Harrison here.
Design is a synthesis. It is the amalgamation of thoughts and decisions informed through empathetic thinking, data, and testing.
Spending but one week at the OEDK has confirmed and reinforced this definition. Mikaela and I were tasked with re-constructing the Intubation Tool Rack (Intubox), a previous ENGI-120 project. It was clear that the team before had put a lot of thought and work into the project, and made many intelligent decisions regarding their design. However, Mikaela and I were able to immediately build upon their progress. We used a thicker material to improve durability, implemented finger joints for sturdier construction, redesigned their bearing system to remove any tilt or wobble, and simplified their modular storage system.
Old design of Intubox Laser cutting parts!
These new features, implemented in a matter of days, could not have been possible had we not had the previous team’s design to build upon. We would have been caught up in the smaller details: for example, determining how many tiers to use, or determining the dimensions of the box. With these details already cleared out of the way for us, we were able to make significant progress in contributing to the design.
Again, design is a synthesis partially rooted in empathy, which is why it’s so important to tackle a project through various lenses and perspectives. I’m incredibly excited to be working with such a diverse group of individuals: Rice Engineering Design students from Rice, Fifth-year engineering students from Malawi Polytechnic, as well as Global Health Technology students from Beyond Traditional Borders. Engineering design students can provide technical design skills, BTB students can provide perspectives on global health issues, and Malawi Polytechnic students can provide not only strong theoretical explanations, but also provide first-hand perspectives on current issues that may be prevalent in their country. I look forward to solving problems with everyone, and hopefully making a positive change in people’s lives.
We also did a lot of laser cutting training! Below is a picture of Malawi cutouts with the international interns’ names engraved. I also experimented with miniature furniture construction using the laser cutter.
Next week, we’ll be constructing 3-D printers and learning how to maintain and run them. It’ll be a good time. Here are the parts.
Overall, I’m very grateful to be here. The OEDK is one of my favorite places on campus. Innovation and design inspires me, and I believe that it can be my small way of giving back to the world.