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Mechanical Engineering Design
A compact trash can attachment designed to simplify sealing and removing a full bag through an integrated motor-driven mechanism.
Institution
Virginia Tech
Project Type
Product Design
Team
Four engineering students
Outcome
Functional prototype
My Role
Lead CAD designer and lead prototype developer
Tools
Siemens NX, Arduino, 3D printing, and hand fabrication
Design Focus
Mechanical integration and product usability
Project Scope
Concept development through final presentation
Project Timeline
01
Identified an everyday waste-removal challenge.
02
Explored mechanisms, layouts, and user interactions.
03
Developed the assembly and component packaging in NX.
04
Integrated the mechanical and electronic systems.
05
Demonstrated the final design and engineering process.
Overview
TouCan is a smart trash can attachment designed to make sealing and removing a full trash bag easier. Rather than replacing the entire container, it adds a compact mechanical and electronic system to a standard household trash can. As lead CAD designer and lead prototype builder, I took the concept from early sketches through a working physical assembly, while the rest of our four-person team handled supporting electronics and testing.
The Problem
An overfilled bag can be awkward to close, difficult to lift, and tightly pressed against the inside of its container. The user is left trying to gather and tie the bag while managing its weight and avoiding spills.
Our team explored whether part of that process could be built directly into the trash can. As lead CAD designer, I explored whether part of that process could be built directly into the trash can — not to overcomplicate the product, but to create an attachment that supports the user right as the bag is ready for removal.
Design Process
The concept evolved as the team refined component placement, mounting, wire routing, structural support, and user interaction. Each change had to work within the limited space available around the trash can rim.
01 / Digital Development
I modeled the enclosure, internal components, mounting features, and mechanical drive system in Siemens NX before we produced physical parts. Assembly modeling caught interference, packaging, and access issues early, before they became prototype problems.
02 / Physical Integration
The prototype combined 3D-printed components, a DC motor, a rack-and-pinion mechanism, controls, wiring, an Arduino, and an OLED display into a single demonstrable system.
Engineering Challenges
TouCan required mechanical, electrical, and structural decisions to be made together. Adjusting one part of the assembly often changed the available space, mounting strategy, or routing for another.
01
The motor, electronics, display, wiring, and structural components had to fit within a compact attachment without interfering with normal trash can use.
02
The drive system needed to transfer motion consistently while remaining compact, accessible, and supported by the surrounding structure.
03
Electrical connections had to remain accessible for assembly while staying organized, protected, and clear of the moving mechanism.
04
The display and controls were positioned for visibility and ease of use while the internal components remained protected.
Final Prototype
The completed prototype validated the overall packaging and integration strategy. It also revealed opportunities to reduce the enclosure size, simplify assembly, and improve the mechanism before developing a production-ready version.
Team Collaboration
TouCan was developed by a four-person engineering team. The project required consistent communication across concept development, CAD, fabrication, electronics integration, testing, and the final presentation.
Working across those areas reinforced the importance of defining interfaces early, communicating design changes clearly, and making decisions around the performance of the complete product rather than an individual component.
Faculty Advisor
Virginia Tech
Adjunct Faculty
TouCan was completed under the guidance of Dr. Richard L. Clark, Jr. throughout Virginia Tech's engineering design curriculum. During the semester he evaluated our team's engineering process, technical decisions, CAD development, prototype integration, collaboration, and final presentation.
What I Learned
This project strengthened my experience with CAD assemblies, mechanical packaging, rapid prototyping, and designing around real component constraints.
More importantly, it showed me how quickly a product becomes an integration problem. Mounting, wiring, manufacturability, component access, user interaction, and appearance all had to be considered together rather than solved independently.
Future Improvements
Reduce the overall enclosure size
Simplify the assembly and lower the part count
Improve motor efficiency and reduce operating noise
Refine sensing and automatic control
Improve internal wire management
Explore production-ready molded components
Continue exploring
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