To view a team's prototype and provide feedback, click
on the links provided below.
General comments
33 instructors and guest reviewers attended the review. Team specific comments from Professor Wallace are below the general comments section.
Teams have shown good progress since the mockup review. They are great platforms for testing and a concrete reference point from which one can carefully design and detail a more refined alpha prototype. That said, the prototypes are closer to mockups than designed products and there are still significant challenges on route to the alpha prototype and final presentation.
It is now critical to design and execute the devices as coherent, integrated, elegantly-resolved products, thinking carefully about efficient use of materials, ease of fabrication, cost and user safety, overall form, and human factors. Think about how the current designs would need to change to be comparable to a product that you can already buy.
It is critical that action plans are in place before the Thanksgiving holiday as after the holiday both the prototype and the presentation must be worked on.
For teams with key functional aspects or system integration issues yet to be resolved, it is very important to tackle these problems soon in order to avoid surprises a few days before the final presentation. The core, integrated functionality should be solidly resolved no later than the Friday after Thanksgiving break so that there is time for testing, redesign, and planning and preparation/practice for the final presentation.
All teams should aim to have the prototypes completely ready and available for presentation practice by the Saturday before the final presentation at the very latest.
Your team will need to take a split approach during the final weeks, working on the prototype and at the same time designing/preparing materials for the final presentation. A large number of product development professionals (~1200) will be in attendance and will review your projects, so it is a terrific opportunity.
The Team-specific comments/suggestions below from Professor Wallace are intended
to help each team in preparation for the next design revision. Please consider these comments before setting priorities before the holiday, and feel free to ask if there are questions. I hope to discuss more when we meet on Tuesday or Wednesday to talk about your presentation setup. You will also receive comments from individual instructors by the end of Tuesday. The average
ranking for each prototype, with standard deviations, is at the bottom of the page.
Team-specific comments and suggestions
red, green, blue, yellow, orange, purple, silver, pink
Red:Heating cook pot
View
the prototype and provide additional feedback
The team has made good progress in thinking about how to prototype the double-walled, insulated outer pot and in defining the overall product architecture. The business model of the durable pot with an ongoing consumable is likely a compelling one. There still seems to be a bit of confusion on the intended user/use pattern. It would be helpful to sharpen this. Also, it is really important to understand how the phase change materials work, and over what time frame energy is liberated.
Overall, you want to produce a highly refined product with a consistent design aesthetic. Fit and finish are very important for this final prototype.
Some additional examples of issues to consider are:
- it seemed difficult to know how much water to add to the pot. It seems like the phase change material and water could be added before the inner pot with food is inserted. Otherwise, the funnel needs to be much bigger to avoid contamination of the food, and there needs to be an easy way to see when the correct amount of water has been added.
- it became apparent during the demonstration that providing a temperature indicator on the pot seemed desirable. That would allow the user to know when the contents are at the temperature they desire. There might also be different size packages for different maximum temperatures.
- the current clamps did not really fit the rest of the design, and they were somewhat inconvenient to use. Similarly the lid did not fit, both from aesthetic and geometric point of view.
- think about designing for the entire product use cycle. How is it stored, how is it carried to the campside. Is it easy to wash, etc. (square corners at the bottom of a pot are challenging to clean).
- an "o" ring type seal might provide a cleaner look and a more reliable seal.
- it would be nice if the "heat packs" were made of a biodegradable material.
Green: Bike Navigation System
View
the prototype and provide additional feedback
The hand grip prototypes worked quite well and many of the key functions were demonstrated. That said, it is really important to test actual gps-based navigation and there is a lot of UI implementation remaining. Please don't delay in getting all key functions to work.
Once all of the key functions are proven, many of the open issues revolve around refining an detailing a realistic product:
- the handgrip geometry needs careful detailed and refined.
- waterproofing of all elements needs to be addressed.
- red and green LED may not be the best choice, as over 2% of the population is red/green color blind. Could the phone not provide battery status information, eliminating the green LED on the bike which could be a potential source of confusion?
- the wire routing needs to be cleaned up, whether it is wrapped under the bar tape or ties closely to the bars.
- The quick release of the main module on the bike is currently a bit cumbersome. Could the connections to the handle grips be made by sliding the module in place rather than having separate connectors? Many bike components are quite refined. The enclosure might be desgined fit into more into a bike component aesthetic.
- How is the module charged? Is there are charging station that is part of the product?
- Will the cyclists want to be able to define a route on the map in addition to the auto-generated map? For example, a rider might want to choose less busy, safer roads.
Blue: Bike rain protection
View the prototype and provide additional feedback
A lot of work has gone into figuring out how to make the air beams, and the overall approach/concept shows good potential and worked quite well in the "shower". It rode quite well. The big challenge will be to refine the details of all parts so that it looks good on the bike, conveys quality, and provides a good user experience. It will take quite a bit of detailing to get the screen patterns and attachment so that it lies flat without wrinkles.
Some suggestions and thoughts follow:
- it seems like rapid deployment in the wet seemed to be at the forefront of many reviewers minds. 2 minutes seems like a long time, and a rapid pop-up would be pretty cool. Would it be possible to have a small, refillable air tank that can be pumped to a high pressure, either by hand using a bicycle pump or at a gas station so that it is charged and ready for use when there is a rain event. That way the user can pump it up at their convenience in good weather, and there are no consumables (such as CO2 cartridges) for the design. This approach would also allow direct pumping as in the current design.
- to reduce the visual mass of the device, the air beams might be tapered. Thicker where bending moments are higher. This would lower fillling volue as well. Also, making the entire screen clear would reduce the visual mass. A low gloss material would look higher quality.
- blind spots were a problem for taller riders.
- egress from the bicycle is a challenge that needs to be addressed. Also, it could be a bit wider at the front to keep arms dry and not interfere with steering. It could be narrower at the back to allow the rear bag/container to be much shorter/smaller.
- the brackets and rear mount can be cleaned up and refined/stiffened. If the "cup holder" aesthetic could be avoided it might be a good thing. These bits can be beautiful.
- it seems like if the user chose to leave it inflated for a longer period that would be OK.
- the innards of the rear bag (air hoses, valves, etc.) should be just as resolved and refined as the visible fittings.
Yellow: Greens Harvester
View
the prototype and provide additional feedback
While the prototype did not work as planned, valuable experience for the final design has been gained. You also have a concrete platform for testing different elements.
Clearly the device can be much smaller, probably 1/2 the size. Fitting in the back of a pickup truck is a good goal. Also, the prototype helped elucidate some desirable changes to the overall architecture. It became really apparent how important it was to be able to see the cutting blade. One can envision two people walking and pushing the device at the front of the machine, right in line with the cutting blade. They could have levers in their hand grips that allow them to watch and adjust the height of the blade as they walk (each side independently adjustable). Right behind the cutting blade there could be a vacuum nozzle(s) (rather than a blower) that suck the cut greens up and drop them into collection bins (think shop vacuum or other vortex style vacuums). I don't think that this will damage or compress the greens.
Once the basic architecture is worked out, there are many details ranging from material selections, to finishes and maintenance to be considered. However, it is really critical to work out the operational principles using you current prototype as a base platform while concurrently developing and detailing your next-generation design.
We're happy to discuss options and ideas with you.
Orange: Camping stove
View
the prototype and provide additional feedback
You have two interesting concepts and there was quite a bit of discussion about the benefits of the two paths.
Flexferno:
- amongst campers in the group, it was felt that there are more compact options on the market. Many felt that this is primarily a "cool" folding stove that provides a grill-like cooktop.
- as such, the design ideally would be jewel-like. Highly refined and with a high degree of finish on the parts.
- there are many fasteners in the design. It might be designed so that many of the fasteners are eliminated, and the remaining ones should be chosen to to fit with the refined look of the concept.
- routing of the propane lines needs resolution. Currently, they detract from the design and leave the lines potentially vulnerable to damage.
- if the tank is to fit inside the rolled device, try to have it fit nicely without rattling around. A more compact design would be attractive, so it might wrap tightly around the tank (rather than sliding the tank in from the end after it is rolled).
- the overall bulk/thickness of the "links" might be reduced to mitigate its somewhat large appearance.
- carry handles are yet to be resolved but should look consistent with the rest of the design.
- chrome plating the parts would help to reduce discoloration from heating.
- including an igniter in the design would be a desirable feature.
- consider cleaning carefully. Can it be designed to drop into a sink for cleaning, similar to how traditional gratings are often cleaned?
Mattferno:
- Interest in this design was not for its potential to roll up, but rather that it was thin, light, one-piece (in a sense) and potentially easy to clean. If it was combined with a fold flat rectangular grating for the entire surface it seemed like a design that could provide something similar to the coleman two burner stove in a very thin rectangular package.
- features such as an igniter would be nice, as for flexferno
- will need to source valves carefully so that they do not compromise the thin profile of the design.
Purple: Rescue beacon
View
the prototype and provide additional feedback
Considerable thought and detailing went into the canister design, and it was also nice to see the thinking about instructions for deployment. The current design has a high-end thermos appearance. It might be appropriate to work a bit more towards a safety equipment look and feel.
- there was a lot of discussion about where the design would go in the boat or lifeboat. It would be useful to identify this and make sure that the device is designed to fit in this location well. Perhaps you could talk to people at the docks to get a sense for the use environment and where it might belong. What types of boats? Recreational, fishing/commercial?
- round might tend to roll on a boat, so some other geometries might be considered.
- given it is in a marine environment, the device should probably float and careful consideration for corrosion should be made. Also, being able to anchor the device to the boat/raft seems important.
- the last two inflation steps seemed much less refined than the first two steps. Would it be possible to simply and reduce the number of steps? Something more like a fire extinguisher? Pull the pin and squeeze the trigger and everything else takes care of itself. It may be hard to hear if the balloon is full in a real rescue context.
- there was a fair bit of concern about the balloon shapes having enough lift to work well in high winds. It is important to test this and refine/design the shape so that it works in realistic marine wind conditions. This concern will keep coming up, so it would be good to nail it.
- the fittings on the balloon (valve, line attachment, strobe) seem less refined/detailed than the main canister. LED package should be water/weather proof.
- would it make sense for the entire device (in storage) to be be waterproof?
Silver: Keg transporter
View
the prototype and provide additional feedback
Really good progress has been made and you have an archetype with good potential that is ready to be refined into a more product-like design. It will be interesting to see how the user tests go.
A few other comments are:
- the bump in the transition between the wheel and the tread when on stairs was a bit unpleasant. Is the wheel needed at all? Could the diameter of the tread be large at the bottom (to replace the wheel) and smaller at the top?
- being able to take two kegs in one trip seems like a compelling benefit.
- the handle and tread geometry needs adjustment so that the user can stand straight without stooping while going down the stairs.
- the exposed brakes might be prone to damage. A drum brake might be cheaper and is contained within the roller itself. Having a brake that is, in concept, like a boat or snow machine throttle might be good. Twist the grip to release the brake, and if you let go of the grip, the break automatically applies.
- the final design needs to be very robust. Cables could route inside structural members,
- try to remove al sharp corners that will damage things that they hit, or users. Refine the details and develop a consistent language/detailing strategy for the product.
- try to design the handle release so that a bulk motion can activate it. Either a pull towards oneself or a push away uses stronger muscle groups.
- the geometry still needs to be refined so that the user does not need to be careful to avoid stepping on the treads.
Pink: Pail washer
View
the prototype and provide additional feedback
A lot of progress has been made in the past week. The basic functions of the design are working. You have a test bed that you can use to see if it works on real, encrusted, dirty pails, and you can see what fails as you use it more. Obtaining user feedback based on the current prototype will also be very valuable.
The current prototype, which is more like a mockup in design detail, can serve as a concrete basis to refine and simplify the design. We would be happy to discuss design details about how the structure might be simplified, use less material, and ultimately be a lower cost device.
Some additional thoughts follow:
- materials need to be chosen carefully. Corrosion is an important issue.
- sharp corners and unfinished sheet metal edges are dangerous and also prone to damage. Use of bending over cut and welded corners has advantages, both from a cost and strength standpoint.
- be attentive to pinch points and potential hazards, such as the lance. The user might work from the side with the tilt lever to stay out of the lance's way.
- having a nozzle on the outside, to pre-wet if desired, or to wash the outside of the can would be nice.
- it may be necessary to increase the angle of the pail for larger solids to drain properly
- solids will accumulate inside the shield. Can there be an easy-to-remove solids strainer?
- if the waste water drum could be moved outside of the machine it would allow you to lower the profile of the design considerably.
- if you have the engine mounted in the design, it should be easy to access for filling with fuel, starting, and oil changes. It should be protected from getting wet. If you need help purchasing a quiet, high quality pressure washer please contact me.
- it would be nice if the user could set the wash time through the product's control interface (a dial?)
- need to think carefully about wire and hose routing to avoid potential damage or wear with repeated use.
- a counterweight might help with lifting the pail into the wash position.
- could the overall look and feel of the device become more fun/whimsical? Take the worst job on campus and make it fun?
- final version of control box can have vinyl cut graphics/labeling.
- the MIT client is great, but think about it as a product beyond MIT.
|
