For this assignment, I was challenged to brainstorm solutions that would allow bus drivers to teach something to children using nanotechnology.

The first few ideas I came up with incorporated the actual bus into the solution.

Idea #1: The school bus is fitted with a gun that shoots out nano particles that treat water in lakes and rivers. The idea behind this solution is that during school trips, when the bus passes through polluted lakes and rivers, the bus driver can shoot nano particles into the body of water while simultaneously explaining to the children why pollution is so damaging to the environment and how nano particles can treat polluted water.

Idea #2: Solar panels made up of solar cells that use nanotechnology is fitted onto the exterior of the bus. The energy from the solar panels is used to run the school bus, making it an environmentally friendly vehicle. Television screens inside the bus play videos explaining to the children why green energy is vital to the environment.

Idea #3: This school bus has gaps in between its windows that house microbots that move in-between the gaps to create images on the window (eg. facts about the objects in their surroundings, arrows that point towards wildlife). The camera on the front of the bus detects incoming objects.

Idea #4: Each seat on the school bus is fitted with steering wheels that mimic the movement of the bus driver’s steering wheel and a TV screen that shows real time video of the view from the driver’s seat. This school bus not only sends children to school, but also teaches children (and teenagers) what it is like to drive a vehicle on a road, doubling as a driving school.

The next idea I came up with did not incorporate the bus directly but requires more work from the part of the bus driver to create an indirect educational experience.

Idea #5: Bus drivers can distribute a small chip to children as they board their bus. The chip can be easily attached onto the back of their smartphones using an adhesive and is filled with nano particles that vibrate when it detects incoming cars at crossroads. The bus drivers can use the microphones inside a school bus to teach the kids about traffic safety and how to properly react to the vibrations of the chip.

The two ideas that I liked the most were Idea #3 and Idea #4 so, I decided to update my sketches with high detail drawings that shows the specifics of the design.

Idea #3 UPDATED: This high detail image shows how the nanobots will occupy the gap in between the windows. The movement of the nanobots will be controlled wirelessly by the bus driver through a monitor next to the steering wheel.

Idea #4 UPDATED: In this updated sketch of Idea #4, the sketch focuses primarily on the set-up of the passenger seat. Each seat will be fitted with a TV monitor showing real-time video footage of the view form the bus driver’s seat. The monitor’s height can be adjusted by moving the piston on the hanging vertical frame holding the monitor in place. Nanobots situated on the exterior of the steering wheel vibrate to indicate that direction the person should be turning the steering wheel.