Project: Build a Tree Climbing Device
Product used: DryLin

*Troy High School is the September 2008 Student Spotlight!

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A high school team from Troy High School in Fullerton, Calif. used the QuadroSlide slide table for its Coconut Tree Climber, which was entered in the Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams grants initiative. InvenTeams is a national grants initiative of the Lemelson-MIT Program to foster inventiveness among high school students. igus has been a product sponsor for InvenTeams for the past three years.

Many communities worldwide have relied economically on the coconut tree, also known as the “tree of life” for centuries. Traditionally, coconut harvesters are faced with the trying task of climbing the 100-foot coconut palm trees to retrieve the nuts by cutting them down with large knives, or machetes. Some locales even employ trained monkeys to harvest coconuts by twisting the nut at the stem to free it. Wealthier communities can even afford an apparatus used to brace the climber as he scales the tree, but Troy High School students have designed the first known remote-controlled tree climber. With this machine, an untrained climber, who typically can only climb 5-10 trees in a day, can produce as well as an experienced climber who likely scales 40 or more trees per day.

The QuadroSlide was used for the linear travel of the motor and wheel assembly. It allows the Coconut Tree Climber to accommodate changing tree diameters, while also serving as a stiff and accurate platform for the motor and wheel assembly. The QuadroSlide is composed of DryLin® S hard-anodized aluminum shafts which boast a low coefficient of friction and preserve energy. The shafts work together with DryLin R linear bearings to provide stable, wear-resistant, corrosion-free linear motion. As a complete unit, the QuadroSlide is self-lubricating and resistant to the dirt and debris that will naturally present as the Coconut Tree Climber travels up and down the trunk of various coconut palm trees.

To learn more about theTroy High School team, visit igus' news room.