On this week of SEED, we hit the ground running. We finished up our boot camp with the Okapi project, and started our large scale projects (!) Along the way, we learned about the different projects and ways to identify project need in our community.
This low fidelity model shows the basic chain-link idea
To round out our Okapi bootcamp on Monday and Tuesday, we screened our solutions, prototyped, tested, and presented our final projects. From many ideas of brainstorming, we worked through the Pugh Screening Process to get 9 solid solutions to enrich the life of an Okapi in the Houston Zoo. We then found the best of those 9 solutions through the tedious but incredibly effective method of Pugh Scoring, which rates each design according to our criteria on a weighted scale. The design we ended with was a cylindrical metal mesh which the Okapi eat through to stimulate natural feeding behaviors.
This medium fidelity prototype spun its way to success
This simple but powerful idea moved on through two stages of prototyping, low and medium fidelity. In low fidelity, simple constructions of cardboard and foam simulate the basic idea of the device. For medium fidelity, the device is made out of wood and gains rigidity. Here, in the prototyping stage, we developed a spinning system to dispense extra food when the device is interacted with. After this medium fidelity solution was created, we ran it through several tests, including tests to be under the required weight and volume. In addition, we developed simulated setup and cleaning trials to record the time taken to do each. With a full scale wooden prototype and a myriad of testing results, we confidently presented our solution to the rest of the class. This ended our Engineering Design Boot Camp. After the first half of this week, we were confident in the power of the process to guide our decisions and actions.
Our team prepares for our client interview with old prototype in hand
In the second half of this week, we started our full-length summer projects. There were four total projects to choose from: A device to vertically lift people from a wheelchair to a higher position, a low-cost oxygen calibrator, an inspection device to help people with diabetes inspect for ulcers on feet, and a device to help patients stand while they get a cast of their leg. We ranked each project, and after some deliberation, I was placed on the project to help people with diabetes avoid foot ulcers. This project interests me because it helps a low-resource community that is not targeted by present medical equipment. In addition, it contains both mechanical and electrical components, which always interests me. Since this is a project that another team has worked on before, we inherited a prototype and lots a documentation. We spent several days reading through documents, decision processes, and prototype revisions. In this way, we got acquainted with the project and where it stands. We then staged a skype call with our client where we clarified needs, expectations, and desired features. In this professional style skype interview, I had to keep pivoting my question style as the conversation drifted away from what my team needed to know. Here we learned that smartphone integration could help us make the device cheaper by cutting the cost of a screen. We also were reminded to keep the device simple, since most users would not be trained to use the device.
I attempt to roll through the OEDK at high speed in a wheelchair
To round out our week, we attended a needs finding workshop where we identified needs in our local community that could be fixed with an engineering solution. In particular, we focused on people with disabilities and the unique struggles they face navigating Rice campus. After some background knowledge, we experienced three stations where we simulated different disabilities. First I navigated the OEDK in a wheelchair, which tested my resolve and my arm strength. Getting up the ramp was a special challenge, since the ground had settled, making the seams uneven and broken. I then donned a blindfold and a cane to learn how a blind person might navigate the sea of chairs and tables in the OEDK. I learned that dangers lie everywhere, and that spatial recognition is paramount. Several times I thought I was in a completely different location, and I ran into many obstacles. For the final station, we bound our arms with gauze to simulate arthrogryposis, a muscular disorder which prevents contraction of arm muscles, among other things. I attempted to eat cereal from a bowl with limited success. These practice stations opened my eyes to some of the special problems that people with disabilities face in our community. As engineers, we must see all problems, not just those that affect us personally.