Telescopic Retractable Awning

Snow build-up is the by far the biggest drawback to flat roofs. Flat roofs accumulate dangerous amounts of precipitation and therefore carry heavy snow-loads during blizzards.

This 15-person project's goal is to prevent snow build-up on flat roofs, without harming the aesthetics of the building.

It features a telescopic retractable awning that autonomously ejects snow build-up off the side of the roof.

An Arduino microprocessor makes note of wind speeds, air temperature, and snow load to determine blizzards. When parameters are met, the Kevlar covered awning deploys and accumulates snow-loads until the maximum load threshold is reached to actuate the ejection winch.

I personally worked in the Background Research Team to develop the needs assessment and device specifications.