Weekly Progress Reports (see sidebar), the Gantt chart, and this Project Management page should be printed out before meetings with the sponsor and instructor.
All team members should be able to explain all items on the progress report.
Place a "*" at the beginning of the title of the active week Progress Report (see * in sidebar).
Project Objectives
High Priority Objectives
Prototype a device that can hold two transducers
Devise method of best aligning the two transducers
Record data from transducers
Measure distance across transducer arms to an accuracy of 0.1 mm
Second Priority Objectives
Portability
Lightweight
Inexpensive
Comfortable
Other Constraints and Issues
Acoustic matching if multiple mediums / interfaces used
Simplicity - easy to use, read, and understand
WOW Design Solution
A device that meets all the above objectives and with the ability to generate an image of a breast highlighting the “hot spots” or areas of abnormality where the speed of sound was significantly higher than other spots. Here the actual speed of the sound would be irrelevant. Having such a map would indicate that there may be some areas in the breast that display properties different than other properties, which would be sufficient to indicate abnormalities and possibility of breast cancer. Possibly go commercial and sell the product.
Risk Reduction Objectives
Prototype of frame to hold transducer arms
Check for proper alignment / stability with arms
Ability to withstand deflection / failure after excessive use
Material able to withstand wear and tear while still holding transducer
Material has to be able to withstand exposure to water (medium for ultrasound)
Intermediate Milestones
Have a reliable method of measuring distance between transducer arms
Performance requirement: accuracy of 0.1 mm
Prototype of device that can hold transducer arms firmly and measure distance
Performance requirement: Can withstand usage of up to 50 times
Transducer arms are properly aligned
Performance requirement: can accurately detect time (and thus speed)
Verification with test breasts from sponsor