Creative engineering
analysis of project
For the past couple of weeks we have been working on our creative engineering project. I was in a group with Eric Cheng, Spencer Shifs, and Grace Olson. We were asked to find a problem in the world that we wanted to try and solve. My group and I decided after two failed attempts in other ideas that we were going to work on the problem of tangled headphones. We created a product that will keep your headphones untangled when you are not using them. We call it the SEGP.
Our first idea for the project was to figure out how to create a pencil that doesn't snap. Our second idea was to solve the energy crisis. We were trying to create a lightning farm. We created a design for the lightning farm, but we couldn't figure out how to store and convert the energy from the lightning. We ended up having to scrap both of the those ideas and the SEGP was born.
Our first idea for the project was to figure out how to create a pencil that doesn't snap. Our second idea was to solve the energy crisis. We were trying to create a lightning farm. We created a design for the lightning farm, but we couldn't figure out how to store and convert the energy from the lightning. We ended up having to scrap both of the those ideas and the SEGP was born.
Content
The Engineering Design Cycle:
1. Identify the need- Tangled headphones
2. Research the problem- We found out that 1 in 3 American's own a pair of headphones. We also found out that headphones get tangled because of there Y-shape.
3. Develop possible solution-We were going to add a motor to the SEGP, but we lost time because of the storm that we had
4. Select the most promising solution-Through brainstorming and compromising we finally decided on the design you see on the top of the page.
5. Construct a prototype-We used half of a tape measurer, hot glue, and plastic piping to construct the SEGP.
6. Test and evaluate the prototype-We tested the SEGP and it worked about 99% of the time. It also stayed intact through all of our tests.
7. Communicate the design-We shared our design with our class in a slideshow presentation on why they should use SEGP.
8. Redesign-If we had more time we would have added a motor to the product so that you didn't have to manually wind it up.
9. Repeat-Not available
1. Identify the need- Tangled headphones
2. Research the problem- We found out that 1 in 3 American's own a pair of headphones. We also found out that headphones get tangled because of there Y-shape.
3. Develop possible solution-We were going to add a motor to the SEGP, but we lost time because of the storm that we had
4. Select the most promising solution-Through brainstorming and compromising we finally decided on the design you see on the top of the page.
5. Construct a prototype-We used half of a tape measurer, hot glue, and plastic piping to construct the SEGP.
6. Test and evaluate the prototype-We tested the SEGP and it worked about 99% of the time. It also stayed intact through all of our tests.
7. Communicate the design-We shared our design with our class in a slideshow presentation on why they should use SEGP.
8. Redesign-If we had more time we would have added a motor to the product so that you didn't have to manually wind it up.
9. Repeat-Not available
Reflection
I have had a blast the last couple of weeks working on our creative engineering project. We have had many ups and downs during our project. Things went really well for us once we figured out a realistic idea for an idea. What went really poorly for us was the amount of time we wasted trying to get to the realistic idea. I have learned many new things during this project. I have learned more about creating designs and building prototypes based on those designs. I also learned how to work in groups more effectively. In the future, my group and I will work on time management. It took us a long time for us to finally decide on an idea. We also could have worked on aesthetics for the SEGP. It wasn't completely eye appealing. We had many peaks and pits during the process. One of the peaks we had during the project was our prototype. It was sturdy and very effective. Another peak was our presentation. It was well rehearsed and it hit all of the points we were trying to make. The main pit we had was how long it took for us to find a problem and a solution. It took us three times to figure out a problem with a realistic solution. I have had a really fun semester and I can't wait to see what is in store for us next semester.