MEMS 4110: ASME Waste Collection Challenge

Authors

Theo A. Mass, Washington University in St. LouisFollow
Grant Kaplan, Washington University in St. LouisFollow
Emanoeel Ghabrial, Washington University in St. LouisFollow
Joseph Gillett, Washington University in St. LouisFollow

Language

English (en)

Publication Date

Fall 2025

Document Type

Final Report

Embargo Date

12-8-2025

Problem Statement

The Efficient Jolley Trash Grabber (EJTG) is a teleoperated vehicle adherent to the modified rules of the 2025-26 ASME Student Design Competition, hosted in MEMS 4110: Mechanical Engineering Design Project. The vehicle design was informed first by understanding the problem of waste collection. Patents, existing devices, user needs, and relevant codes and standards were reviewed to survey potential design approaches. The concept for the vehicle was generated by setting functionality, and brainstorming solutions to accomplish each goal. A mock-up vehicle was created using available materials, and four complete concepts were drawn each with a different design. Rigorous methods were used to determine for priorities the ideal design, and a concept was chosen which included flexible grippers and a trap-door to store garbage. Three engineering models analyzing required torque to rotate a weighted arm, battery capacity, and gripper distance informed the component selection and dimensional design of the initial prototype.

Author's School

McKelvey School of Engineering

Author's Department

Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science

Class Name

Mechanical Engineering Design Project (MEMS 411)

Recommended Citation

Mass, Theo A.; Kaplan, Grant; Ghabrial, Emanoeel; and Gillett, Joseph, "MEMS 4110: ASME Waste Collection Challenge" (2025). Mechanical Engineering Design Project Class. 261.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/mems411/261