Safe-T1st Shovel

Teammates: Kelly Pifer, Andrew Gardell, Michael Leszczynski, Stephen Anderson, Diego Carrasquillo, and Shenghao Lu

| 01

Problem Identification

For the final project in my Introduction to Engineering Design course, we were placed in groups of seven and were told to design something within the following two constraints: 1) there had to be a sub-system for each team member to be responsible for (so, seven sub-systems) and 2) we had to have a working prototype for the final presentation. So, it had to be complicated enough for us to each have a sub-system, but simple enough for us to design and prototype in approximately four months.

As soon as I realized these constraints, I knew that whatever we designed was just going to be an over-engineered object. So, while our final offering wouldn't necessarily be something needed in the world, I wanted to use this as an opportunity to focus on user-centered design skills, that I had just acquired through my Industrial Design studio course.

Coming up with a problem space to work in was actually very simple. At the time, we were in Troy, NY in late January - so outside was a snowy tundra that we all had to trek through to get to and from class. It seemed pretty obvious that we should create something that would aid in snow removal.

Research

| 02

Many of us were used to shoveling our walkways and driveways, and shoveling out our cars. While we were all young and in relatively good shape, we all complained of how sore our backs would be after shoveling, and how we often had to help our parents and grandparents because shoveling had become too difficult for them. Since we all knew this was a real problem, we decided to create and distribute a survey to get concrete data not only on the issue at hand, but also on people's preferences when it came to snow removal.

Gender: 65 (M) 34 (F)

Age: 86 (18-24)

Common Problems:

Overexertion
Tiring
Time consuming
Concern for elderly
Back problems
Broken/low quality shovels

Shovel v. Snow blower:

32 prefer snow blower
28 prefer shovel
39 must shovel due to lack of snow blower

Types of Injuries:

Muscle strains/aches
Back pain
Shoulder stiffness
Elbow/wrist pain
Hand blisters

Desired Improvements:

Handle larger loads
Resistant leading edge
Ergonomic
Lightweight, but durable
Heating element
Warn user of potential injury (i.e. if load is too heavy)

In addition to evaluating our survey responses, we also researched current methods of snow removal - ranging from traditional shovels and snow blowers, to more unique instruments like heated ice scrapers and shovels with wheels.

| 03

Mind-Mapping

| 04

Concept Ideation & Selection

From our mind-mapping exercise, we began to generate potential concepts that would solve our snow removal problem. Collectively we came up with over a dozen ideas, and after review, we narrowed our potential designs down to three: a high-tech shovel, a vacuum-pack, and an autonomous snow roomba.

With these three ideas to choose from, we created a concept selection matrix and evaluated each based on a set of 9 criteria we identified. The Shovel concept proved to be the one that would best meet our users' needs.

| 05

Concept Benchmarking

With our shovel concept selected, we researched existing shovels that differentiated from the traditional offering. Our research showed that while some shovels existed with a feature or two similar to ours, or addressing one or two of the problems we identified, our concept was truly unique in its offering.

| 06

Sub-system Design: Handle

As my teammates designed the other 6 subsystems of the shovel, I was responsible for the handle design. The key user needs that I had to address were blistering, hand cramping, and wrist discomfort. I looked at existing shovel handle designs, which ranged from traditional handles, which were static and hard, to unique designs that attempted to accommodate the users natural hand position.

As I began brainstorming and sketching my designs, I had three main areas of focus: material, form and adjustability. Typical shovel handles are a closed-off "u" shape made of hard plastic, and they are not adjustable. I wanted to design a handle whose shape was natural for a human hand to hold, made of a malleable material that would provide comfort and prevent blisters, and adjustable to accommodate user preference.

My final design successfully incorporated all of these elements. I chose a spherical grip shape that would be easy and natural for users to grasp. I made this grip from a semi-solid gel polymer that would form to the user's hand and provide comfort against potential blistering. Lastly, I made sure that the handle could be adjusted to various angles - between 0 and 90 degrees perpendicular to the main shaft - to allow users to make their shovel experience as comfortable for them as possible.

| 07

Prototyping

We constructed a functional prototype, mainly out of aluminum tubing and vacuum formed plastic. Our design included and ergonomic handle and shaft, curved scoop with a serrated heat-tip, and a flex sensor with LED warning system. It was operated by a rechargeable battery with a cradle wall-mount and charging port. As snow was picked up with the scoop, the flex sensor on the shaft would register the weight, and the LEDs would light green, yellow, or red depending on the likelihood of the user getting hurt.

References:

1. 1. http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=78966

Image Citations: (top-left, clockwise)

1. http://static.thefrisky.com/uploads/2015/03/foam-rolling.png

2. http://rede ningstrength.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/upper-back-foam-rolling-1024x768.jpg

3. https://cdn2.omidoo.com/sites/default/ les/imagecache/full_width/images/bydate/201501/traps.jpg

4. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LxpAmp3YcOY/maxresdefault.jpg

5. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Cen9eEXh5aY/maxresdefault.jpg