Progress Updates

April 10 - April 24

For the final week of our project, we have several deliverables complete along with our beta prototype shown below. For documentation, we completed the phase 6 report, phase 6 presentation, and finalized our website. We also completed our beta prototype fabrication and demo. For the beta prototype demo, we completed the electrical and coding work and put together the different subsystems. We also included the acrylic box for the outer housing of the beta prototype. Lastly, we plan to present all of our work at the Stevens Innovation Expo. We plan to set up our booth to show our final prototype and poster summarizing our work and product.

IMG_0815.MOV

IMG_0812.MOV

March 27 - April 10

After completing phase 5 and receiving feedback from the panel, the team is continuing work on the beta prototype fabrication. Now that the design is finalized, there is more of a focus on the electrical and coding work than the mechanical design aspects. The team is awaiting arrival of the food safe oil coating that we plan to test on the top plate. We also 3D printed support stands for the top plate as a backup in case the outer housing does not adequately support the system. The completed prototype website has been launched. The website demo is shown below.

Phase 5 App Demo.mp4

March 13 - March 27

The team has made adjustments to the top blue plate in order to eliminate the issue of the vitamin holder tubes getting caught in the slot. The shape of the slot was changed to a v shape as shown below to allow smoother motion and the plate was 3D printed again. Additionally, to reduce friction, a smooth plastic cover was added on top of the blue plate and the thickness of the plate was reduced to accommodate this additional layer. The thin plastic layer was cut using the laser cutter. We also ordered a clear acrylic box to use as the outer housing for the beta prototype as shown below. We have continued to work on the software coding and updating the website to prepare for the phase 5 presentation.

February 28 - March 13

The team has met to brainstorm ideas for phase 5 and the beta prototype. We plan to reuse most of the alpha prototype parts to save money of the budget and keep sustainability in mind. We discussed options for outer housing materials and decided what parts to order so that they will arrive in a timely manner. We decided to explore clear plastic material for the outer housing such as a plastic storage box. Additionally, the team discussed the feedback from our phase 4 presentation and came up with solutions to a few problems we were having with our finalized alpha prototype in order to move forward with the final beta prototype.

February 14 - February 28

In the past couple weeks, our main focus has been completing and polishing the alpha prototype. The team successfully completed the physical and virtual alpha prototypes, the phase 4 report, and the phase 4 presentation. Cardboard laser cutting and 3D printing was used to improve the physical prototype and SolidWorks motion study was used to create the virtual prototype to show the product's motion virtually using CAD. An initial beta prototype fabrication plan was created to prepare for the next phase. We have also continued to refine our project statement and innovation expo pitch.

IMG_7994.mov

IMG_8005.MOV

Virtual Prototype.mp4

January 31 - February 14

The team finalized the SolidWorks design and began the virtual motion analysis. We also used the cardboard laser cutter and 3D printer to begin fabricating the physical prototype of our updated design. The next step is to begin testing on the physical prototype and complete the SolidWorks motion analysis. We also have to begin working on the phase 4 report and presentation.

January 17 - January 31

The team discussed the issues with the alpha prototype and how to improve our design. We created new sketches and considered different materials and methods to stabilize the design structure. We began using the cardboard laser cutter to create the plates as it is produces more precise measurements and the cardboard should be smoother and have less friction when the plates are stacked on top of each other. Additionally, new electrical parts were ordered including 2 new motors that function and fit into the design more efficiently and a new linear actuator which has a longer range of motion.

December 3 - December 14

The team has met together to assemble the key parts of the design as an Alpha prototype. The main mechanisms tested were the electronic components and ensuring motion of components operates successfully. More info can be found about the major components tested in technical analysis section of the website. Technical analysis has been revised from original design to incorporate new design ideas. Two new sections have been added to the group's website. The "Alpha Prototype" section contains videos and explanations of the alpha prototype and the various components that were tested. The "Testing/Evaluation Plan" contain notes on various components tested with in the alpha prototyping stage. Notes include things that went well, things that caused problems and need to be changed, and things to keep in mind while creating the beta prototype.

Middle Plate Rotation.MOV

Blade Linear Actuator (Trimmed).mov

Supplement Containers Rotation.mov

App Demo.mp4

November 19 - December 3

The team has finalized the SolidWorks model for the entire prototype including an updated dispensing mechanism. The outer structure of the product has remained similar while the inner workings of the mechanism have changed. We decided to 3D print most of the model and use cardboard laser cutting for the outer housing. Images of the model can be found in the "Engineering Design" tab. We have begun our alpha prototype by starting to 3D print the inner mechanism of the device. We have also ordered our materials and vitamins to make and test the prototype. The Figma mockup for the app interface is continuously being worked on and its detailed flow chart should be ready for the alpha prototype demonstration. The remaining tasks for this phase include completing the alpha prototype and Figma mockup flow chart, writing the phase 3 report, and giving the phase 3 presentation.

November 5 - November 19

The team presented our phase 2 presentation and received useful feedback on our design. We did additional research on more efficient and reliable dispensing mechanisms. We plan to fully update our SolidWorks model to adjust the dispensing mechanism in the next 2 weeks. The team has also begun to brainstorm the alpha prototyping and will most likely focus on the SolidWorks simulation and the physical prototyping of the dispensing mechanism. Additionally, the Figma mockup for the app interface should be more polished in the next few weeks.

October 22 - November 5

The team has finalized our concept design, technical analysis, initial website design, and initial SolidWorks model. We have also completed a preliminary Figma mockup for the app interface. The remaining tasks in progress are to polish the phase 2 presentation and begin planning our tasks for the phase 3 alpha prototype. Images of the model are shown below:

October 8 - October 22

The team has finalized and refined our concept design so that we may move forward with technical analysis and preliminary SolidWorks modeling. We have also made progress on our initial project website mostly involving website formatting and layout. Lastly, we have begun working on the Figma mock up for the app interface. The remaining tasks in progress are to continue working on the website design, technical analysis, SolidWorks modeling, and Figma mock up.

Page updated

Report abuse