A2 Group Product Concept PDF

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Summary

Mandatory A2 assignment for Design and Innovation Fundamentals, core subject for all engineering students. Received 88%. ...

Description

Design & Innovation Fundamentals

Group 5

Divjot, Razmig, Tayla, Nikhil

Rain Gauge Sprinkler A2 Group Product Concept Report Method Used to Generate Product Concepts Based on the procedure of the A1 Individual Report, each team member in our group went through research in order to develop and present two innovative designs concepts that would apply, monitor and control conservative water use in the home garden. From this, our group came up with 8 diverse innovative water gardening product concepts; ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Irrigation blocks Root waterer Self-watering pot Robot sprinkler system Rain gauge sprinkler Tripod mist sprinkler Magic sprinkler Self propelled sprinkler

Method Used to Select One Product Concept At the second tutorial of Design and Innovation Fundamentals, we then gathered all the product concepts to grade and analyse them against each other. This was done using a concept screening matrix. In this case, each product was given a mark ranging from 1-15 and was criticised on the selection criteria which included the; ● Design of the product - innovation, value for money etc ● Implementation Constraints - technologically feasible, achievable with budget etc ● Risk - competition, legal and ethical etc As a result, the final product concept was agreed upon using the concept screening matrix. We found that the rain gauge sprinkler, self propelled sprinkler and the self-watering pot all ranked the highest with a score of 13/15. However, our group decided the rain gauge sprinkler would be the most feasible out all of the product concepts. The rain gauge sprinkler did lose marks against other product concepts as the competition might be high and it may not be aesthetically appealing, however, the design does show real innovation and is much more technologically feasible than the other possible designs. In addition, we decided that the rain gauge sprinkler will involve the use of a recording-type rain gauge that weighs the amount of rain. Our group further analysed the product concept using the criteria to ensure the product does meet the requirements for all consumers including: ● Sustainable ● Cost Effective ● Safe to use Product Features and Expected Use The main purpose of this product is to efficiently apply, monitor and control conservative water

Design & Innovation Fundamentals

Group 5

Divjot, Razmig, Tayla, Nikhil

use in the home garden to make the lives of gardeners easier. The rain gauge sprinkler will consist of a rain collector, a mechanism to receive and measure the collected water, sprinkler system, sensors and hose. The main innovative feature of the rain gauge sprinkler system is the ability to detect amount of rainfall and use the data to control sprinkler systems. When there is heavy rainfall for long periods of time, the rain gauge will trigger the inbuilt sensor. Depending on how much rain has fallen, the rain gauge system will send a signal to the sprinkler system to hibernate. On the other hand, when there is no rainfall detected, the sprinkler system will activate to ensure the lawn/ garden still receives enough water. Another innovative feature is the device’s wireless and maintenance free design. There is minimal maintenance and repairing required. This maintenance free feature is a vital component to save the time and energy of all users as they would not have to regularly check or maintain the system. Furthermore, the rain collector has the ability to analyse rainfall and send notifications or warnings to any designated phone in order to alert the user of potential flood or drought conditions. Therefore, the user can be aware of any threatening conditions to their garden in order to take any measures to protect their garden beforehand.

Target Market and Selling Price The target market involves typical gardeners/ homeowners who own a garden or lawn but also lack the energy and time to care for it. The rain gauge sprinkler system will easen the lives of this target market as the system takes care of the garden for them when it comes to watering plants and lawns. The system will automatically water their garden when needed and will rest in times of heavy rainfall. Thus, those people who enjoy the convenience of a self-maintaining garden will benefit heavily from this product. The estimated selling price for the rain gauge sprinkler system will be around the $100-120 range. This selling price was calculated through researching the individual prices of all components involved to create the product as well as other extra costs such as manufacturing and packaging.

Scenario Requirements The rain gauge sprinkler system meets the necessary requirements as it is an innovative product that can simplify and better the lives of all gardeners and homeowners who lack the energy and time to care for their garden themselves. Although other rain gauge systems do exist, our product contains many innovative features such as being maintenance free which separates it from other competition. We believe that through our unique design, use of distinctive features and our reasonable selling price, the rain gauge sprinkler system will be a successful product for our consumers.

Appendix and Freehand Sketch

Design & Innovation Fundamentals

Group 5

Divjot, Razmig, Tayla, Nikhil

Our group had one other meeting excluding the Design and Innovation Fundamentals tutorial classes. This meeting was organised to work on the A2 assessment and pre-work due before the next tutorial class and we also assigned individual sections for everyone to complete in order to ensure everyone does a fair work load. This meeting took place on Thursday 11/4 11am-12pm ....