Wheelchair Snow Shovel Attachment
|
Course: MAE 451 Design Process and Methods
Semester: Fall 2015 Group Size: 5 Objective: This class is the first semester of our two semester senior design course. The purpose of this project is to introduce students to the design process. Each group was tasked with developing a novel product idea and developing the product through each phase of the design process. Our group decided to tackle the problem of wheelchair accessibility in snowy regions such as Buffalo. We figured independent wheelchair users may want an effective way to shovel snow. My Role: Group Leader Considering my passion for design and prior leadership experience, I naturally fell into the group leader position. I feel most comfortable in this position because I am able to ensure high quality work is being produced. |
|
Learning Outcome
This project has greatly expanded my knowledge of the design process and opened my eyes to the difficulty associated with creating a successful product. One major take away was the importance of customer requirements. In the end, the true judge is the consumer. This aspect is often overlooked from the engineering perspective, which can lead to brilliant products that don't sell. As a part of this course, we were also required to keep a "design journal", which documents the semester long progress, outcomes and other design related material. You can check out my design portfolio here: http://danchelius-mae451journal.weebly.com/
This project has greatly expanded my knowledge of the design process and opened my eyes to the difficulty associated with creating a successful product. One major take away was the importance of customer requirements. In the end, the true judge is the consumer. This aspect is often overlooked from the engineering perspective, which can lead to brilliant products that don't sell. As a part of this course, we were also required to keep a "design journal", which documents the semester long progress, outcomes and other design related material. You can check out my design portfolio here: http://danchelius-mae451journal.weebly.com/
|
Memo 1
-Project Motivation - Customer Needs - Current Devices - Patent Search - Ergonomics - QFD Analysis - Materials - PD Specifications - Gantt Chart - Work Breakdown Schedule (WBS) |
Memo 2
- Problem Statement - Concept Generation - Brainstorming - Morphological Matrix - Concept Selection - Revised Product Specifications |
Memo 3
- Problem Statement - Embodiment Design - Detailed Design - Bill of Material - Make/Buy Decisions |
Memo 4
- Prototyping - 3D Printing |