Overview:
Our Creative Engineering project may have been my favorite project yet. We were given the task to attempt to find a viable solution to a problem. There are so many problems to tackle, and so many possible solutions. I loved having the ability to choose what our next project would be. So, myself, Grace Olson, Patrick Heslip, and Eric Cheng decided to tackle a world problem that has plagued a generation. Tangled headphones. Over the course of a few weeks, we had to find a solution to this grave issue.
However, we did not at first come to this conclusion of solving the issue of tangled headphones. At first, we wanted to help the energy crisis. To do this, we tried to create clean energy through the use of lightning. We tried to
create a way to capture and store the energy but there was no feasible way to do this effectively. So, we decided to do use the tangled headphones idea.
However, we did not at first come to this conclusion of solving the issue of tangled headphones. At first, we wanted to help the energy crisis. To do this, we tried to create clean energy through the use of lightning. We tried to
create a way to capture and store the energy but there was no feasible way to do this effectively. So, we decided to do use the tangled headphones idea.
What Is SEGP?
Engineering Design Cycle:
1. Identify the need: At first we thought of doing a lightning farm, but this turned out to be a non-viable idea. So, we decided to keep headphones untangled forever.......
2. Research the Problem: We discovered that not only do one in three Americans have headphones, but that the headphones themselves tangle because of their "Y" shape.
3. Develop Possible Solutions: We were thinking of using a motor to make the task simpler for the consumer, but there were time constraints due to school closure from a storm, so we had to make it manual.
4. Select the Most Promising Solution: We brainstormed, and came up with the design we used today
5.Construct a Prototype: We made the design that millions far and wide (soon, hopefully) know and love. Or, at least a useful tool.
6. Test and Evaluate: I performed countless tests winding and unwinding headphones, and it worked 99% of the time.
7. Communicate the Design: We created a powerpoint presentation explaining the pros and cons of SEGP.
8. Redesign: N/A
9. Repeat: N/A
2. Research the Problem: We discovered that not only do one in three Americans have headphones, but that the headphones themselves tangle because of their "Y" shape.
3. Develop Possible Solutions: We were thinking of using a motor to make the task simpler for the consumer, but there were time constraints due to school closure from a storm, so we had to make it manual.
4. Select the Most Promising Solution: We brainstormed, and came up with the design we used today
5.Construct a Prototype: We made the design that millions far and wide (soon, hopefully) know and love. Or, at least a useful tool.
6. Test and Evaluate: I performed countless tests winding and unwinding headphones, and it worked 99% of the time.
7. Communicate the Design: We created a powerpoint presentation explaining the pros and cons of SEGP.
8. Redesign: N/A
9. Repeat: N/A
Our Prototype:
To go about solving the problem of tangled headphones, we built a small prototype of a carrier that would keep your headphones from getting tangled. This is shown in slides 3 and 7 of our presentation. It is very simple to use. Simply insert the headphone jack into the prototype, then wrap the cord around it. When you are done, tack the jack out, pull the headphones off the tube, then pull at each end for a tangle-free listening experience.
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Reflection:
This project was filled with many highs, and not so many lows. This was arguably my favorite project and I had a great time working with my group. We helped each other stay on task, while having fun at the same time. One peak, which I have noticed shines throughout many of our projects, is collaboration and working together. We were able able to all pitch in ideas, without one person taking over. It was a very democratic group. I loved having the choice of what to work on. However, this led to one pit, indecisiveness. We went through three ideas. Although the first was short lived, it still wasted time that could have been used to create a video, which we were thinking about using as a second presentation method. The second, the lightning "farm" idea, turned out to be not feasible, and used many days time. However, we were still able to create a usable prototype and a presentation that looked great. This indecisiveness led to a pit which has plagued everyone this year, time management. As I mentioned, eventually we made a great prototype and presentation, but this process had to be rushed. Another peak was how we all worked. One person didn't just do everything (which has happened before). Everyone took an equal work load, we helped out everything. This was definitely a great project, and I hope that we can choose our groups again soon.