Diving In: 2024-25 Capstone Team Shark Project

With a new school year well underway, a Proportion-Air sponsored capstone team at Purdue Polytechnic Institute is already in the depths (pun intended) of this year’s project: a waterproof animatronic bull shark that moves via proportional electro-pneumatic control.

The project was an in-house concept the Proportion-Air team worked on several years ago. The student team has picked it up and has several plans for bringing it back to life. By the end of the school year, the goals for the shark include the ability to swim straight, left, right, up and down; an actuating jaw and pectoral fins; a live-feed camera in the snout; and a neoprene skin.

Capstone projects at Purdue Polytechnic Institute run for an entire school year, starting in the fall. The goal is for students to apply the skills and knowledge they’ve gained through their years in school to real-world experiences. The projects are structured like a project within a professional environment. Each team member has a role and milestones to reach. Academic mentor Dr. Jose Garcia-Bravo and graduate teaching assistant Sukesh Jagannathan Ranganathan provide support and guidance for the group.

The members of the team all have different motivations for choosing the shark. We think Keenan McKibben offered the most interesting take.

“I asked myself, ‘If I can’t use what I’ve learned here at Purdue to design a mortifying life-size mechanical bull shark, why am I even here?’”

Meet the Team

Robotics engineering technology major Keenan McKibben is from Indianapolis. This senior is the team’s project manager, budget manager and electrical design leader. Keenan was drawn to the combination of creative freedom and engineering challenge the project offers. He’s already begun laying the plans for integrating pneumatic controls and electronics into the shark.

Shae Rittenberry, a senior from Whitestown, Indiana, is majoring in mechanical engineering technology. His roles are assistant project manager, manufacturing process manager, and test and validation manager. In the past, Shae has worked on prop and set constructions for plays and musicals with an eye to a career in the industry. The shark project adds another component to a resume that already features pneumatic experience from an internship.

Senior Drew Gregory is a digital enterprise systems major hailing from Bargersville, Indiana. He serves as the team’s project schedule manager, mechanical design leader, and FMEA development leader. Drew plays a major role in the overall design and aesthetics of the shark. He’s already working on a concept based on a real bull shark that was tracked by OCEARCH, a non-profit ocean research organization.

Michael Tarquinto is a senior studying mechanical engineering technology. He’s called any number of places home, but Zagreb, Croatia, is the one he favors most. Michael is the secretary and the prototype development manager for the team.

This group of young engineers will spend the rest of this semester on prototypes before completing the actual model in the spring. They’ll exhibit the final product at the Purdue Polytechnic Institute Tech Expo.

Follow our social channels and this blog for updates on their progress.