OVERVIEW

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Cutting large foods is difficult and unsafe for our client, who has Usher’s Syndrome, a condition that causes both vision and hearing loss. In a team of four, we chose to address this specific challenge by designing a device that allows the client to cut food independently and safely

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Quantitative Objectives

1. SAFETY - minimize sharp edges
2. EASE OF ASSEMBLY - minimize time to take apart and reassemble
3. CUTTING EFFICIENCY- maximize cutting surface area

Qualitative Objectives

1. COMFORTABILITY - score from users
2. EASE OF USE - score from users

Design Constraints

• The device must be differentiated from existing solutions (Fig 1.)
• The total production cost must be less than $100
• Time constraint (Feb 14-Apr 4)

Keeping in mind the objectives and constraints, we designed a Plunger-Based Food Cutter in two phases:

1. Design Space Exploration 🎨
2. Prototyping & Testing ⚙

Figure 1. exterior view of final prototype of plunger-based food cutter

SKILL APPLIED!

Soft Skills

✅ Problem-Solving

✅ Collaboration

✅ Time Management

✅ Adaptability

✅ Creativity

Technical Skills

✅ Autodesk Inventor

✅ Prototyping & Fabrication

✅ Project Management

✅ Product Testing

✅ Writing

Figure 2: Final CAD model with hidden lines for interior plunger

1. DESIGN SPACE EXPLORATION 🎨

Concept Generation

My team created CAD models for food cutters based on objectives and concept sketches generated from the morph chart I created (Fig. 3).

Top 2 Designs:

Based on the teams weighted matrix using key objectives, we arrived on 2 finalists (Fig 4.)

1. Teammates plunger-based cutter with separate attachments (Fig 5.)
2. My lever assisted slicer (Fig. 6)

Figure 5. Plunger with separate attachments

Figure 6. My lever assisted slicer using a tray to collect food juices seeping through pores

Figure 3: Functorial analysis chart I created for concept sketches

Figure 4. teams weighted decision matrix derived by objective rankings by others

Challenges with Design 2: Feasibility vs Creativity

In attempt to avoid existing solutions, my teammates expressed that my design was too complex

and unrealistic in terms of safety and comfortability, which were top-level objectives of the design.

Final Choice - Plunger Based Cutter with Separate Attachments

Design Benefits Illustrated in final design (Fig. 7)

1. Safe (No exposed blades are covered by cylinder)
2. Efficient (little force needed to compress plunger)
3. Versatile (incorporates removable attachments)
4. Portable (lightweight as hollow inside)
5. Easy to clean (modular dome and cylinder removable)
6. Simple and easy to use

Figure 7. Interior view of design mechanism (red lines indicate the movement of the shaft and blades after applied force)

What I Learned

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Due to the problems with my design, I realized asking for early feedback on initial concepts is the first and most important aspect of an engineering project.

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2. PROTOTYPING & TESTING ⚙

• AS A TEAM
• PERSONAL CONTRIBUTIONS

PROJECT REFLECTION💭

“The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't said - Peter Drucker

The above quote emphasizes my new understanding of communication within a team. While we were able to complete the project, I realize that I could have been more attentive to the unspoken dynamics within the team. There were several occasions where another team member and I carried out tasks while others didn’t fully engage. Looking back, them not completing a group task should have signaled the need for me to step in and assign them a role. If I had stepped into a leadership position to address the silent cues, I could have encouraged and motivated them to participate to a greater extent. This might have led to a more fair distribution of work, resulting in more time develop creative solutions to team deliverables