Week 1

Research Paper: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LaLUBEeJav_bvYoG-F7pJDJLQOoRsfy9oY1ZbbktvVI/edit?usp=sharing 

Discussion Board Reflection Questions:

1) Describe the plan your group used to build the project

We first modeled our alarm circuit and the logic part of the circuit in the circuit lab. We had a bit of a problem with modeling on the circuit in the circuit lab since making it look readable and neat was difficult. After finishing the circuit lab, we planned to split up the work between the group where 2 people worked on the logic circuit(Izzy and Kunal) and 3 people worked on the alarm (Matthew, Aaron, Kyuhyun). After building them separately, we planned to hook them together at the end after testing each component separately. 

2) How did you incorporate the Design strategies from the textbook (Ch 21-26)?

One major design strategy that we used was the strategies on successful teamwork on pages 493-494. We used the idea of assigning clear roles and work assignments a lot, dividing up the work needed to be done on the alarm circuit between groups of people. We also communicated a lot and made decisions with the agreement of the whole team. Another design strategy we used was the “Systematic Approach” detailed on pages 485 - 486. When coming up with the Circuit Labs design for the circuit, we came up with many logic designs, eventually settling on what seemed the most simple and efficient, and then built the circuit. We also used the advice on “How to manage a design team project” on page 490, as we made sure to set deadlines and keep working methodically on all parts of the design.  

3) Describe the process your group used to accomplish the task.

In order to accomplish the COVID circuit task, we decided to split up the workload in different parts. Kyuhyun, Aaron, and Matthew began by working on the alarm circuit. Kunal began to work on organizing our materials and working on the website, and Izzy made the simulation in CircuitLab. By dividing the work, we were able to have a solid foundation on various aspects of the circuit before the physical building of the logic gates. Once it was time to build the circuit, Kunal and Izzy worked on pinning the wires to the logic gates, while the rest of the team either continued to work on the alarm circuit or began our research paper. Towards the end of the project, Matthew and Izzy worked on the timer circuit while the rest of the group worked on testing, finishing touches, and our paper.

4) Describe how the principles you used to build the project and apply to the engineering fields you studied.

Within our COVID circuit, principles of electrical, biomedical, and computer engineering were used to complete the project. For example, the bulk of electrical engineering came from the physical building of the circuit and the simulation of the circuit. We had to test out different voltages, resistors, and formats of different chips to see what would work. Biomedical engineering was represented by the foundation of the circuit: the goal was to engineer a solution to test symptoms of the disease, COVID-19. Finally, computer engineering was shown by the logic gates. 1s and 0s were used to program the switches and gates in order to accurately code the LEDs.

5) Each member’s role in the project.

Izzy and Kunal had the job of modeling the system in CircuitLab (We went over it together to understand our system.) Then Izzy and Kunal went to build the logic part of the circuit while Kyuhyun, Matthew, and Aaron worked on the alarm section of the project. After this we met together and explained our circuits to one another so that we could clarify what we did. Then we put our circuits together to test it together. Finally Izzy and Matthew worked on the timer circuit.

6) Describe the successes and the obstacles your team encountered and how your team overcame the obstacles.

Some of the obstacles we encountered as a team included the design of the alarm and the logic circuit. Our group had trouble with the alarm circuit because on our first trial build we had the 555 chip turned the wrong way around. On the next few trials we had issues with finding the correct resistor and finding battery packs and LEDs that operated efficiently. Some successes we achieved throughout the COVID-19 circuit process included finishing the timing circuit and creating the COVID-19 circuit in Circuit Lab.

7) What would your next steps be to improve your project?

If our group had more time to finish the project, we would work on finishing the logic circuit’s connection to the LEDs. Unfortunately, we only got to finish the timer and alarm circuit. We would finish the logic circuit where the LEDs glowed for the associated risk factors present in the person. If we had an abundant amount of time our goal for this project would be to combine our circuit with biomedical technology that connects to a human body to actually tell if that human has COVID-19.

8) Describe the lessons that you learned and how you will apply these lessons to future projects.

  There were a lot of lessons that were learned from the completion of this project. First, we need to manage time more efficiently. Our group often struggled to complete certain tasks because we didn’t take the time to see what went wrong with a design before we tried something new. This was a major reason why it took us so long to complete the alarm circuit. While it was a difficult project, using a difficult approach would have made our project much more successful. 

9) Knowing what you know now, how would you start your project differently?

  I would start the project a lot differently. First, I would have laid out the materials and closely inspected each to make sure that they were correct and functioning. In the alarm circuit, this would have significantly reduced the amount of time spent troubleshooting, as we had some pieces that were not working properly when we tried to use them. Not only that, but we misidentified several resistors, which cost us valuable time. Additionally, we should have delegated roles a little bit differently. I think that over time tasks became more difficult and at times very monotonous. It may have been helpful for our group to occasionally change tasks and try to refocus on the different projects that we were working on. 

End-user Questions: 

1) In our project, risk factors were indicated by a series of LED lights. However, from our experience with our circuit, these didn’t always work. This was because LEDs burn out easily when exposed to too much power.  Not only that, but if a patient saw the lights, they may become nervous and exhibit false symptoms of the disease. Therefore, is there a more effective symptom marking system that can account for these issues?

2) In the circuit, there were a lot of wires. Should any of these become disconnected, the circuit wouldn’t work properly and would be incapable of telling medical professionals if a patient is exhibiting symptoms. Is there a way to simplify the design and include less potential areas for failure?

3) What exterior components can you add to your design that would make it more polished or desirable to the mass consumer?

4) How did you test your circuit for safety?

5) Are there any improvements you can think of that would make your circuit better?

6) What was your favorite part of building your circuit?

7) vWhat was an error you faced during your project and how did you fix it?

8) Is this a mass producible technology? Will everyone be able to access it? If not, doesn’t this defeat the purpose of the device?

9) Would you use your device? Do you believe it is reliable to test symptoms of COVID-19?

Technical Question:

1) How did you organize and test different resistors in order to ensure that your LEDs were visible when switched on?

2) What is the 555 chip’s job for your circuit?

3) How did you begin simulating your circuit in the circuit lab? What steps did you take to plan and prepare the logic gates within your simulation?

4) What is the flip flop chip’s job for your circuit?

5) If you were using this for human testing, how would you change the input sources? 

6) What is the power supply requirement for the circuit?

7) What techniques are employed in the COVID testing circuit to minimize false positives and false negatives?

8) How did you organize the circuit? Was there a system that you used? Color coding?

9) How did you manage the circuit board with the size of the breadboards? Was there any difficulty in connecting the circuit?