Background

Mosses play an important role in our ecosystems, as they are crucial for soil stabilization and
water retention, they also absorb moisture that acts like sponges which helps in the prevention of floods
and landslides according to study made by Plant-ark. In another study by Rotban, mosses are green
plant, a very small hardy plant, sometimes only one cell thick, that grows slowly on rocky land and soil.
Although, it is usually an issue when they grow on places where people traverse because they may cause
people to slip and fall over, which can cause serious injuries like traumatic brain injuries according to
Sam Bernstein. There are statistics that shows that the majority (67%) of falls happen on the same level
resulting from slips and trips. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) explain
that slips happen when there is too little friction between the footwear and the walking surface. The
common reasons of these incidents are wet or oily surfaces, weather hazards, flooring or other walking
surfaces that do not have same degree of traction in all areas, etc.

This study aims to lessen the growth of moss in areas where people casually walk, to reduce the
amount of work needed compared to regular methods of removing moss, and to make an alternative
mechanical brush which is the goal of this capstone project.

References

https://www.plant-ark.com/about-plants/ferns-mosses/what-are-mosses.html

https://www.rotban.ca/what-to-know/roof-maintenance/danger-of-moss/

https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/safety_haz/falls.html