Posted on November 25, 2024 by Storm Goodman
The String Theorists
MEET THE STRING THEORISTS AT THE FALL 2024 TECH SYMPOSIUM.
Brandon Garcia discovered his love for tennis in his sophomore year of high school. While he enjoyed the thrill of competition, it was the sport’s ability to push him—both as an athlete and as a person—that truly captivated him. That same drive to improve, innovate, and solve challenges led Brandon to fall in love with engineering. His dual passions for tennis and engineering set the stage for a groundbreaking idea: the Automated String Machine.
While working at a tennis shop, Brandon spent countless hours manually stringing racquets, a painstaking and intricate task. He recognized an opportunity to revolutionize the process. Drawing from his experiences on the court and his engineering studies, he envisioned a machine that could automate the labor-intensive task of stringing tennis racquets, saving time and reducing waste.
The Team: The String Theorists
Brandon brought together a talented team to bring this vision to life:
- Brandon Garcia: Team and design lead, spearheading the overall development.
- Mitchell Cox: Focused on optimizing the string cutter and designing a coiler to manage excess string.
- Andrew Bitner: Designed the user interface (UI) and user interaction components, ensuring the machine would be intuitive to use.
- Roshon Williams: Supported UI development and oversaw the extruder mechanisms to enhance functionality.
Together, the team worked tirelessly to refine their design and make their Automated String Machine a reality.
The Challenge: Revolutionizing a Manual Process
Stringing a tennis racquet has traditionally been a fully manual process. It begins with securing the racquet into a frame, followed by meticulously measuring, cutting, and threading the vertical strings. The process is then repeated for horizontal strings, requiring precise weaving to ensure uniform tension. Mistakes—no matter how minor—can lead to wasted string and compromised performance.
The team's Automated String Machine reimagines this process. By automating the coiling, measuring, and cutting of strings, the device aims to eliminate human error, streamline production, and reduce waste. Their innovative design integrates advanced engineering principles, smart automation, and user-friendly controls to achieve a previously unthinkable goal: automating one of tennis’s most intricate tasks.
Coupled with a user-friendly interface, the machine combines a string measurement system, a cutting mechanism, and a cutting apparatus, ensuring that the string is perfected every time. An extruder device is attached to a smart motor capable of reading the desired length inputted into the screen element of the machine. The engine then uses the extruder to pull the string to a desired length before the cutting apparatus activities, severing the string at the angle required for racquet stringing. The excess string is then run through the coiling device so that it could be used for future projects.
With improved efficiency and accuracy, tennis players benefit from consistently well-strung rackets that meet their performance expectations. The system helps maintain string tension and quality, enhancing the playing experience and satisfaction of customers. - Brandon Garcia
Innovation Through Passion
The journey of the String Theorists is a testament to the power of combining passion with innovation. By bringing together their love for sport and engineering, they’ve designed a solution that not only addresses a real-world challenge but also showcases the ingenuity and drive of future engineers. The Automated String Machine is more than a project—it’s a symbol of how creativity and teamwork can transform ideas into impactful technologies.
Going forward, the String Theorists are focused on optimizing their automed string machine to peak quality and efficiency. The team is also considering patenting their device and selling productions of it. Even after the completion of this massive project, the team is still very interested in continuing to explore the world of tennis automation as they move onto even more complex devices.
— Storm Goodman
