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Flash floods wreak havoc, destroying virtually anything in their way. Human life meaning very little to the torrential flow of the water. But, is it possible that a teenager from St Dominics Newcastle has come up with a solution to minimise danger and devastation?
Simbarashe Rioga, a Grade 9 learner from St Dominics, has built a model bridge which might be beneficial to areas prone to flash floods. He came up with the idea after entering the Eskom Science Expo.
The expo consists of four rounds. These rounds are School round, Provincial Round, Preliminary National Round and then the National Round. Simbarashe has made his way through the first two rounds and is now headed to the Preliminary Rounds in Ladysmith.
But, what makes his model bridge so special?
“I came up with the idea through seeing how much damage flash flooding causes to infrastructure, sweeping cars away. I decided to create a bridge which identifies a change in the environment and responds accordingly.”
Essentially, the bridge works with sensors. “A buoy will be put in the water at the bridge. When the water rises, an ultrasonic sensor will be triggered by the buoy. The booms of the bridge will close, stopping traffic flow, the deck of the bridge rises to avoid any damage. Once the water declines to a safe level, the booms will open, and the deck will go down again,” explains Simbarashe.
Through his scale replica of the bridge, Simbarashe is hoping to make it all the way to the final round of the science expo. “I want to go as far as possible, as I am aiming to make a difference with structures that can think for themselves.”
His dream is to see his bridge be built to size. Using technology to replace humans, as to ensure no one gets hurt in a flash flood during a storm. Furthermore, there is also the potential of harnessing solar power and hydroelectricity to power the bridge.
What makes his model unique, is that it is made entirely of robotic Lego. This is a material not many other competitors will be using. Furthermore, his model covers a broad spectrum in terms of engineering, design, energy concepts ad socio economic developments.
Good luck Simbarashe, your invention is sure to change the world.
