1. Choosing a Topic

2. Choosing a Topic Choosing a Good Topic
What Happens After Brainstorming Topics?
Strategies for Brainstorming an EDD Topic
Brainstorming Review
What Do You Know?
What Do You Love?
Don’t You Hate It When . . .

3. Getting Started Design Process Prototypes
Engineering Design and Development
Lesson 4.1 Plan for the Prototype
Design Process
Getting
Started
It’s time to begin your EDD project! The first step is to identify the problem you will solve.

4. Rule of Thirds Research and Exploration Design and Construction
Prototypes
Engineering Design and Development
Lesson 4.1 Plan for the Prototype
Rule of Thirds
Research and Exploration
Design and Construction
Testing, Documentation, and Presentation
Problem Selection
Design Specification
Testing Criteria & Method
Topic Background
Decision Matrix
Testing Procedure
Problem Statement
Concept Testing
Physical Testing
Statement of Purpose
Design Proposal
Record Data
Cited Validation
Gantt Chart (timeline)
Critical Design Review
Cited Justification
Sketching Refinement
Redesign and Refine
Past & Present Solutions
Technical Drawing
Re-test
Market Research
Material List
Determine Conclusion
Problem Proposal
Cost
Multimedia Display
Tool Selection
Web Page
Tool Safety
Research Paper
Mock Up & Modeling
Electronic Portfolio
Prototype Construction
Problem Selection
Remember that you will be working toward a solution of your chosen problem for the rest of the course. Make sure that you choose wisely. The activities in Unit 2 of EDD will guide you through the initial steps in the design process to help you choose a valid problem that can be solved over the next few months within the confines of the course.

5. Choosing a Good Topic Choose something . . .
Presentation Name
Engineering Design and Development
Unit # – Lesson #.# – Lesson Name
Choosing a Good Topic
Choose something . . .
That will keep your interest for the rest of the year.
That is your idea, not another classmate’s or the instructor’s.
In which you have a vested interest.
[This slide should be strongly emphasized. Although students will be in groups and will have to compromise some, choosing a topic will dictate to some extent which group they choose to work with and how much they will need to compromise.
Students may be unfamiliar with the phrase vested interest. Their topic solutions should affect them personally or some person or group that they for care very much.]

6. Choosing a Good Topic Choose something . . . That is a valid problem.
Presentation Name
Engineering Design and Development
Unit # – Lesson #.# – Lesson Name
Choosing a Good Topic
Choose something . . .
That is a valid problem.
That is a justifiable problem.
That has the potential to make a difference.
Although it is somewhat important that you are interested in the design project on which you choose to work for the remainder of the class, it is also important that the project be valid and justifiable since you will be assessed on your ability to validate and justify your design work.
A valid problem is a problem that other credible sources (such as consumers, users, and experts) also believe is a real problem and for which there are other products and/or patents that attempt to solve the problem.
A problem can be described as justifiable if there is evidence that the value of a successful solution is worth the time, money, and effort necessary to find a solution to the problem.
Later, you will perform a market analysis to get an idea of how much demand there may be for a particular design idea. Although profit may not be a consideration for every product design, if an inventor or entrepreneur hopes to obtain outside financial support for development of his idea, in most cases, the potential to make money on the product will be one of the most important factors that investors will consider when deciding whether or not to invest in product development.

7. Strategies for Brainstorming an EDD Topic
Choosing a Topic
Engineering Design and Development
Unit 2 – Lesson 2.1 – Identify a Valid Problem
Strategies for Brainstorming an EDD Topic
©iStockphoto.com
Don’t You Hate It When . . .
What Do You Know?
What Do You Love?

8. Brainstorming Review Rules No criticism allowed Work for quantity
Presentation Name
Engineering Design and Development
Unit # – Lesson #.# – Lesson Name
Brainstorming Review
A process undertaken to solve a problem by rapidly generating a variety of possible solutions.
Rules
No criticism allowed
Work for quantity
Piling on of ideas welcome
Free-for-all
The rules of brainstorming are a little different for an individual versus a group due to the nature of group interaction. Both stress the generation of many ideas quickly.
No criticism allowed:
People automatically tend to evaluate each suggested idea – their own, as well as others.
Refrain from making negative comments.
Work for quantity:
People must experience “brain-drain” before the innovative, creative ideas can surface.
Therefore, the more ideas, the more likely they are to be quality ideas.
Piling on:
Piling on occurs when one member’s idea produces a similar idea or an enhanced idea.
All ideas should be recorded.

9. What Do You Know?
Brainstorm a list of what you know best or in what areas you have expertise.
Rank them based on your interest.
Note some areas that might need improvement or redevelopment related to the items on your list.

10. What Do You Love? Passion-driven
Presentation Name
Engineering Design and Development
Unit # – Lesson #.# – Lesson Name
What Do You Love?
Brainstorm some topics that you are passionate about, but in which you may not have expertise.
Rank them based on your interest.
Note some areas that might need improvement or redevelopment related to the items on your list.
You might need to conduct further research to learn more about the topic.
Think about your favorite activities, hobbies, pets, and belongings. What sports do you like? What consumable products can you not live without?
Other ways to phrase the questions include:
What kinds of magazines would you purchase at a news stand?
What do you spend money on?
What do you do for enjoyment?
Passion-driven

11. Don’t You Hate It When . . . Frustration-driven
Presentation Name
Engineering Design and Development
Unit # – Lesson #.# – Lesson Name
Don’t You Hate It When . . .
Brainstorm about situations that are frustrating.
Rank them based on your level of frustration with each.
You might need to conduct further research to learn more about the topic.
What annoys you? When you think about it, you can probably list a number of instances in which things didn’t go as expected or as you would have liked.
In the last week, what has happened that has caused you irritation? Did something not work correctly or break at an inopportune time? Was it difficult to operate something or complete a task that should have been much simpler than it was? Does a task take too long? Is the operation of a product too difficult, messy, loud, inefficient, etc.? What situations/products have resulted in damage or injury?
Some of these ideas might be related to topics from the previous two brainstorming lists.
[More suggestions for potential topics can be found on the Brainstorming Help document found in the curriculum.]
Frustration-driven

12. What Happens After Brainstorming Topics?
Presentation Name
Engineering Design and Development
Unit # – Lesson #.# – Lesson Name
What Happens After Brainstorming Topics?
Step 1 (individual) – Areas of Interest
Step 2 (individual) – Large problems within area(s) of interest
Step 3 (individual/team) – Manageable problem(s) within area of interest
Step 4 (team) – Preliminary research
Step 5 (team) – Validate the problem
Step 6 (team) – Concise problem statement
After you’ve brainstormed some potential topics, you’ll need to do additional work to in order to write a useful problem statement that concisely defines a valid problem that you can successfully solve within the constraints of EDD.

13. Next Steps Design Process Prototypes
Engineering Design and Development
Lesson 4.1 Plan for the Prototype
Design Process
Next Steps
Once you’ve identified a problem that you would like to solve [click], you’ll need to validate the problem, that is, verify that it is truly a problem, and justify the time and effort that you will spend over the next several months working toward a solution.

14. Examples of EDD Projects
Prototypes
Engineering Design and Development
Lesson 4.1 Plan for the Prototype
Examples of EDD Projects
Fertigator
Sip and Drip
Small Bore Air Rifle Target Changer
Sip and Drip - The design shows a proposed solution to the problem of ice cream cones dripping, breaking, and creating a mess.
Small Bore Air Rifle Target Changer – Remote target changers and remote position changers currently exist. However, no device is available that does both. This device allows a target shooter to change targets and the position of targets remotely.
Fertigator – This EDD project is called the Fertigator. It was designed to water and fertilize residential plants. It utilizes a tube with small holes that extends to the root zone of the plants and a removable cap into which a fertilizer capsule can be placed.
A Better Crutch – This design resulted from problems with existing crutch designs identified by patients and health care workers.
Ecco Fridge – This design incorporated the use of cool outside air in northern climates to reduce energy consumption for refrigeration.
Paint Ball Helmet – The paint ball helmet design incorporates a built-in camera and recording chip.
Ecco Fridge
A Better Crutch
Paint Ball Hemet

15. Examples of EDD Projects
Prototypes
Engineering Design and Development
Lesson 4.1 Plan for the Prototype
Examples of EDD Projects
Garage Door Notification System
Car Visor Stop Light Assist
Practice Pitch Return
Visible Toaster
Car Visor Stop Light Assist – When a car is stopped at a traffic light and the car is facing directly into the sun at certain times of the day, it is difficult to see which lamp is illuminated in the traffic light (red, yellow, or green). This visor has a camera and LED screen that allows the driver to see a stoplight when the sun is directly behind (for instance, when a driver is facing west at sunset).
Garage Door Notification System – Many people drive away from home and can not remember if they closed their garage door. Many accidentally leave a garage door opened overnight. This system sends you a text message if your garage door is left open longer than 20 minutes.
Practice Pitch Return – It is sometimes difficult for pitchers to find a partner with which to practice pitching. Many catchers do not like to help pitchers practice because it is tough on their knees and they want to spend their time at batting practice. This device allows a baseball/softball pitcher to practice throwing strikes without requiring a catcher to return the ball. What makes this device particularly unique is the ability to switch from baseballs to softballs.
Visible Toaster – The level of “doneness” indicated on many toasters is arbitrary and non-descriptive. It is often difficult to determine how brown a bagel or piece of bread is while hidden within a toaster, sometimes resulting in under- or over-toasting. The Visible Toaster Design allows the user to monitor the darkness of the toast as it is toasting.

16. Examples of EDD Projects
Prototypes
Engineering Design and Development
Lesson 4.1 Plan for the Prototype
Examples of EDD Projects
Improved Marching Band Music Holder
Utili-Tool
Snow Blower Clog Remover
Improved Marching Band Music Holder – The improved music holder, called a lyre, solves many of the problems that exist with current lyre designs.
Utili-Tool – This product was designed to unclog the chute of a snow blower after it becomes clogged with snow and ice during use. The Utili-tool included a chuck on the front onto into which various tools (such as an auger or brush) could be fit and then rotated at high speed to dislodge the clog. Here the students are using a torque meter to measure the torque (in foot-pounds) that their design generated.
Forearm Workout Device – This product was designed to attach to any weight bar. It works out the forearms while the individual performs other lifts.
Portable Basketball System
Portion Control Calculator
Forearm Workout Device

17. Examples of EDD Projects
Prototypes
Engineering Design and Development
Lesson 4.1 Plan for the Prototype
Examples of EDD Projects
Cross Country Training Ski
RFDI Tag Controlled Light
Cross Country Training Ski – This training ski provides more effective training by better mimicking the motion of cross country skiing.
RFDI Tag Controlled Light – This product is designed to deter people without handicapped parking permits from parking in handicapped parking spaces. A computer chip (intended to be activated by the Department of Motor Vehicles) would be embedded in the handicapped parking tag that hangs from rearview mirrors in vehicles. A device on the handicapped traffic sign would receive the signal and flash a light when a valid tag is within range.
Better Garbage Disposal – Students worked with a GE employee (who holds several patents) to develop a kitchen sink garbage disposal that wouldn’t jam when larger solid food wastes (such as chicken bones) were inserted.
Snowplow-Proof Mail Box – This design allows the mailbox to swing up and around, if it is hit by a vehicle. The mailbox automatically returns to the main position.
Better Garbage Disposal
Snowplow-Proof Mail Box

18. Examples of EDD Projects
Prototypes
Engineering Design and Development
Lesson 4.1 Plan for the Prototype
Examples of EDD Projects
Hands Free Lighting Device (left) with Circuit and FDM (fused deposition model) (above)
Boat Hull Cleaner
Automatic Watering System (for indoor plants)
Tubeless Non-Flattening Tire
Temperature Sensing,
Self-Regulating Blinds

19. Examples of EDD Projects
Prototypes
Engineering Design and Development
Lesson 4.1 Plan for the Prototype
Examples of EDD Projects
Touch Screen Order
Entry System
No Mess
Urinal Device
Touch Screen Order Entry System for fast food drive through windows – This system allows direct entry of an order and is designed to eliminate order errors by an order taker. It allows for additions and holds and keeps a running total of the order. The students used Lab View to create the program. This order error problem was suggested by a small independent company that is currently using this system at 2 stores.
No Mess Urinal Device – This device, created by Team Spill, addresses the problem of excessive liquid spills and the resulting odor and floor tile damage near urinals in male restrooms. The device was designed to create an interactive “game-type” experience when using the urinal. The device includes a pressure sensor with a digital display that measures pressure and volume of a steady stream of liquid. The device uses technology similar to that used in carnival water balloon games.
Dog Self-Exercising Machine for high energy pets – This device launches a tennis ball. Once the dog retrieves the ball, the device allows the dog (once trained) to reload and re-launch the ball without human intervention.
Electrolysis Devices – These devices are designed to produce hydrogen (for hydrogen fuel cells) through electrolysis of water. Water is contained between two polycarbonate sheets, with a metal plate in the middle. A current is passed through the metal plate and the hydrogen and oxygen are drawn off with the tubes.
Dog Self-Exercising Machine
Electrolysis Devices

20. Choosing a Topic Choosing a Good Topic
Strategies for Brainstorming an EDD Topic
Brainstorming Review
What Do You Know?
What Do You Love?
Don’t You Hate It When . . .
What Happens After Brainstorming Topics?
Past EDD Projects

21. Image Resources
Microsoft, Inc. (n.d.). Clip art. Retrieved from iStockphoto. Retrieved from Dimension Printing. Retrieved from Thanks to EDD teachers who shared images of student prototypes