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Mechanical engineering students helped design and construct this ramp, which enables Mira, the blind seal, to go in and out of her pool for feeding. Photo credit: Michael Durham/Oregon Zoo

Five PSU mechanical engineering students recently designed and built a ramp for a blind elephant seal at the Oregon Zoo. This device allows the seal to find her way out of the tank, which enables the trainers to feed her.

The 325-pound seal named Mira was born without fully developed retinas and is completely blind. The zoo trainers were forced to raise the water level of the 220,000-gallon tank to allow Mira to climb out of the pool. This costly effort caused the trainers to search for other options to allow Mira to exit the tank on her own.

Last year students from the Mechanical Engineering department designed and developed equipment that helped improve elephant exercise routines at the Oregon Zoo. The success of that previous project led to this year's project, which involved designing and constructing a lightweight and easy-to-use device that would enable Mira to leave her tank.

Over the course of two terms, five mechanical engineering students studied Mira's movements and habitat to understand her needs, and built a ramp that Mira uses for her day-to-day survival. The ramp was constructed using aluminum and plastic with rubber strips made of recycled tires for added traction. The roll-away ramp cost about $700 and was paid for by donations to the zoo.