Designing! Savannah Pena

This time around we are focusing on creating a prototype. We came up with some strategies we could take in order to accomplish this task. In our group we have a variety of thinker which is a good thing in this case because if one of us forget a detail another member remembers. The project requires attention to detail, but also being able to see the big picture, before we could see the whole picture we had to pick piece by piece apart. We had to measure the spare wheelchair the nurses donated to use part by part. Our initial plan is to make out prototype by 3-D printing it out. In order to do that we need to make a scale model and create it on a program called AutoDesk Inventor. Its a program professional engineers use to make models of when the product has many parts to it. We decided this program over using Google sketch up because, you only use that program for big projects like architectural ideas. Creating a wheelchair by parts for us just seemed like a logical way to go considering all the measurements we took. This program makes converting the design to 3-D printing easier to understand than other do.

Adjustments are needed for our wheelchair we received. The donated wheelchair we have is slightly too big for the age group we wanted it to be for. The group decided to adjust the measurements for the prototype and the frame we have now we’ll have to weld it to the size we want later down the road. When we first started out this project it was all papers and technical procedures , but now we are moving into the building steps. Its exciting to see our idea turn into something tangible. My group is becoming more of a unit and working towards getting everything done by helping one another finish each task. Creating an actual wheel chair seemed very difficult and abstract when we first started out, but not that we are actual to this step its unbelievable. To think we are creating a device that might actually help children is amazing, depending of course if it works or not. We know this project is going to have a lot of trials, but that always leads to growing and improvement on our design. We will keep trying til we get it right.

The Program we decided to use for our prototype.