Design Brief

The Assistant Pitcher

Background:

After this project was chosen to work on, the group needed to address all angles or aspects of the problem including, but not limited to, the producer, distributor, consumer, and end-user.

In addition to the different parts of the Design Brief below, there is an explanatory that offers consistently objective detail from which goals and measurable design parameters can be determined.

and is based on comprehensive, timely, and consistently credible sources

Consumer:

Individuals with cerebral palsy which have difficulty with their motor and strength abilities

Further Detail:

Cerebral palsy is an all too prevalent group of neurological disorders that affect children from birth to adulthood and affect their balance, movement, and muscles. As the most common physical disability in children, every hour a child is born with cerebral palsy. By creating a specialized pitcher it will not only help them with a small daily task, but be the first stepping stone to create a world where they are more independent

Designer(s):

Alisa Castillo, Camille Clerc, Ganaka Wijesundara

Further Detail:

This group will be together for both semesters in order to work on achieving bringing our pitcher assistant idea to become a workable prototype.

Target Consumer/End-user:

Students at Miller Career and Transition Center from the ages 14-22, male and female, with strength/mobility issues, specifically Alex Ramos, an student with cerebral palsy.

Further Detail:

Due to the fact that Miller Career and Transition Center is the distance away from our school, we will need to stay in constant contact with Mr. Kendell Smith, the assistant principal at Miller, and Alex Ramos, our end user.

Problem Statement:

The students at Miller Career and Transition Center are always getting involved in activities that may help them in the future when they go out to work, but sometimes these activities turn out to be difficult for some students to accomplish due to the challenges they face in strength and mobility. In the cafe, several students have strength/grip issues that make them unable to pour a heavy pitcher of a mixed drink into a cup.

Further Detail:

Although there are products made that are able to assist individuals with cerebral palsy with their movement and speaking habits, at times small daily tasks aren’t taken into account. With this project, our group would want to take part in being able to help our end-users with a product that will make their lives easier.

Design Statement:

Design, prototype, and test a device that would help support the weight of a pitcher to easily pour into a cup and allow an individual with cerebral palsy to be able to pour drinks without the need of assistance regardless of issues with strength grip.

Further Detail:

If we are able to make the pitcher effective in the workplace at Miller Career and Transition Center, by following the engineering process, we will be able to succeed in our goal in aiding the students at Miller with work at the cafe by making it less strenuous. Furthermore, by completing this project, not only will we be able to help students at Miller, but those individuals that who need the same assistance as those with cerebral palsy and, in turn, offering a hand in improving their self-esteem and making them feel less of a burden to others with their new found independence.

Constraints:

1. Less than a month to design/build as a group

2. $45 maximum cost

3. Can be 3D printed

4. Easy to use for those with mobility/strength issues

5. Be able to hold any size Pitcher at Miller Career and Transition Center

6. Not too bulky - must fit on cafe desk where students work

Further Detail:

As a group of students from high school, we had to seriously consider our limitations when deciding to take up this process. This includes the points listed above. Time, cost, materials available, and purpose of the project all came to play. In order to have some references, we contacted peers who were in this competition last year which included Laura Zapata to have a better idea on the constraints we would acknowledge as we go through our project.

DELIVERABLES:

1. Initial Sketches

2. 3D CAD models/assemblies

3. Gantt Chart

4. Website Submission

5. Technical Drawings

6. Prototype

7. Engineering Notebook

8. Oral Explanation and Presentation

9. Industrial Review

10. Storyboard

Further Detail:

This is one part of all the assignments and tasks needed to be complete for our project that will go into our Gantt Chart which will be on another page. The above list focuses on the first semester objectives for our project that still need to be improved and worked on throughout the second semester.

Engineering Notebook:

Further Detail:

In order to show documentation that the Engineering notebook includes multiple parts of the engineering process, below are two images of the Design Brief written on two consecutive pages. The one on the left includes all the parts of the PLTW Design Brief template. The one on the left includes the Design Brief based off of the Rubric/Criteria listed for this assignment we had to turn in.

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