Design Reflection

    During a design process, there are a million things to think about, and therefor a million things to forget. During the design of our log-carrying-sail boat, the aspect that we neglected was the structural strength of the design. Our boat was made of household items- mostly duct tape, pencils, and paper, and  over time shifted and bent as it was moved to various places. We should have spent for time by making sure things that appeared sturdy at the time, were reinforced and make made to have more structural integrity.

    A project requirement that would make all groups address this issue, would be to have a test day to allow observance of the product, and then another day to fix mistakes and weak points that are presented.

    An added challenge would be to have a "part B" to the project. After their design is complete, have them spend another day improving it, like engineers commonly have to do when creating a product for their company.

Early American Energy Design Brief

During our brainstorming for the creation of our product, we were given the problem of needing to find a way to transport a log into town, using wind as our energy source. As we continued with our brainstorming, we came across the problem that the wind will change direction, and therefor the direction of the energy. In the 1800s, most people relied on wood for constructing and making fires, it was essential to everyday life. If there was an efficient way to get logs into town, most of the people in the town, including those selling logs, would be greatly affected. This problem is valid, as many people are affected by it and would benefit if it were solved. Our design does have some simple constraints. the main one is that is has to be big enough that the weight of the log wont destroy it, and have a great enough mass that it can move a log.

Early American Energy Intro

Ahoy There!
Simulating the 1800's when people were forced to figure out a way to perform everyday activities with no technology, our group must design a mechanism that could function even in that era. Our task is to move a log into town, using wind as our primary source of energy. My job as the industrial engineer is to make sure that the design functions well,  is as simple as possible, and aesthetically pleasing.