We met as much as we could today- each meeting was only a fraction of the entire group due to work schedules, club commitments, etc. We started by assembling the triangles into hexagons as well as into pentagonal solids by changing the edges that were adhered to those of adjacent triangles. The hexagons sparked the most discussion, and two different directions were suggested: a foldable surface for energy absorption and water collection, or a roof installation that accomplished the same thing.
The foldable surface (my concept) stresses the portability and flexibility that most surfaces lack. By making folding the major facet of this concept, it allows someone removed from the comforts of civilization to collect precious energy and water for survival. This could either be accomplished by orientation on an x-y axis whose origin lies at the center of the surface or by individual module orientation, which we weighed against one another.
Simon had the idea to make it into a roof installation, which would provide renewable energy for a home as well as provide it with drinking water, were the surface interfaced with a water collection and purification system. We struggled with determining how to eliminate the problem of shade (if the surface is continuous the only way to avoid shade is to orient it as a while, which we hoped to avoid), and ultimately decided that the best way to accomplish this would be to space the hexagons apart from each other.
We are meeting in the morning to finalize designs and organize a presentation as a whole group. Wish us luck!
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