Inventive students having a ball with their idea

FRIDAY , 03 SEPTEMBER 2004

by SARAH BARNETT

Two Opunake students have come up with a way to tire out that hyperactive dog without lifting a finger.

Jackson Arlidge and Andrew Corkill have created Dog's Best Friend, an invention which throws a tennis ball and gives the dog a reward when it returns the ball.

Jackson said their school project was inspired by a survey they carried out on classmates, which showed that 30% of people got tired of throwing balls for their dog.

The two boys used a car windscreen-wiper motor, piping from a milk pump, an old door hinge, and other bits and pieces to create the machine.

"When the dog puts the ball in the top, a light senses it and sends a message to a mini computer. That turns this piece of plastic (using a rotor from a model aeroplane), which drops a treat out the bottom," Jackson said.

About six seconds later, a hinge is released, and the ball is fired out again.

Jackson said their test-pet (family dog Rebel) was pretty good at catching the balls, but was still learning how to put them back in the shute.

Using a 12-volt battery as its power source, Dog's Best Friend is small enough to fit in the car boot.

Jackson 's mother, Sharon Arlidge, said she was blown away when she saw her son's creation.

"They started working on it early last term, so I knew what they were doing. But when I finally saw it, I thought, that is so clever."

Dog's Best Friend received second prize in the year 9-10 age technology section at this year's Regional Science and Technology Fair.

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