Where w left off

Before i talk about what this week has been about, it is probably better if i first talk about where we stopped last week Friday. Last week ended with us(team gotta cast them all) talking to our client. The goal was to have a better understanding of the problem we are solving. The interview went really well and we learnt a lot of things about the casting process. There even came a possibility that we might go and watch Mr Andre(client) as he casts someone so that we even get a deeper insight of the process and therefore make even more informed decisions about the design we are to make.

Week 3: Where we picked up

The first thing we did this week  was to go over the notes from the interview and try to make sense of it all. From the notes, we were able to clarify the design criteria which the previous team used in coming up with their prototype. Having done that, the next step was to start brainstorming. so we had a 30 min brainstorming session in which we came up with as many solutions as we could. Then after the brainstorming, we used common sense to eliminate some solutions which were either far fetched or impractical considering our skill set. The using a morph chart, we combined the different ideas which were design block specific and combined them into complete solutions.

Now this is where things got interesting. because after combining the ideas using the morph chart, the next step was to screen the ideas eliminating some so as to have a reduced number from which the optimum solution can be scored from. The screening was ok, but the funny thing was that most of our solutions were similar and we had so much trouble scoring them. we struggled for a while trying to remove the blur that complicated the scoring process but to no avail. so we solicited help from Dr Wettergreen who pointed out that we were design fixated. All the designs we had at this moment had the same shape and build as the current prototype from the previous team with modifications. So Dr Wettergreen told us to do another brainstorming session, this time focusing on “wild” solutions. So we started another brainstorming session that took almost 1 hour this time we really had variety in the solutions. The funniest idea that came up during the brainstorming session was a “Hugging pillow” which we were all sceptical about the first time it was proposed but in the end, it turned out to be a good idea.

After this brainstorming session, we then came up with a list of 9 complete solutions which we had to score. That’s what we have been working on the entire day today. And we haven’t yet finished it because some of the terms used in our design criteria are more subjective than objective so to come up with numerical values that describe them is tough e.g. comfortability. Using a user defined scale was a good option but unfortunately that required us having to interview some people and that was not possible. So we have been trying to figure out how we can measure such kind of criteria so as to tell which solution is better in that regard but we never finished it because of the growing complexity. So after consultation with Jeremy(out Teaching Assistant) and Dr Wettergreen, we were advised to do some experiments using the people in the OEDK as our participants starting with us so that we can build over the user defined scale. so we did the experiments and now we have a better understanding of the “hard to objectively” describe criteria. During the course of the experiment, it became clear that we needed the opinion of a profession in the casting process  over some of the things we noticed so Dr Wettergreen suggested we take descriptive photos of the different situations and send them to Mr Andre for his opinion which we will do and then wait on his reply.

This week has clearly shown me how hard it is to come up with the right solution to a particular solution. It is certainly not as simple as x+y where you have a definite answer. It is rather iterative as it is usually stressed in the OEDK and needs a lot of attention to detail.

THIS WEEK IN PICS

some of full solution ideas

Seed continues….

This is the third week of SEED 2017 and we are still at the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen.  It has been cold indoors most of the days. Almost everyone in the group  is familiar with the campus and you don’t have to ask for directions anymore.  There is no longer silence in the Kitchen as it used to be during the fist week, perhaps everyone has grown some huge teeth, Yeah!! everyone is talking these days. Since we started our projects last week, it has been work all long.  Last week we started brainstorming and that took us into Monday of the third week. It was noted that we started brainstorming without doing much research as such we were advised to do research first and then go back to the brainstorming process. As rising stars, we had to take this positively as it will prepare us better before we enter the Engineering Industry which is broad and more complex,just like  Dr. Wettergreen said, “Engineering Design is an iterative process”.

On Monday we concentrated much on doing research.Our main areas of focus were, feet sizes, different scanning technologies, causes of diabetes and limitations associated with it etc. Before this we assumed that we knew what we were doing and what our target population needs. But a few hours into the research, everyone was amazed at how little we knew about our target population. For example, we knew nothing about the standard foot sizes of the patients and worse still we knew very little about limitations caused by foot ulcers. This meant that if we rushed into screening the brainstormed ideas, we wouldn’t be solving the problem at hand.

Brainstorming like crazy….Together we made it!!

After the research, we continued with some 4 hours of brainstorming and hitchhiking. We came up with as many ideas as possible and it was awesome. The brainstormed ideas ranged from stationary devices to simple hand held gadgets, mechanical to electrical and computerized. We then created morph charts to form complete solutions from component ideas. Screening is almost through and we believe a better solution is yet to be realized very soon.

Some good stuff about week 3

I recommend these books to all designers. They will put you a step ahead. Don’t just make assumptions about your target users, know something about them.

 

Charity Matola is one young passionate person who has a strong interest in biomedical technology. my passion in bioscience and engineering grew when i was about 11 years old. my father was very sick at Queen Elizabeth central hospital and my mother was there with him. we were at home with our parents at the hospital, and daily fixing our eyes at the door hoping they would just knock at the door and shout”all is well” i was wrong i lost my dad and the night he died my mother was admitted. she never mourned her husband let alone know he had passed away. it was very hard and pathetic. my father died of a sickness i have no idea till today what it was, the nurses couldnt explain either and my mother was diagnosed of severe ulcers,she went through surgery and got better. but still the bread winner of the family was gone. it was very sad as we had to go through some good tough times. as a child i had so many questions i asked myself and i was so motivated to help save lives through inventing machines that would help diagnose all medical problems. However this was kind of a tale since Malawi lag so much technologically. and here is an opportunity for this young lady now. why not maximize it???

FROM CHILEKA AIRPORT TO HOUSTON
it was a wonderful tour myself, Tiwonge Nyirenda, Christopher Dzuwa and Blessings Nyoni all from the polytechnic university had our first time flight and the experience was just awkwardly amazing.i could feel my ears closing for a moment due to changes in pressure and that is when i realized that one can never understand turbulent and drag forces better unless they experienced it. the two hour flight from chileka to othambo airport was followed by a long eleven hours from othambo to london heathrow, i could see the oceans, the clouds and the beautiful creation it was just amazing. we arrived in houston after ten hours from hearthrow where we were picked by Dr veronica Leutaud whose welcome assured me my comfortability. we were now 24 Hours away from home.

My assurance was ascertained upon arrival at the martel hostel our current home. i was so inquisitive to know what the following day would offer me, the type of people i would meet, how the Oshman Engineeering Design Kitchen would look like. it was around thirteen hours in the morning and am still awake but i had to take a nap anyway i was so tired from the long journey and i had to prepare my mind also for this huge OEDK as i imagined.

THE FIRST WEEK
The awaited morning came and with the help of Alex and Kelvin(local rice students) we arrived at OEDK. The front door was automatic and needed an ID to access in. everything inside looked automatic and so organized. Jeremy palmer the teaching assistance welcomed us and introduced us to ice breaking. nice games that really enhanced interactions within the international and local rice students. I was so exited to find the rice students as interactive as Dr Leutdaut. My exirtment was enriched when i got my rice ID at the police student. the safety quiz which i just passed granted me access to the automatic door at the Design Kitchen. the next thing was going to the Office of International Students and Scholars.

At noon we had a get together with the rice and the three Brazilian students, Carlos, Louiz and Bruno whose surnames till today i cant memorize. Later during the day we were introduced to Dr Wettergreen and Dr Deidre Hunter. The two professors cracked their welcoming remarks and before i knew it Dr Wettergreen had already introduced us to the engineering design process.

THE TRIP TO THE HOUSTON ZOO
At the zoo our team, the lion comprised of Christina, Caz, Louiz and myself managed to identify most of the characteristics of some animas.the red pandas, okapi, leopard, the sea lion, african lion, snakes of different kinds,bears and birds were explored.

The next day we had a boot camp where we deconstructed a water chiller pump, this was my favourite activity as it engaged me to exploring some new components inside the pump. some of the things we had identified were, the pump itself, fans, a circuit board with some transformers and water pipes.

THE FIRST PROJECT
The Houston zoo asked the OEDK to design an Okapi enrichment device.the problem was explored and another trip to the zoo was proposed and further understanding of the project through google research was made. and a clear understanding of the problem statement was established. the design class was grouped into four teams with four members in each. To enrich is to add value or wealthy to something. An enrichment device is meant to add value and pleasure psychologically and physically to the animals (Okapi). Upon interviewing one of the zookeepers, Kim outlined that the device that are in the zoo are merely for feeding the wonderful Okapi, she further explained that it takes much time to set up the devices and also that the devices lacks the entertaining features for their animals.

Our team which comprised of Alex, Carlos, Victoria came up with 34 rough solutions out of which 24 where complete solutions. These complete solutions were screened against each design criteria to narrow the number of the solutions. After screening the outstanding 7 solutions were scored to arrive at an ultimate solution.

The ultimate solutions was then taken further to the following week for prototyping of low and medium fidelity.

CONCLUSION
it was really a challenging week for me, a thing i never anticipated. communication was a major barrier in addition to lack of a professional approach to engineering design. Despite the language barriers that existed, my consistence participation and interaction with my fellow design engineers saves me a better position. my passion for designing has boosted in all three dimensions and it is assuring that by the end of this summer i will come up with a live biomedical product that shall serve a particular need efficiently and effectively.

This journey has just begun, for better designs your feedback shall be highly appreciated.

Time well spent

so it has been two  weeks since i started coming here in the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen(OEDK). Here is a  brief recap on what happened the first week, the first activity was boot-camp in which we were taken through a condensed course of the engineering design process. In order to understand the course better we had to work on a project in which we applied all the principles and guidelines from the engineering design process. The project we were working on was “Design an enrichment device for okapis”. The team i was working with was name Tiger and there were four of us on the team namely Liz, Kelvin, Luis and myself.

               

Luis(left)                                                             Liz(second from the left)                                                                Kelvin(in glasses)

 

Team Tiger

The photos below show the progression of our project. we first brainstormed a milliard of solutions(red sticky notes in the first pic are individual solutions), we combined the ideas generated into complete solutions using a morph chart. we then narrowed down the list to a few solutions using a screening matrix and then zeroed on those we were going to prototype using scoring matrices.  We made prototypes for two designs as shown in the pictures above. Evaluating the prototypes allowed us to choose which design to take into medium fidelity prototype.

                  

brainstormed solutions                                                                                morph chart

 

 

The mode of operation of the design is easy, it features trays containing food in a box. the tray are held in an horizontal plane by two carrots sticking out of the box. once an okapi eats the carrot, the tray in the box falls delivering food at the bottom of the box which the okapi can reach using its tongue through holes provided there of.

SUMMER PROJECTS

Then after finishing the okapi project which also marked the end of the training in engineering design process, we were then introduced to the projects which we will be working on this summer. Everyone was given a form to fill in the projects he/she wishes to work on in order of preference. From those, everyone was given a project to work on and i have been teamed with Liz, Tori and Alex(aka team gotta cast them all)  to work on a stand that helps people with amputated limbs stand while a cast is being made for them for over 10 minutes.

                  

Liz                                                               Tori                                                           Me                                                           Alex

(during needs finding workshop)

The stand is to be designed so as to provide support to the patients as they are standing for longer periods of time, reduce discomfort and at the same time it should not obscure doctors from working on the patient effectively. being us, there was another team which worked on the same project and made a working prototype.

prototype from previous team

our job so far has been going through their documentation, understanding why they made the decisions that they made and evaluating the prototype they built. From there, we have noted areas to improve on the current design. we are also planning on interviewing our client so that we understand the problem even further, verify the design criteria the previous team developed and get feedback on what they think about the current prototype.

Needs Finding.

yesterday, we were in a needs finding workshop where we were taught how to find problems that need to be solved. Then we considered problems among people with disabilities and in order to build empathy with how they cope and have an understanding of what they go through day by day , we conducted three activities. The activities include being blind folded and asked to navigate the OEDK, riding a wheelchair and having your arms tied so as to simulate arthrogryposis and given cereal to eat. All these activities helped me understand the problems that people with disabilities face everyday and therefore if tasked to help solve any of those problems, i would have a better understanding of what’s at stake.

 

 

 

          Deep thoughts in second week ended me in glasses

Second week of seed started with more expectations and fun. June, 19th marked the beginning of this promising week. I personally felt that we were going to learn and do a lot within the week. We began by making low fidelity prototypes for the designs that scored highly in the Pugh scoring matrix, this was for the Okapi enrichment device at the Houston zoo. Several prototypes were made and each was critically analyzed to find its strengths and weaknesses.Some of the low fidelity prototypes that our team came up with are  shown in the images below:

After this was done, we came up with the best prototype by combining different  features from different prototypes. The resulting  model incorporated a rotational effect as well as the concept of feeding the Okapi through chain link. The initial design did not provide anything as mental stimulation as such we thought it wise to add the spinning effect to keep  the Okapi engaged . The medium fidelity prototype that was developed from this concept is shown in the following image

The week progressed with much work to be done. By Wednesday morning, the Okapi enrichment device prototype was completed, but we were introduced to a new challenge, Bio engineering projects. Since we were given the chance to choose the projects we were comfortable with, i chose to rework on the diabetic foot ulcer checker. This project had already been done by a group of Rice students.Our task was to make modifications to the device if any or to completely come up with a new solution to the problem.  We began by analyzing their design criteria and mark those which were accomplished in their design. By Thursday 11:00AM, we talked to our client to have a better understanding of  the limitations associated with diabetic patients. You could grasp some info and of course missed some, much attention was needed. Our interview with the client cleared some mist in those things that we did not understand about diabetic patients and that gave us a clear view of the situation.

More fun………………..

All work and no play makes “Chris” a dull guy.Ooh!!, this is not true for me. I had fun all throughout the week. Group competitions were what excited me the most. We were given the task to create a Bujaj, a bike like vehicle that is used in most African countries for short distance journeys. Together with Caz, we built our own Bujaj. When the competition began, we had the hope that we would be the winners but one ‘Jeremy’, our TA dominated the competition with his heavy Bujaj. Anyway it happens, but i think he won because his Bujaj was “heavy”, just kidding, all due to his creative design.

 

Is this All?

There is more fun in this video, it explains why my week was a success, à la semaine prochaine

 

Intro

So you might be wondering, who is this guy blogging here. Well don’t worry, this is me

Blessings Nyoni from Malawi, a fourth year mechanical engineering student at The University of Malawi, The Polytechnic. This has been the long awaited trip of my life since the day I realized I should see other parts of the world. So you might be thinking, wait a minute, isn’t this supposed to be about the Rice 360 internship and not travelling the world? Yes you are right, but hey am killing two birds with one stone here. I get to see America, experience their culture, make new friends, taste new food but most importantly and this is what am more excited about this summer, I get to learn the engineering design process and actually put the knowledge to use by designing and building a working prototype of a device. Not only am I excited about that but I will also learn how to work in a team comprising members from three different countries (what a great place to learn about culture!)

THE TRIP FROM HOUSTON TO MALAWI

The trip was great, we flew from Chileka airport in Blantyre, Malawi to Johannesburg and then through Heathrow, London to Houston, Texas.

The only hiccup during the way was the misunderstanding we had with security personnel in London which led to a somewhat in depth search of our possessions. The misunderstanding came about because when Christopher was selected for a random search, he mistakenly took Charity’s bad into the search room instead of his and they thought we might be hiding something by doing that. So we spent nearly 10-15 minutes being searched and talked. But in the end it was all resolved and our trip continued smoothly until we landed.

HOUSTON HERE I COME

Wow, so much for what I expected to see here in Houston. I thought it would be amazing but am disappointed it isn’t that good at all. Maybe I should just have stayed home and eat Nsima. Just kidding! The city is amazing, the people are awesome and the experiences are fulfilling and educational. It has only been nearly a week since I landed here in Houston but I feel at home already. The day we arrived (me and my friends from Malawi: charity, Christopher and Tiwonge), we were welcomed by Dr. Veronica Leautaud. She drove all the way to the airport to pick us up, showed us to our rooms and around campus. she even gave us hints on the general environment here in Houston in general. That might sound silly or small but believe me when you are in a country you’ve never been before, it’s actually a lot.

IN HOUSTON

So far I have managed to go Herman Park, maybe not go but pass through it. but it counts right! It is beautiful

I have gone to the Houston zoo(the first zoo i have ever gone to in my life!)  where we had a scavenger hunt the first working day of our internship (5^th, June 16, 2017). The scavenger hunt and many other activities we have been doing have been an important and helpful tool in helping us learn about each other and interact more. The first project we are all working on as interns during our intensive training on The Engineering Design Process was also from the zoo.

THE PEOPLE

As mentioned earlier, the people here have been exceptionally warm. We started as strangers and mare teammates but we are now growing to be friends and it is great. The mentors, instructors are doing a great job. They are open and actually care about our progress on the material they are delivering. Not only are they teaching and mentoring us about engineering design but also about communication in multicultural environments, etc.

one of the activities we did was decomposition which was like taking apart a machine to kinda see how it works and what parts it is made of. it was a great activity to do. I think i need to do it more. i might learn more than i think from decomposing machines.

FIRST PROJECT

The first project that we have been working on is to build an enrichment device for okapis at the Houston zoo. In case you don’t know what an okapi is here is this cute animal:

Enrichment devices are tools used mainly with animals in captivity to enhance their naturalistic behavior. This is necessary because animals in the world have to fetch for themselves, defend themselves, etc. but those in captivity have anything given to them. Therefore to give them the same experience or at least something close to it, enrichment devices are used to stimulate them into behaving like the wild counterparts.

The project has been educational and fun. I can’t wait to see it implemented. So far we have clarified team assignments, done design context review, created the design criteria, brainstormed possible solutions and today we will probably select what we will actually implement.

I am excited this summer and  i am looking forward to doing more and learning more!

ABOUT MYSELF

I am Chris Dzuwa from the Republic of Malawi. I study Structural Engineering at the Malawi Polytechnic. I  am so excited to be present at the Rice 2017 SEED summer program as this will expose me to different people with different skills.  I left Malawi on the 10th of July, just after having my final exam paper the previous day.

FIRST SEED WEEK BEGINS

Monday

Our week started on Monday, June 12th, 2017. I was introduced to Rice and Brazilian students. In total, the team was comprised of 15 students from different disciplines, the majority  being mechanical engineering students. I made friends with Caz, Kalen, Jake, all from the USA. Our first activity involved having a campus tour and i enjoyed the experience. We visited several places around the campus. Rice is very different from the Malawi Poly  both in size and activities. The campus at the Malawi Polytechnic is 4 times  smaller than Rice as such no buses are available to take students around the campus.In the afternoon of Monday, we visited the Houston Zoo just to have fun. I enjoyed the experience again and it was so refreshing.

Tuesday

On Tuesday, the whole schedule for the summer program was presented to us by Dr. Wetter green.  The program is expected to run for 7 weeks and the break down of activities for every week was presented in detail. Around 4.00 pm, we did Cultural presentations. Everyone was given the opportunity to talk about their country and i am glad i did. I explained about the small culture in Malawi, i.e. How people interact with each other at a family or community level, friends, the kind of food they eat and what gives them entertainment. What i liked most is the Brazilian food called ‘Feijoada’, it looks so appetizing  to me.

Picture showing Feijoada

Wednesday

On Wednesdays, we were given a task about the Okapi, an African animal whose habitation is North of the DRC. The picture below shows an Okapi.

Thursday

What i liked most about this day was the game we started our day with. Someone had to say a word and you had to write what you heard from that person. It turned out that a lot of people grasped a little about what their friends said. We continued the day with activities like brainstorming ideas for the Okapi enrichment device.

The Weeks ends in style

As i am writing this, it is Friday, June 16th . Our day started with blogging, exactly what i am doing now. Mmmmh!, yea this is great.  I believe today will be great. During my second weekend in Texas, i want to spend my time at the Houston zoo and will possibly have a tour around the city.

I am Tiwonge Yebo Nyirenda, a fourth year student at the Malawi Polytechnic majoring Electrical and Electronic Engineering. I arrived in Houston on June 11 for a six weeks SEED internship.

It feels great to be at Rice – Houston. The people are super good (both professors and peers), this makes me confirm that i will surely achieve my goal for coming here.

Just in this first week, in the OEDK, i have kind of advanced myself  in critical thinking and analysis . The boot camping, the Zoo visits for research, the class assignments  and all interactions i have had in the OEDK have made me prepared for next assignments. However, I am a bit challenged in getting in line with my US peers – (these peers) are so quick in analysis and critic as a matter of exposure, I am however, so certain that I will go back home an improved person in terms of critiquing situations in my Engineering career. And I am so grateful SEED allowed me such an exposure.

We have a task to design a devise for Okapi enrichment. This far, in teams we had the first talk with the client – Houston Zoo (on Wednesday, June 14) to establish the problem context. Yesterday, i worked a lot with Team Hippo (Christina, Mauel, Bruno and I) established the project design criteria, evaluated them in a Pairwise Comparison Chart and brainstormed a great deal of possible solutions.

 

Today we are to choose the winning solution using Pugh Screening and Scoring Matrices, after which we will plan our project, prototype and finally test the prototype.

The OEDK, is at far much more advanced compared to the design studio we have back home