Problem Formulation

Self-Navigating Automated Drone

Generate problem statements that focus on the function to be achieved by any viable design solution

In the event that a civilian is hiking, driving, or for some other reason alone in an area in which there is no cell service, issues arise if said civilian were to get injured. Under these circumstances, the civilian would typically need to wait for someone to notice they were gone, and then send help. Even then, no one knows the exact location of the injured civilian, or what circumstances he is in. If the civilian were to have a small, self-navigating drone in his backpack, he would be able to input the type of emergency services he needs and get help hours sooner. 

Why-Why Diagram

Duncker Diagram

KT Situation Analysis

Timing: With drone technology becoming more efficient and accessible, the applications for personal use continue to grow. Safety and communication has always been highly prioritized by consumers, particularly in outdoor recreation. The combination of these sectors could save users lots of distress in certain emergency situations.

Trend: Drones have become more and more popular with applications such as military, traffic monitoring, surveillance, agriculture, videography, and recreation. Drones continue to drop in price and size as technology develops and demand increases.

Impact: The product could allow users to reach emergency services as well as emergency contacts submitted by the individual user in the case of an accident. This contact could save hours in the search for these individuals, and possibly transmit a message when no other form of communication is available. This could save users many hours of distress.