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
Concisely list and prioritize the project objectives and constraints
High Priority Objectives
Movable arm that can hold the probe against skin with ample pressure
Maintain probe contact during operation
Keeping arm within sterile field (sheath for ultrasound device) by keeping arm limited to certain radius.
Easy way to lock and unlock arm
Ability of arm to have six degrees of freedom
Second Priority Objectives
Rotational freedom of probe to adjust to 90 and -90 degree
Have holder for needle to assist user
Much less feasible due to it being more dangerous (touching the patient’s neck vein and can slip to an artery)
Probe maintains contact in events of minor movements
Unlocking of arm in case of sudden high impulse of probe from patient
Other Constraints and Issues
Immovable base structure that can support arm
Can be attached to ultrasound railing or bed
Must be able to apply suitable force for different surfaces of the body
Low cost to manufacture so it can be easily incorporated within budgets
Able to attach to different types of ultrasound devices and their shapes
WOW Design Solution (Dream Design)
$50-$100 Cheap but reliable
Probe can also hold needle to help in operation
Rotational guide of 90 degrees clockwise and counterclockwise
Risk Reduction Strategy
List areas of risk and strategy that will be used to eliminate risk really in the design process.
Design of reliable method to hold ultrasonic probe against skin with ample pressure and maintain contact
CAD of design concept and basic numerical calculations for force application
Ensure the base is able to support the entire weight of the arm and probe even in the event of sudden impact forces.
Intermediate Milestones
Identifying meaningful intermediate milestones is a critical for effective project management. Together with your sponsor identify such milestones, and specify specific performance requirements you aim to meet at each milestone.
Prototyping
XYZ positioning system to ensure maximum range of motion
Locking mechanism to ensure precise and easy holding of positon
Force maintaining system
Max force threshold unlocking system
Numerical analysis
Moment calculation to support arm and probe
Cost analysis
Testing and Integration
Weekly tests on site with feedback from sponsor
Test on Mannequin and silicone blocks
Real application tests