Publication Date
Fall 12-6-2019
Document Type
Final Report
Embargo Date
12-6-2019
Problem Statement
The Board Erasing Device is a portable automatic device designed to streamline a university lecturer’s board writing process by automatically erasing whiteboards while they are writing notes on adjacent boards. Our goal during this project was to design, build, and test a portable, automatic, and aesthetically pleasing device compatible with most standard whiteboards on Washington University in St. Louis’ Danforth campus. To that end, with a budget of $400, we created a prototype device to accomplish just that. Our prototype includes a felt eraser, pressed into the whiteboard via magnets. The eraser piece spans all eight feet of width on a standard white board, and a winch system which sits atop the whiteboard pulls the eraser up along the height of the board. For portability, the eraser is split into three segments, with hinges that allow it to fold into a more compact shape for transport and clasps to keep the piece rigid while it is erasing. The winch system consists of two spools attached to stepper motors, with a circuit box in between. Cables run from the spools on the winch and attach to the eraser piece itself, allowing the device to be pulled up the board at the press of a button.
Class Name
Mechanical Engineering Design Project (MEMS 411)
Recommended Citation
Fernandez, Mark; Sheffels, Christopher; and Miller, Joshua, "Board Erasing Device" (2019). Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class. 126.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/mems411/126