I was able to redesign our garden and reprint it. The other one we printed had the wrong size holes in it for the water drainage. This new one had all the right dimensions and we made the right size screw holes. The print started off a little rough. It was only printing half and in an off manner. Professor Vishal figured out our garden was on its side and we were able to print it. We took out the water drainage holes in the new print because we will be drilling those ourselves. All of our sensors are working which is really great. They sense the moisture level in the soil and send a notification when it is below a certain threshold. Norman was working on having a notification sent when the plant needed water or light, but we opted for having a light change color. We still need to print the pillars for combining the vertical garden pots together. We also have to screw the pillars with the garden and set up the Arduino device on the garden. In addition, we need to find a way to waterproof our plastic material into something that can withstand moisture. We were thinking about using wood glue or some time of aluminum lining.

http://komonews.com/news/healthworks/3d-printing-offers-new-tech-for-replacement-knees

I found this article about how knee replacements are getting more popular and researchers have found a way to make a mold from knee CAT scans. The molds provide the best fit for every individual as it is perfectly molded to fit their knee. This is a convenient way to essentially personally fit your knee replacement. I know a lot of people who have had knee surgery that would have been grateful for that option. I find 3D printing in healthcare to be particularly interesting as it changes people’s lives and makes it more affordable to help everyone.

This past week, our learning lessons were focused on understand the purpose of iterative prototype design and testing. The prototype assessment and test plan article emphasized that the primary reason “to create a high-fidelity prototype are to help you gain a much deeper understanding of your product so that you can actually test your ideas with real users before you build it.” My team and I started applying this principle during our last class and shifted our focus to creating more prototypes. Our shift to an action-based approach has allowed us to make more tangible progress with our final project.

This learning lesson is something I believe will be applicable no matter what career I go into. The idea to be more action-oriented rather than complacent is an important learning lesson for me. I definitely think that in the future, I want to adopt this type of approach and encourage myself to take more action.

Here is the link to an image of what my team and I were able to 3d print this past week. We printed out the bushing needed to serve as the foundational attachment for a steering wheel knob. The bushing is what will be directly attached to the steering wheel and the screw will serve as the bolt to lock everything in place.

Upcoming things that my team still needs to prototype include:

1. The ball attachment to twist on to the bushing and bracket.
2. The handle attachment.

Our plan is to prototype these and have them printed before class on Wednesday so that we can get feedback from our peers and design plans to test our prototypes. This whole final project has been an experience learning how to continue to iterate in order to make tangible progress. I am excited and looking forward to getting back into the lab with my team to test out our design!

As the end of the semester, and the end of college for most of us in the class, draws closer and closer we are working hard on our final projects as well as learning more about Fusion 360 and other applications beneficial to helping us make different objects. This week we focused on the software Meshmixer. We also worked on finalizing our project designs and began working on prototypes. Unfortunately, we did not have a guest speaker this week, but still learned a lot of exciting things in class!

Scanning Ourselves

In the beginning of class, we learned a little bit about how to use scanners from a company called Sense 3D. First, we all made scans of our busts. Unfortunately, we ran into a problem when we tried to share them on the cloud which would allow us to edit them in softwares we are educated in like MeshMixer and print a 3D model. It was going to be too expensive to do it for all the students in the class, so Vishal worked on finding a new application. Towards the end of class, a couple students were able to print a bust of themselves. It was exciting to see how we could scan something with a camera and turn it into a physical object just a couple hours later.

Similar to how we were able to scan ourselves and print a bust of ourselves, we watched a video of Jay Leno in his garage scanning an object, sending it to the computer, and then 3D printing a replica of the object. This sort of technology can be very useful, especially for objects that are hard to find or expensive to buy. Overall we achieved our objective of learning how to scan, refining the scan, exporting a cad model, and setting it to print.

(photo)

Here is an example of a man who scanned himself and was able to 3D print himself. Although not all of us were able to 3D print ourselves due to time constraints we did have a few classmates print a bust of themselves and those of us who could not print ourselves were able to watch others.

Attached is a video that dives deeper into understanding 3D scanning.

Final Project Progress

This week was also a big week for all the groups in class to make progress on our final projects. There are a lot of great ideas this semester including a person tracker to aid businesses in keeping track of foot traffic at their business, a coffee pour over assistant, a steering wheel knob to help people with physical ailments drive a car, and many others.

In class, the groups worked on creating a clearer design for their products as well as a physical prototype. Another objective we had this week was to identify any materials we would need to order for our final project if they were not available to us in the Maker Lab or FabLab. Additionally, we were required to start a testing plan for our projects. We pick at least two subjects and develop a testing protocol. Essentially, this covers things that need to be done before the test and instructions for the test.

As for my group individually, we are working on a coffee pour over assistant. This will allow users to pour water into a reservoir and it will slowly drip through the coffee. This eliminates the need for a human to pour the water, saving them a lot of time. We have decided to make it in two parts, making it easier for us to divide the work between the three members in our group. I am making the base of the assistant, and my biggest task is making it adjustable, so it can fit over assorted sizes of cups. We will be making a trip to the FabLab to acquire material that can withstand contact with hot water and will not leak any toxins into the water. Overall, all the groups are making a lot of progress on their projects and will have a prototype this week.

Summary

Based on the updates of each groups’ project, everyone seems to be in a good place on their project. We all have a clear idea of what materials we will need for our objects, a specific design for the ideas, and what the next steps are that we need to complete for our projects. Also, all the students were excited to learn about 3D scanning and attempt to do it on our own by scanning ourselves and 3D printing our busts. We are all looking forward to everyone’s finished projects!

In class this week, we learned about the capabilities of 3D scanning. I didn’t personally have the chance to make my own bust but saw others as they used an iPad to scan themselves. I would equate the process to a much more thorough panoramic photograph. The 3D element, of course, makes us capture the entire depth of the object being scanned. It was cool to see how easy it was for 3D scanners to capture everything in front of it. In class, we watched a video on Jay Leno who demonstrated just how easy 3D scanning can be. We learned that there’s even a low-grade 3D scanner for your smartphone.

The work with scanners reminded me of an idea that a friend and I had worked on. We thought it would be cool if we could capture our own dimensions and upload a graphic image of ourselves into the cloud. Then, as a Google plug-in or other web-based app, we would use our dimensions to view ourselves in clothing when shopping online. This could help shoppers find clothing that fits them more assuredly than the current method of guessing what will fit and returning the clothing if it doesn’t. 3D scanning could make this idea a reality, though there would be much more to launching a sound business beyond the technological capabilities.

That sounds like a project for another time so I’ll turn the focus to the project that our group is working on – the steering wheel attachment. It was our group’s first opportunity to work as a whole for some time, so we took the time to iterate on some designs that make the most sense for our target users. After downloading MeshMixer, we generated a design for a screw that would be a printed locking mechanism for the printed modular steering wheel clamp. Finally, we developed our project testing plan for our product. In planning, we determined who were specifically our target users in addition to what they would be doing in testing our attachment. Looking forward to keeping the ball rolling!

Shapeways:

Although I wasn’t able to attend class this week, I was able to read more about Shapeways online and connect with my peers to learn more about the amazing things Lauren and the rest of the Shapeways team are working on! Shapeways is a New York based 3D printing marketplace and service company that provides users the ability to design and upload 3D printable files. It was interesting to see how easy the marketplace platform was to utilize. To 3D print an object, users simply have to upload files to their site and then select what materials to use. From there, users pay and input their address and then Shapeways will ship the product right to the customer. Shapeways can make products out a wide variety of material ranging from plastic to stainless steel.

The layout of Shapeways is very structured and easy to follow. In addition to offering customers the ability to 3D print products, Shapeways also offers material sample kits. They range from color & finish to kits with metals at a price range from $19.99 (color & finish) to $79.99 (Metals).

Prototyping/Final Project Work:

My team and I are in the midst of prototyping our project. Some of the team is focused on conducting desktop research to identify what features are desirable to drivers in regards to a customizable steering wheel attachment. Currently, I am working to parametrize the potential model we are looking to create. I am modeling it after what is done on thingverse. I have been experimenting with OpenSCAD software to code printable designs for a steering wheel attachment. Learning the software is taking some time, but it is an extremely powerful and useful tool. Our team is focusing on creating a flexible design and this will be one of the main deliverables of our final project.

This week we returned to the Digital Making Lab for the first time in three weeks. A guest speaker from Shapeways started the class with a brief virtual tour of their production and fulfillment facility. Shapeways leverages the digital making community platform to custom print and ship designs around the world. The printing machines expectedly dwarfed those I have seen in person, yet I was still impressed by their capabilities. These machines can simultaneously print objects from purchase orders.

I hadn’t considered a need for a dyeing section of the facility. From a revenue standpoint however, it makes more sense for Shapeways to print in one color and dye everything afterward. Changing colors using the Ultimaker or the embroidery machine in the FabLab is a hassle. Repeatedly having to do so would reduce Shapeways productivity and profits. This exemplifies how companies in the digital making space manage to foster creativity while staying profitable. More focused on the creative side of digital making in this class, I’m glad our guest speakers have consistently shown business insight in this industry.

The remaining class time was dedicated towards our final project prototypes. My team and I produced a rough sketch of our hydroponic drip system prototype and the necessary materials. Our early discussions were heavily focused on various design points. I drew upon lessons from the Design for America presentation a few weeks ago, specifically narrowing down the problem and asking “How can we” questions. Currently, the team is looking into ways to feasibly integrate a pH sensor. Hydroponic plants frequently perish at low or high pH levels because owners neglect to monitor it. I’ve reached out to a professor in Agricultural Engineering hoping for clearer direction.

I also returned to Brandon at the FabLab for further design input. I wanted to find a material strong enough to support several hanging plants. Instead of PLA plastic, we are leaning towards using laser cut wood. Adding wheels to the three support prongs is another interesting design aspect emerging from this meeting. The ability to move the hydroponics system to sunnier areas of the house would promote growth and further satisfy customers. Lastly, I spoke to Brandon about an air quality measuring device developed at the FabLab called DustDuino. The device could be attached at the top wooden hook in order to measure the air purification progress over time. There is still much work to be done, but the freedom to explore these options certainly makes this project unique.

This week in class, we first had got the chance to speak with a Shapeways employee. She started off our session by giving us a virtual tour of the manufacturing facility she was at. It was interesting to hear and see how every employee in the business had a specific role to contribute to the 3D making and distribution process. I spent some time looking into the various companies she referenced, specifically HeroForge. It was amazing to see how 3D modeling is now available to desktop machines without any additional software or upgrades. I was able to create a custom figure and see it in live-dimensions on my screen. I’m curious to see how these capabilities will grow the personal 3D-making movement!

Next, we spent time actually creating crude mock-ups and prototypes in class. My group decided to move forward with our steering assistance tool. We looked into products that are actually on the market now, to understand what form factors work best and are most appealing to the public right now. We initially discussed the idea of using OpenSCAD to create modifiable dimensions within our steering assistance tool. However, we decided we wanted to go in a more modular direction. Similar to the way you can attach different heads onto an electric drill – we wanted to create a custom steering tool that can be utilized in a variety of use cases.

We decided to create a standard clamp that would affix to the user’s steering wheel. Then, we want to create at least 2 different attachments that can be utilized with the clamp. One would be a standard sort of knob (circular) that can provide general steering assistance to those with low motor strength. Another would be designed for with severely low motor strength, where the user would put their hand through a handle, and use their palm/wrist to steer the wheel.

The biggest challenges we are facing is safety – understanding how we can ensure that our modular design does not sacrifice design integrity. Since we are entering a product segment that requires products to work 100% of the time (driving a car) we have to make sure that our designs are solid. In the coming week, we plan to design and print actual prototypes of our models.

This week’s class gave us an opportunity to further explore the possibilities of 3D printing in addition to spending time iterating our project idea.

Our guest speaker from Shapeways showed us the amazing capabilities of the company through a swift “office” tour. I put the word office in quotes because the Shapeways place of business acts much more like a lab, or an art studio. The capabilities of their sleek machinery were astounding, as their printers use everything from ceramics to strong metals. Coming from a business perspective, I found it interesting that it is supremely difficult to capture economies of scale in the 3D printing industry. Economies of scale is a competitive advantage for any business: it means that with more items produced, the cost of those items decreases. But it is the unique nature of each product of a 3D printer that makes the industry so appealing. The ability to customize something exactly to our liking is what 3D printing is all about. On the site, I found a cool looking moon lamp that I thought I’d share.

https://www.shapeways.com/product/TDDWUNVVF/moon-lamp?optionId=41593801&li=featured

After learning about Shapeways, we had an opportunity to meet with our project teams to move our idea further along. Our group decided to modify our steering wheel attachment to many different grips that attach to a common, minimalist base. One classmate offered some excellent feedback for us in suggesting that it is imperative that we ensure our design is extremely strong, because drivers will be counting on it to hold firm while turning their vehicle. If the product were to break, it could be detrimental to the safety of the driver. Please see Ajie’s week 10 post for photos of our updated design. We are excited to continue work on our project!

Feedback is tremendously helpful throughout the entire design process. Among this week’s resources was an engaging video on Design as an Iterative Process, from David Kelley at IDEO. He spoke about the necessity of rapid prototyping when we produce our first designs. It makes sense that the faster we produce designs, the faster we allow feedback. After just one presentation of our group’s design, we received some helpful feedback that rings that idea true.

This week in class we had the pleasure of hearing from an employee who works for Shapeways. I had always wanted to learn more about how these 3D printing factories work so this presentation was really interesting for me. Right away I thought it was cool that she took us on a quick tour of the production area and I was surprised by how industrial their facilities look. Listening to the employee describe all of the different types of prints that they do and the different types of people and organizations that they service was very enlightening to hear. It seems like 3D printing technology is well on its way to becoming the preferred method of mass production for a lot of industries and that the technology will likely further revolutionize the manufacturing industry. After seeing all that Shapeways does, I can expect 3D printing manufacturing services like Shapeways to will be the norm in the distant future.

After the guest lecture, we were given time to work on our projects and begin prototyping.  For us that meant getting our design finalized. One of the key takeaways that I took from the readings this week was from the Edison nation article that talked about prototyping. It says that one of the best ways to start prototyping is to simply grab a pen and some paper and draw it out and that’s exactly what my group did. We spent about an hour just drawing out potential designs and seeing what we liked and disliked about them. Drawing multiple prototypes really helped us figure out our overall design and what we ended up with looks a bit different from our original concept. I am sure as we continue to prototype our design and begin to model it in CAD, it will change many times over. Additionally, I have spent a lot of time this week figuring out how to add sensors to our vertical farm in order for it to give the user information about the plants being grown. So far, I have changed my original idea to include sensors that, based off of my research, will better detect if a plant needs to be watered or not and will be creating a prototype of the electronics soon to see how everything will work put together. Overall it was a productive week and I am excited to see the progress of all of the projects in our class.

https://uofi.box.com/s/ga7h6767164gvzs8nipgkj4m88on15mb

(Picture of our design on paper)

Shapeways

This week we had a guest speaker (which meant pizza!) from Shapeways. Shapeways is a 3D printing company where users can design and upload 3D printable files and Shapeways prints the files for them. Consumers are able to make any product they want through their own creativity, very neat!

She gave us a tour of the facility via webcam and I thought this was so cool. We saw the office space transform into the printing warehouse. I liked how the facilities were connected allowing the workers to watch or monitor any printing activity. The Shapeways office was an open creative space.

I decided to watch the video of the Shapeways CEO talking 3D printing. I thought he had a great explanation of the company and what they offer. He talks about using your own creativity and being able to get the product you want. The 3D printed hand was revolutionary. There are so many people who loose their limbs that could benefit from a 3D printed hand, arm, or leg. Creating a body part that functions like real ones would be life saving to so many individuals.

In Class & Readings

This week our team was able to accomplish a lot for our project. We are creating a vertical garden. Each of us were on different pages about how we interpreted our end product, this caused a lot of confusion. We spent time talking specifics about design and focal points. First, we want to have two layers to our garden since this is a prototype. We decided to grow basil and radishes because they can grow in 4-5 inches of soil. It was hard determining our measurements because we wanted space to make a successful garden, but it has to be small enough for a window cell in a dorm or apartment. We concluded that it would be a foot and a half tall and 6 inches wide: keeping it relatively small, but room to grow. Another discussion we had was about the sensors. Our sensors are going to measure water levels and alert the user when water levels are low through a text messages system. We will attach the sensors partially in the soil while the wires maintain on the outside of the pot. We drew a sketch so that visually we all understood. Attached is a picture of our sketch (will not let me upload, no space!). We are excited to continue to develop our ideas.

David Kelley talks about design as an iterative process. Spitting out a crummy first draft of a prototype allows you to build on that idea. It does not matter if it starts out bad, what is essential is the idea behind it. Personally, a lot of my first drafts is writing and now designing usually are terrible, but I have learned to stick with it and evolve it into something better.

Today I am on my way to San Francisco for a job interview with a tech company. They have their own SaaS SEO platform that drives traffic to websites from organic search. I am super excited to see the office and be in San Francisco. I hope to experience the techy and innovative environment that San Francisco is known for.