life of Pi Response
        • Mathematical Art Video Commentary
        • Missing from Science Class
        • The Museum of Math
        • The Inside Scoop on a Real Mathematician
    • 2013 Publication