Tag: fab lab

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A Designed Journey

EXPECTATIONS.

In terms of expectations for the course, I thought that there would be a lot more tool training and 3D printing involved. Instead, our time was split evenly between team prototyping and tool training. While I knew about the prototyping project, it was both less structured than I expected and more involved than I thought it was going to be. On one hand, we were given the guiding information and assignments to go about prototyping our ideas, but on the other hand, a lot of the initiative was left to our own self to start conducting outside research and interviews, start tool practice and learning, and start networking and testing our prototype.  I had honestly expected the course to “hold our hands” a little bit more than they did, but I am very glad that it did not. In the end, I was able to learn more about the way that I tackle large projects without much guidance as well as learn more about design thinking and the prototyping process. Before, startups were a bit of a mystery to me, a buzzword many people use in business talks, but going through the prototyping process helped me truly understand what a startup does and how difficult that process is.

Another aspect I had not expected was how closely we worked with DRES. I had expected a course about digital making, especially a course housed within the Gies College of Business, to be more bottom line focused in their innovation themes, but the accessibility work and disabilities focus we had in class was a nice surprise. Having done some disabilities advocacy – albeit more on the mental health side rather than the physical disabilities side – before, being able to work in this field put me a little more at ease. It was incredible to see the real impact that our prototypes had on real people at the end of the course.

Group Interview at DRES with our mentors

To see a more in-depth break-down of what the first few weeks of class were like, read the following blog posts:

COMMUNITY + OPEN SOURCE RESOURCES.

It was really cool to be able to learn how to use a multitude of new programs within this class; the program I was most excited about learning was Autodesk’s Fusion 360. My brother took a 3D printing class our senior year of high school, and I was always fascinated by the projects he brought home to show our family. As a result, I was both anxiously anticipating and incredibly excited to work with 3D modelling for the first time during this seminar. Upon completing Lars Christensen’s Fusion 360 tutorial that we used to familiarize ourselves with the Fusion 360 program, I felt really accomplished and inspired to explore 3D modelling further.

Left: 3D printed phone holder, Right, from top to bottom: Fusion 360 file for phone holder, 3D printed box from Lars Christensen’s tutorial, 3D printing in process of Solestice logo

It was around the completion of our introduction to Fusion 360 that we were introduced to a community resource on campus: the Champaign-Urbana Community Fab Lab. For such a compact space, the amount of resources available there was incredible! I was so surprised that we had so many resources available to us as members of the Champaign-Urbana community, and yet, not many people knew of these resources. One of my goals after this class is definitely to let more people know about the plethora of resources we have available to us here in CU. During our three weeks at the CU Fab Lab, we completed a culmination project which taught us how to use Inkscape, an open source vector program similar to Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator, to create laser engraving files; create code and build Arduino programs and other electrical configurations; and use a sewing machine on various types of textiles. Overall, it was a really cool experience that allowed me to familiarize myself with new tools and gain new ideas on what types of innovation could be used to help me create my prototype.

Upper row, from left to right: Sewn watch strap, laser cut & engraved watch face, in-progress watch assembling, Arduino electrical component; Lower row, from left to right: Arduino code, finished exercise watch

For more detail on what the tool training experience was like for me, feel free to reference the following blog posts:

PROTOTYPING.

As part of the prototyping process, we went through many different concepts related to design thinking. First, we learned about human centered design and empathetic design, which really appealed to me. Before, I thought that innovation and prototyping design was only for the random moments of inspiration where someone looks at a problem and is struck by the inspiration to find a solution to it in order to make money. However, we were taught that wording is another important aspect of designing and that we should think of our prototypes not as “solutions to problems” but “ideas for to fill an opportunity,” something that we can use to help people with. We also learned about diverging during the brainstorming process and then converging back upon a decided path to take a prototype idea. Through this process, I was confronted with my indecisive nature. Although I had subconsciously known this, I had not realized why I was so indecisive. Yet, during the prototyping process, I realized that I was indecisive because I feared the failure of arriving at the wrong answer. I disliked choosing a path, preferring inaction over actively choosing wrong. Taking this course has really helped me realize that about myself, and I now try to challenge myself in my daily living to make quicker decisions, to choose a path rather than being crippled into inaction. I am learning to trust my instincts and gut feelings a little more than I did before.

One example of this was the iterations that lead to the drastic changed between our (Team Solestice’s) low fidelity prototype, our Make-a-thon prototype, and our post-testing prototype. In the first prototype, we were thinking of using metal spikes as a source of traction, and we committed to the idea. However, upon further research, before we even got to the Make-a-thon event, we realized that it was not feasible, that it would be even more of a problem for a user to have to take the tread off and put it back on every time they switched between walking outdoors to indoors and vice versa. And here we thought we had the correct idea. Yet, after we tested our prototype with a prosthetic leg user, post-Make-a-thon, we realized once again an opportunity for change. We realized that the tread was too heavy and the Velcro too visible. So, we switched gears once again to look at being able to apply the tread directly to a shoe. So, it was through this course, our prototyping project specifically, that I understood an opportunity for myself to learn to face failure head on, to learn to be okay with the fear of failure, and to keep working, regardless.

Left: Post-Testing Prototype (3rd), Upper Right, Low Fidelity Prototype (1st), Lower Right: Make-a-thon Prototype (2nd)

For more details about the preparation I undertook with my team for the Make-a-thon event, take a look at the following blog posts:

This course has taught me so much, not only about the different innovation tools available in the market right now, but also about myself. I have grown not just in marketable skills, but also as a person, and for that, I am incredibly thankful that I took a chance, braced myself for failure, and applied to be a part of this course.

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Highlighting the FabLab: A Fabulous Resource

The UIUC FabLab is filled with unique resources not available anywhere else on campus. Even so, this semester is the first time many people in our course stepped foot in the building. I wanted to use my “Once a Semester Activity” to highlight this phenomenal place, the people inside who make it so accessible, the amazing projects that are done in this building on a regular basis, and how this location has been an asset to our course.

First Time FabLab Goers

The basics of the FabLab can be found on their website, but I think personal anecdotes are also useful in understanding the place itself. For me, the first time I entered the FabLab was in November 2017 when I was speaking with the staff about setting up a space for Stay Glassy. Stay Glassy is a part of the Illinois Enactus non-profit, creating products from glass waste. This was incredible of the FabLab to offer some of their space to student makers who had never known this space existed previously. Everything about the building is about enabling others to make what they want by giving them the skills and equipment to do it on their own. I felt this from the moment I entered the building, and while this was a niche reason to visit in the first place, I think that is common in what draws many people from campus. When you are looking for a specific tool, this place will catch your eye. When you are looking for a creative outlet, this place will catch your eye. When you are looking to make something, this place will catch your eye. While our BADM357 course brought many students for the first time, many students stumble upon this location on their own pursuing their own passion projects

Surveying some of the individuals in the FabLab, I found a common thread. Each had come either for a course, through an organization, or to work on an individual passion project. While each specific reason was different, there were many common feelings. A lot of students felt overwhelmed walking in for the first time. This was fueled mainly by the sheer number of resources, being in a new space for the first time, and being surrounded by people they had not met before. The inside of the building is also quite a juxtaposition to the outside, and the transition can be a lot. However, after overcoming the initial shock, understanding the layout, and learning the etiquette, all of the students I interviewed said they loved coming back. Going to a new place with tools you don’t know how to use can inherently be overwhelming, but the culture of the space is welcoming and fun. It is open to experimentation and artistic expression.

FabLab Etiquette

When you enter the FabLab for the first time, you may be overwhelmed as well. For that, I’d like to present a list of “What to do as a Newcomer” that will perhaps ease your transition to the space.

  1. Sign In – When you first arrive, you should sign-in on one of the tablets near the door. Signing in does not notify anyone but rather helps the FabLab keep track of who is coming and going from their facility. You don’t have to write in a particular reason for being there or fill all of the fields, but signing in is a courtesy.
  2. Find a Staff Member – There is an electronic board across from the main door that lists the staff on hand. While you may not see any of them immediately, it’s also very possible there are staff members around that aren’t listed on the board. The best thing to do is ask the first person you see if they can point you to a staff member. Many people in the FabLab are return visitors and can likely point you to someone if they themselves are not staff!
  3. Ask for a Tour – Wandering is great, but inefficient. The FabLab is filled with tools, and it’s likely you won’t know what they all do at first glance. Asking a staff member for a quick tour as a first-timer is a very easy ask and useful even if you are going in for one very specific task. Then if you ever need to go again, you’ll be familiar with the layout and the space’s capabilities!
  4. Test Yourself – Try a new example tutorial to test yourself on a new tool! If there’s a tool you are interested in but have no idea how to use it, check the tutorials page on the FabLab website. They have step-by-step instructions on anything from using SewArt to embroider clothing to creating silicone moulds to solar powered USB chargers. Starting here to learn a tool or technique is a great choice, and you can ask staff if you get stuck on any particular part.
  5. Pay for Materials or Tool Time – Some of the equipment and materials requires payment. Everything is very inexpensive for how incredible the resources are! Details about rates are posted around the shop by the machines they apply to while materials can be bought from a staff member. The FabLab accepts cash and card so it’s very accessible!
  6. Sign Out – Congratulations! You completed your first FabLab visit and hopefully overcame the first-time jitters while learning something new! On your next visit you can keep exploring, learning, and pointing out staffers to newcomers who see you as a senior FabLab-er.

Who’s at the FabLab?

The FabLab is filled with passionate individuals. In my visits, I have met people creating things for class, for fun, for profit, for their mom, for anything! There’s no good reason to not hang out at the FabLab! The FabLab is a community space, and they truly turn no one away. It is not just a student resource. It is open to community members and regularly hosts programming for kids in the area. One of the biggest users of the FabLab in the summer is summer campers! FabLab staff organizes many weekly camps all summer long to introduce kids to the space and teach them some really awesome skills. They also organize workshops for undergraduate student groups and you can browse the topics here.

Let’s See this Place!

  • Anycubic Photon 3D Resin Printer
  • User Guide for Lasers
  • Example Projects
  • 3D Printing Corner
  • Tools and Example Projects
  • Sewing Studio Room
  • Laser Options: Raster or Vector
  • Epilogue Laser in Action

While this far from encompasses everything the FabLab has to offer, it is the FabLab from my perspective.

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Watching It All Come Together

ASSEMBLING.

This week we finished our three-week project at the Fab Lab to create an exercise watch that is able to sense whether you are doing curls or twists correctly. This project was designed so that we would have to use as many of the Fab Lab’s tools as possible, and it was an incredibly interesting way to familiarize ourselves with these resources. This week’s portion of the project included coding the Arduino and assembling the rest of the already created parts. To recap, we used a laser engraver to create the wooden parts of the watch, where we created our own designs to both differentiate between when the watch is sensing curls or twists and to make the watch more interesting for a specified consumer base. Next the watch strap was sewn using one of the Fab Lab’s sewing machines. We also connected tilt sensors and wires to the Arduino. Finally, while we were provided with the parts, the holder for the tilt sensor (the little white thing in the images) was 3D printed from the Fab Lab’s 3D printers. It was really gratifying to finally see three weeks’ worth of work culminate into one final project! These multiple tools have also got me thinking on different applications that we could possibly use in our own prototyping projects, and I’m even more excited to explore the opportunities.

TELLING A STORY.

With the remaining time after the watch assembly, we congregated in our groups and storyboarded the experience that we wanted users of our product to have. This included how the user would find out about, attain, and learn to use our product. As a review, I am a part of Team Solestice, and we are creating a detachable tread that would allow leg prosthetic users to walk on ice while minimizing slippage. We created 7 storyboard boxes in total. The first box identifies who we think the users of our product would be, in Solestice’s case, this would be leg prosthetic users. The next box identifies how the user would find out about our product, which Solestice believes would be through either some internet ad or word of mouth from social media. Following, we showed the prosthetic user going to a store to see the product in person, and possibly asking the store clerk more information about how the product works. The fourth box includes the user watching a YouTube video, which would be uploaded by Solestice, on how to put the tread on, take the tread off, etc. In the next two boxes, we have a prosthetic user putting the tread on by themselves and walking fearlessly over ice without slipping. In the final box, we have the user taking the tread off once they have entered an indoor area and storing it easily. This is the vision that we as a team have for Solestice, and we hope to make it a reality!

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Watches and Storyboarding: Week 9

Finalizing the Watches

This week in class we went to the Fab Lab and finally finished the watches that we have been working on for the past three weeks. In our first class session, I learned how to build a circuit with an arduino. In my second class session, I designed the top of the watch face with Inkscape and learned how to sew the watch band. This week we put all of these skills together to make a finished product. We started the class by learning how to code on the arduinos. We learned how to flicker an LED light and how to use a tilt sensor to change the computer output depending on the orientation of the tilt sensor. Using the arduino, tilt sensors, zip ties, and 3D etched watch face we were able to assemble the watch with the help of the fab lab staff. One thing I found very interesting was that the creator of the watch in the Fab Lab changed a few components from the original to design for the design we created. This helped reinforce the notion of how important it is to iterate in multiple prototypes to get the best possible design with the easiest possible steps. The final product also showed me how easy it was to build a complex product using simple inputs.

  • Building the watch
  • The finished product

Storyboarding

The next part of the class we spend storyboarding the user experience for our product prototype. This portion of class had to be shortened slightly because we experienced a few difficulties putting together the watch in the time allotted. Our first panel of the user journey focused on the user itself. We spotlighted Jenna and the things about her that made her unique. The next step of our user experience was raising awareness. We thought that our product would primarily be advertised through word of mouth and through online advertisements and social media. The third step was the initial purchase of the product. We hypothesized that our product could be bought at a hospital through a doctor referral, online on our website, or at a specialty sports store such as a Sports Authority. Our next step was the first introduction of the user to how the use the product. This would most likely happen by a doctor at a hospital or a store aide at a sports store. The next step is the user’s first use of the product alone. This experience focused on the user’s first time putting on the product by themselves and any complications they might have. Our 6th panel was the transition to everyday use and it showed how a user would become comfortable with the product and the protection it offered. The final step in our user journey would be referring the product to a friend. We hope that the user would be satisfied with our product and would want to recommend it to others.

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FabLab 2.0

Inkscape vector file of watch to be laser cut

This week we returned to the FabLab. We continued to familiarize ourselves with all the tools and tech the lab has to offer. We specifically learned a vector editing software called Inkscape. Through this workshop we learned how to create basic shapes, manipulate them, and produce more. After learning the basics of the software we learned to transform images into vector graphics. These skills were then applied to a customized watch. The watch is a device that allows patients who have to do bicep curls and rotation in wrist during rehabilitation. The base of the watch consist of 3 wooden circles, two of which have rectangles on each side. I thought it would be help patients if the watch had small arrow indications of which way the device goes. The top layer rotates, so I designed an arrow pointing in the direction of proper rotation.

3 layered watch with electrical components

After this we moved into sewing. Unlike most of my peers I have experienced sewing. My sophomore year I sewed a jacket with a sleeping bag attachment completely from scratch. So during the tutorials and walkthroughs I was a couple steps ahead. We all picked the fabrics we wanted our wristband for the watch to be and then cut it to scale.  We sew it right sice in and sewed the seam. This created the sort of sack like appearance of the band. Getting it right side out was a hassle, it required us to use these thin wooden rods to pull the fabric through. We finished up by attaching velcro strips to the band to ensure a comfortable and secure fit to the wrist.

Images showcasing the process of sewing and creating the band for the watch

The second half of class each group presented to Milestone Labs and Adam Bleakney. We’ve made a lot of progress since last speaking with them. We got a lot of insight from this conversation. We realized we hadn’t thought everything thoroughly. Our design is solid but we have to really hone in on the attachment aspect of it. The overall ease of use should be convenient for the user. They also asked a lot of questions regarding materials of our device. We are currently scheduling a time to interview a material science professor here at the university. This week I have scheduled a virtual interview with my physical therapy. We also have a meeting this monday with my professor who handmakes shoes. We plan to do a bunch more research structured around our opportunity and project idea.

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Return to the Fab Lab: Week 8

Our time at the FabLab has been focused on making a cheap, interactive watch face that helps doctors measure whether outpatients have been completing their proper outpatient physical therapy sessions. Last week, I learned how to build the electronic circuit in the watch face. This week, it was our class section’s turn to learn how to laser print the watch face and sew the watch strap. After learning these tools, we met with Milestone Labs to receive feedback on our prototypes and then worked with Jenna to begin to design the second iteration of our prototypes.

Learning InkScape

Our first lesson was on the laser printing and etching software InkScape. We learned that InkScape has many different capabilities and we were able to play around with designing shapes and importing silhouettes from the internet. After we gained som familiarity with the tool, we were tasked with desiging an easy to use watch interface that would help user differentiate between the settings for both the “curl” and “twist” exercises. For my design, I decided to orient different arrows to show which way the watch face should be facing to correctly monitor each different exercize.

Sewing Refresher

The next portion of our class was focused on learning how to sew. When I was little my grandmother had taught me how to sew, but that was such a long time ago that I needed a refresher on how to work the machine. However, after a short tutorial, I was able to get up to speed and feel confident in my sewing abilities. One of my biggest takeaways was the improtance of backstitching. Backstitching is when you stitch backwards at the start of your stitch to reinforce the line so it doesn’t unravel overtime. At first, I made this mistake and needed to go back over my original stitch. Once we felt comfortable sewing we were given the assignment to make a watch strap. The watch strap had many steps, but are instructor Duncan did a great job leading our class through them and we all came out with acceptable watch straps by the end of class.

  • Initial Sewing Exercise
  • Fab Lab Sewing Machine

Milestone Midpoint

In our next portion of the class, my team met with representatives from Milestone Labs to discuss our progress so far. The designers at Milestone Labs were happy with our current progress but challenged us to get more user interviews from a wider variety of sources. They recommended interviewing veterans and elderly users and we have worked on contacting different users from these designations this week. They were also impressed with the prototypes we had made and gave a few suggestions, such as th BOA strap, on ways to improve our designs.

Testing and Iterating

Our next step was to meet with our mentor Jenna to test out the prototypes we had created on her prosthetic leg. After testing our prototypes, Jenna told us that while she liked the basic concept of our sleeve design, it would not work because the fabric might interfere with the walking mechanism at the back of her knee. This was an important discovery because it meant that we had to alter all of our prototypes to stay away from the back of the knee. To me, this was a big learning moment that reinforced the importance of prototype iterations and user-centered design. While our original prototype was good in theory it would have failed to meet Jenna’s specifications because we had overlooked an important aspect of its usability. After our talk with Jenna, our team brainstormed and came up with a new prototype idea that hooked on to the top of the knee and the back of her calf. We will work on prototyping this new design and get ready to show it to Jenna again this week!

  • Jenna tests our prototype
  • Sketch of the available surface to attach the cover
  • Fab Lab design that inspired our new prototype
  • An idea for our second round of prototyping
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Fab Lab Round 2

Fabrication

We returned to the Fab Lab to continue learning about different types of fabrication! Last week, I created a circuit that made an LED light illuminate. This time, I had the opportunity to design the surface of a watch for outpatients who are required to perform exercises like bicep curls and twisting their wrist.

First prototype of the watch that will track movements during the patient’s rehabilitation exercises.

The watch is made of 3 pieces of wood. The top piece can spin by 90 degrees in order to detect the movements for the 2 different exercises. We were first tasked with designing the top of the watch, so users would know which way to spin the watch while performing each exercise. Utilizing the software program, Inkscape, I drew 1 arrow on the top of the watch along with the text, “TWIST,” and another arrow on the bottom of the watch with the text, “CURL.” Thus, the user would know which way to spin the watch when performing hand twists versus bicep curls.

Here you can see me practicing using Inkscape.

After designing the surface of the watch, we sewed straps for the watch. Using sewing machines, we first practiced on a sheet of fabric to get used to the machine. Once we got the hang of it, we began sewing the straps for our watches. We initially sewed the strap inside-out, then use a stick to help turn it right-side-out. Lastly, we sewed velcro onto the strap so the watch user can adjust it to the size of their wrist. You can see pictures of the process below!

  • Practicing sewing on a plain sheet of fabric.
  • Line we followed when sewing on the plain fabric.
  • Turning the strap right-side-out with the stick.
  • Learning to sew with classmates!

Project Progress

During the second half of class, each team took turns presenting our project to 2 of our mentors, Milestone Labs and Adam Bleakney. We shared the progress we have made since we first spoke with them. From our conversation, we realized that we need to narrow down our topic and start conducting more secondary research on what already exists for shoe treads and attachments. Also, it is necessary for us to speak more with Jenna, our user, about her desired experience with the tread, i.e. if she would need to sit down when taking the tread on and off. From here, we are going to conduct more secondary research and speak with a Materials Science professor, physical therapist, and a shoe maker so we can gain insight on where we would like to focus our project.

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FAB LAB!!!!

This week I wasn’t able to physically be in class due to some unfortunate circumstances. I was however able to visit Jeff and see the Fab Lab prior to this weeks workshops. I learned of some of the complex filments and advanced 3D printers. I got to know a bit of the staff as well. In terms of class, I was able to get up to speed from my wonderful team members. This week was the start of our workshops through the Fab Lab. The class was given a tour of the entire facility by Jeff Ginger, who is the director of the lab. He gave a presentation during last weeks class. After the initial tour the class was split into different workshops within the fablab. Some people were learning the laser cutter while others built circuits.

After this the class went back into their  groups and brainstormed for the remainder of the class period. The TA also assisted during the brainstorming session given a different prompt every 3 minutes. This helped further our ideation and conceptual prototyping, while designing with an open mind. My group was able to rapidly draw up multiple porttype ideas with the given parameters of the prompts. In case you forgot,  we are developing a shoe tread to facilitate walking on ice/snow (all terrain) for prosthetic users. By the end of this activity my team was able to come up with a MVP. They chose the easiest and most feasible of the concepts that we can make a crude prototype of. By next class we will have a usable prototype of our tread attachment. It will have velcro straps to connect with the shoe and acchatable spikes on the tread.

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Creation Station: Week 7

This week was jam-packed as our team visited the Fab Lab, brainstormed potential prototypes, 3D printed our fusion models, met with Jeannette Elliot, and created our first low-fidelity prototypes.

Introduction to the Fab Lab

Our class this week took place in the Fab Lab on campus. The Fab Lab is a maker space that houses designers, makers, and innovators from the campus and the local community. I was blown away by the amount of creativity on display at the Fab Lab. People had let their imagination run wild and were creating anything that came into their head. One of my favorite inventions, was a keyboard made out of wood and copper tape. I was struck by the simplicity and cost-efficiency of the product when compared to typical keyboards. In the Fab Lab, we were split into two groups to learn a little bit more about the various resources. My group worked with arduinos to create a circuit that could turn a lightbulb on and off based on its horizontal or vertical orientation.

  • Example of items lying around the Fab Lab
  • Exterior view of keyboard
  • Interior view of keyboard
  • Inside wall in the Fab Lab

Diverging on Ideas

During the second half of class we split up into our teams to brainstorm potential solutions for the needs we had identified. We were given 4 different prompts to challenge us to think creatively about the problem. At first, I was worried that our group would run out of ideas after the first prompt because I thought there were only a few ways to solve our problem. However, being forced to think about designing our problem for little kids and the elderly forced us to think outside the box and explore new possibilities.

Our design ideas from the brainstorming activity

If at First You Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Again

After class, I went to the Makerlab to pick up the 3D print of the phone holder I had designed on Fusion 360 during the last class. However, when I got there I was dismayed to see there had been a failure and the top of my phone holder had failed to print. When I talked to the lab assistant about what happened they told me that sometimes prints fail and that I should just try again. Luckily, my phone holder and the box and lid I created were a success the second time through. This taught me a valuable lesson that while 3D printing is very cool it is still an emerging technology and it is not perfect all the time.

  • Failed phone holder print
  • Successful phone holder print
  • Box and lid print

Stakeholder Meeting

Later in the week, my team had a chance to meet with Jeannette Elliot. Jeannette is a physical therapist at DRES and a prosthetic leg user. Our interview with her was very informative and we learned about the struggles she has had in the past with prosthetic leg protective covers. The main takeaways from our conversation were the importance of maintaining flexibility with the cover, keeping the cost affordable, and offering customization options to appeal to the different aesthetic preferences of users. Our team is very thankful that Jeannette took the time to share her insights with us!

Design Time

The week ended with our team making our first low-fidelity prototypes. The 3 designs we chose to prototype were a knee pad attached by velcro, a flexible knee pad attached by a hook and ring strap, and a fabric sleeve with a knee pad encased inside. Our next steps will be to show these designs to Jenna and get her initial feedback.

  • Hook/Ring Strap Prototype
  • Fabric Sleeve Prototype
  • Velcro Knee Pad Prototype
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Fab Lab: Fabulous Resources for Fabulous Ideas

Exterior of Fab Lab located in Urbana, IL

This was our first of the next three weeks that we will be spending at Fab Lab to learn about various resources that are available to us. Although I have heard of Fab Lab before, I was not aware of what it contains. In fact, I didn’t even know where it was located, so I was very surprised when I found out where it was. It was a small, old-looking building that I passed by daily to get to my classes from the dorm that I used to live in during my freshman year. I always wondered what it was and even peered into it through the windows once, but I never figured out what it was. Walking into it, I was wondering how this place could contain all the high-tech gadgets that the professor was talking about.

As soon as I walked through the doors, I had my eyebrows raised. It was not at all what I imagined the place to be.

  • One side of the wall at Fab Lab displaying different products that are made there
  • Example of a machine that is available at Fab Lab for use
Examples of various products that can be made at Fab Lab

Inside the building was an open space filled with computers, machines, and various types of products that were made at the lab. I felt like a kid who just walked into a candy store, trying to absorb all the different things that I see. From electric cutters, 3D printers, to embroidery machines, there seemed to be endless lines of resources available. Although I was excited to see so many resources, I was also worried about how I could possibly learn to use them for the project.

  • Examples of laser engraved products from Fab Lab
  • 3D printers available at Fab Lab
  • Map of the Fab Lab

After taking a tour throughout the building, the class was divided into two groups to get hands-on learning on a couple of resources available at the lab. This week, I got to participate in an Inkscape workshop. Inkscape is an open-source vector graphics editor, which can be used to create or edit vector graphics. During the workshop, we got to design a watch face of a motion-detecting watch, which could detect whether the user was performing the bicep curls or wrist twist motions correctly. We were to think of a specific user group and create a design based on it so that the user can use the watch correctly. Although the task seemed simple, it was challenging to come up with a simple, yet effective design. This exercise made me realize how much of a challenge we have ahead of us in trying to design a product that could help the power wheelchair users with preventing the rain from getting into the joystick.

After the workshop, we were grouped into our own teams and got time to brainstorm various prototypes for the team products. The point of this session was to keep the options limitless, even thinking of things that are impossible for us to achieve. For example, while we were brainstorming about what can protect the power wheelchair from rain, we came up with instant heating that dries the moisture, force field, and strong wind blower that can push the water droplets away. Although we understand that these options are not viable, by not limiting ourselves, we were able to come up with more creative ideas that can potentially lead into more feasible ones.

Sketches of various ideas we brainstormed during the session to prevent rain from getting to the joystick of a power wheelchair

In the end, we had to select a couple of designs that were more feasible, easier to implement, and most effective, which we decided were bags to put over the joystick and a mold that can be put over the part. For our next assignment, we will be coming up with a 3D prototype of these ideas. Although the exercises that we performed throughout the week demonstrated lots of challenge ahead of us, I am excited to use the available resources to take our ideas further.