Explore My Work
[1]
Designing for Ability
Power in Community
In this scenario, the team was apart of the IMPACT initiative, an initiative that engages all members of McMaster's community. This year, we got the chance to work with a lovely couple and they each face their own set of challenges. As a team, we decided to help our client accomplish a task in the kitchen as he faces challenges due to his diabetic retinopathy.
Project Takeaways
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Creating and constraining assemblies in Autodesk Inventor
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developing and executing testing plans
This project was the project that allowed my team and I the most freedom as we got to choose which specific problem we wanted to address. While this may have been a challenge at times as every member of the group had their own ideas that they wanted to pursue, by evaluating our skills and resources as well as other options we were able to come together and create a final solution. This was the only project where the group implemented a testing plan and it made me realize how important it is to have a testing plan set in place. From our testing plan, we were able to add many features to the enhance the design. As well, through this project I was able to understand the impact that our designs as engineers have on those in our community and how we can use our knowledge and skills to help unique individuals in our community.
Design Process
initial sketches
The goal of this project was to construct a mechanism that would assist our client in transferring leftovers. Due to our client's diabetic retinopathy diagnosis, he is unable to transfer leftovers from pots to containers as he in unable to accurately pour the contents into the container. When we first examined this problem as a team, we knew the main function was to control the motion of the pot with one hand so he is able to complete the task. Each team member came up with initial sketches and through a design review process, we were able to determine which features wee wanted to include and decided on a final design concept. The final design is a rotating platform with supporting walls and a funnel that would allow him and other users to secure the pot in place and rotate it to pour the contents out.
With a final design, we got to choosing materials and a plan for fabrication. We decided to use plywood and non-slip mats to prevent heat damage. As this was just a prototype and had a cost limit. plywood was the best choice of material.
Once the prototype was built, we implemented our testing plan by using peer feedback to test accessibility and comfort. The feedback led to the addition of a grip to the handle as well as improvement of funnel security. Other objectives such as cost, minimizing mass and volume were tested by simply evaluating our materials cost as well as material properties.
low-fidelity prototype
picture credits
[1] S. Bittel, “Why a sense of community is more important than ever,” Thrive Global, 06-Jul-2020. [Online]. Available: https://community.thriveglobal.com/why-a-sense-of-community-is-more-important-than-ever/. [Accessed: 13-Apr-2023].