This week’s session in the FabLab was especially exciting for me, since I had missed the inaugural week. We delved right in by working with Arduinos, breadboards, and LEDs. You could say it lit up the room. Personally, I had a cool reconnection with a colleague who I had not seen in 11 months who just happened to be an employee at our local FabLab.
Nonetheless, our updated design challenge is oriented around electrical engineering as we are looking to create a sealant for power wheelchairs to prevent the wiring of the steering handle from getting soaked in the rain. This causes malfunctions and deteriorates the wheelchair significantly faster. I do not expect us to do any wiring, however it is beneficial to discover which electrical components are currently most at risk.
Milestone Labs also gave us a plethora of great insight. They recommended looking at wetsuits, boating, fishing, and general aqua activities for inspiration. We were also directed to look at motorcyclists and how they remain protected when riding in the rain. Other general sealants will also be important for us to look at.
Since our main purpose is now to prevent electrical damage from water leakage, the filament of our 3D print is also a vital factor. We need to ensure that the filament would not let water penetrate the electrical circuit.
I believe the biggest challenge will come with customization. If the steering handles are different based on model, then we will most likely need to create 3D printed molds for each model. However, if there is a limited amount of variation then scalability will prove to be a negligible issue.
