New Winter Quarter 2007
Course Announcement:
E110/210: Perspectives in Assistive Technology
with Professor Drew Nelson (Mechanical Engineering)
and David L. Jaffe, MS (VA Palo Alto Health Care System)
Winter Quarter, Tuesdays 4:15pm - 5:30pm
Location: Main Quad,
History
Corner, Lane Hall (Building 200) , Room 030 (basement)
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Assignment
Two
Design Proposal Abstract
Due Friday - March 2, 2007 at 5pm
In Professor Drew Nelson's Office - Terman 517
(Please slide under the door)
For your second assignment you are asked to formulate a
preliminary set of design concepts addressing the specific problem your team
has identified and report on the following tasks. Your team's report should be
3 to 5 pages in length.
Provide a concise and accurate overview of
preliminary design concepts (at least 3) your team is considering to address
the identified problem. Describe the general design objectives, the rationale
for the design concepts selected, how these concepts address a specific project
problem, and features / potential benefits of each of the specific design
concepts. Include any mechanical engineering analyses, calculations, drawings,
and sketches you have developed as well as any feedback from potential users or
coaches.
Comment on the concepts' technical feasibility and
engineering difficulty, estimated cost of materials, and safety
considerations.
Include a preliminary timetable of major tasks;
assuming this project will be pursued in ME113 or as directed study.
Example Spreadsheet
for
Comparing Design Concepts
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Design 1 |
Design 2 |
Design 3 |
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| Feature 1 |
Score 1,1 |
Score 2,1 |
Score 3,1 |
| Feature 2 |
Score 1,2 |
Score 2,2 |
Score 3,2 |
| Feature 3 |
Score 1,3 |
Score 2,3 |
Score 3,3 |
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| Totals |
Total
1 |
Total
2 |
Total
3 |
This is a basic template of a spreadsheet you can use for
comparing your design concepts: Design 1, Design 2, and Design 3, etc. The
Features are characteristics such as cost to build, purchase price, complexity,
how well a specific need is addressed, coolness factor, user acceptance, etc.
(You can have more than 3 designs and 3 features.) Score each design for the
features you have selected on a numeric scale (such as 1 - 10) and add up the
columns. The design with the highest total is the overall best.
You can modify this template to include weighting factors
for each feature. For example, if you believe that cost is twice as important
as other features, you can multiply its score by 2, enter that value into the
cell, and re-compute the totals.
For next time:
In the final assignment your team will be asked to further research the need
you have identified and to focus on a specific design solution. Teams will
present their design in class and submit a Design Proposal Report.
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