EPP2 AT3 - Assignment 3 PDF

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UTS|FEITENGINEERING PRACTISE INCONTEXTAssessment Task 3Contents1 Introduction.....................................................................................................................................2 Summary of Case Study......................................................................

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ENGINEERING PRACTISE IN CONTEXT Assessment Task 3

UTS|FEIT

Contents 1.0 Introduction.....................................................................................................................................2 2.0 Summary of Case Study...................................................................................................................2 3.0 Analysis Of The Events Of The Case Study.......................................................................................3 4.0 The impact of these concepts on your field of engineering practice...............................................4 5.0 Outcomes of the project..................................................................................................................5 6.0 Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................6 7.0 References.......................................................................................................................................7

1.0 Introduction This report will use a case study from a civil engineering intern to then study, analyse and examine elements of creativity, social responsibility, ethical compliance, and leadership. By examining these elements and extracting key information/examples, further analysis of current technologies and the mechatronics engineering discipline will be conducted to see how current engineers are keeping these critical elements in check, while summarising how these practises can be adopted in the future at an individual level. The contents examined in this report will enable engineering students to ensure they practise in a professional standard which protects, benefits, and builds society in a positive manner.

2.0 Summary of Case Study The purpose of the project was initially to upgrade a crossing such that it would comply with the latest RMS standards due to a fatality which had occurred. However, the intern used this opportunity to apply creativity, social responsibility and ethical behaviour Despite the design scope, the intern took the initiative to engage those stakeholders which would be primarily effected by any designs he produced. By communicating with the community members, the intern was further able to realise that his design would effect thousands of different people due to the: -

Bus stops Pick-up/drop-off points Gordon Station Apartment buildings

As a direct result the intern expanded his scope to meet the needs of the community especially upon hearing their frustration of how the other side of Gordon station was receiving more upgrades than they were. Consequently, the new design brief included. 1. Café Seating a. Increased space for dining b. Distinct footpaths c. Greater overall size 2. Pedestrian Access a. Pedestrian ramps for the disabled b. Footpath has a width of 1.8m and thus complies with DDA 3. Drainage a. Level of gutter was increased at a maximum to the crossing. Thus, preventing flooding, and blockages due to sediments 4. pedestrian safety a. wide raised landing created so pedestrians and drivers can better see each other at further distances. b. centre pedestrian islands were increased to a width of 2m making pedestrians feel less vulnerable when larger vehicles I.e busses pass by c. current cross relocated 2.3m south to incorporate a 5.5m island which can better guide traffics. 5. Turning Path a. Kerb extended to ensure larger vehicles are kept away from café and newsagent.

6. Parking and traffic zoning a. 2 more parking spaces have been allocated. b. Ample space for cars to overtake stopped busses. 7. Signage a. Signage for pedestrians complies with latest RTA standards.

3.0 Analysis Of The Events Of The Case Study The intern overcame the original problem in a sophisticated and creative manner, thus, demonstrating his skill in being an adept professional engineer whom showcases leadership, social responsibility and maintains codes of ethics. Despite the original scope being that of upgrading the crossing to comply with new RMS standards, the intern displayed his creativity by investigating the issue at hand. He did not just accept the scope but researched into the council database and interviewed varying community members/stakeholders. This design approach was unusual at his company, however allowed the intern to ensure his design was appropriate for those members that would be impacted the most. This feat of creativity exemplified the intern’s social responsibility, as mentioned in “Advent of the Citizen Engineer” a citizen engineer is one which “works towards the betterment of the community” (Douglas & Papadopoulos, 2010). By consulting with the community, the interns design was also able to become one which is socially responsible and benefits the society as he realised his final design would in essence effect thousands of people due to the different factors involved. Such factors included: the café, newsagent, bus stop, apartment buildings/houses, station, pick up/dropoff. By aligning the design criterion to be more socially responsible, the intern was able to perform ethical engineering practise as he provided the community with a design, they needed rather than a design that would have no benefit to them. His ethical considerations, which was a by-product from his creative practise and a direct result of his socially responsible design, did not just stop at the community, but extended to being ethical with the environment. The “Advent of the Citizen Engineer” showcases how can ethical engineer is one which has knowledge about ecology (Douglas & Papadopoulos, 2010). This specific form of ethical practise was implemented when the scope was modified to take into account appropriate drainage. The intern modified the drainage to prevent flooding from occurring as well as eliminating run-off slit from entering the storm water system and creating clogs, thus producing an environmentally sustainable solution. The interns leadership was a linking factor between the inter-relationships he established through his creativity, social responsibility and ethical behaviour, and ultimately brought the design to life. The leadership can be witnessed through his: -

daily tool box talks with contractors to confirm the state of the project and ensure the interests of stakeholders were protected. Research, investigation and complains with BCA(NCC) & DDA Consultation with2 other design engineers, to identity and mitigate risks. The intern figured, by commencing construction during the school holidays, there was less potential risk to occur as well as identified other risks including: o Budget overruns o Prefabricated designs

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The intern also made a requirement to upload new documentation to the system within 24 hours instead of the end of the project to ensure customer service staff could provide a better service when answering the communities questions.

The creativity he displayed with a top-down design methodology and usual practises such as engaging with the community, allowed his design to be become socially responsible and one which is bound by a strong ethical framework by ensuring the design criterion met stakeholders needs. These inter-relationships was then further strengthened through the interns leadership which allowed the project to come to life and ensure its completion to the highest standard.

4.0 The impact of these concepts on your field of engineering practice In the discipline of mechatronics engineering, the immense technological advancement in the last few decades has seen the rise of automation/robotics and artificial intelligence. The increasing trend of this technology being applied to almost every industry has raised both ethical and social dilemmas. AI has been a hot topic in the media. This technology has the potential to achieve super intelligence which is why being bound by an ethical framework is paramount. World class physicists such as Stephen hawking has said Humans, limited by slow biological evolution, couldn’t compete and would be superseded by A.I.”—Stephen Hawking in BBC interview2 2014.(Torresen, 2018). This influential statement has been further exemplified by Current reports predicting the saturation of automation and robotics which will eventually not just be seen at the industrial level, but at a commercial level through service robots. The ethical framework which is being applied in this discipline can be witnessed in 2 ways:

1. Engineers are aware of the ethical challenges, and allow human inspection into the system architecture & algorithms

2. The autonomous systems should have the capability to execute ethical decisions. Engineers are also working on creating elaborate control mechanisms which would allow certain actions to be prevented while also notifying certain conditions in which the oversight of humans will be needed (Torresen, 2018). The advent of automation and intelligent systems has paved the way for a societal crisis, thus it is crucial mechatronics engineer maintain their responsibility to society when developing automated devices. The use of automation in manufacturing has created lower employment ratios and amplified income inequality as robots can do repetitive tasks with greater productivity, thus increasing profits for businesses, however, hampering society (Sampath & khargonekar, 2018). The immense socioeconomic threat which has arised from the contraception of automation has also given mechatronics engineers an opportunity to behave socially responsible. An example of this opportunity can be seen by 2 principles which govern the industry 1. Humans remaining essential to the workplace 2. The use of automation and AI technologies as tools only, which improve human activity .(Sampath & khargonekar, 2018).

Amazon has utilised this opportunity in a very intelligent manner. In the past, the warehouses would usually have employees who do heavy lifting of stock and inventory handling, however by applying robotics, amazon has been able to give repetitive heavy lifting tasks, which would otherwise be detrimental to human health to robots instead. Thus, providing humans with other jobs that are less impactful on health and keeping them in the workplace (Sampath & khargonekar, 2018). Although Social responsibility and the ethics associated with this technology are significant considerations to be taken into account, leadership is a primary binding force between these elements which ensures the present and future progression of this technology aligns to benefit and protect humanity. Walesh, in the “Lessons learned from engineers”, defines leading as the three D’S consisting of deciding, directing and doing (walsh, 2004). Based on the amazon example mentioned above, this framework of leadership can be seen being applied to the rise of automation. 1. Effective leadership involves goal setting as a means to determine where an organisation should be heading (walsh, 2004). By goal setting towards using automation in a manner which eases the work load of humans the element of social responsibility is achieved. 2. Often in a corporate environment there will be a manager/supervisor who is involved in the day to day activities of the project. Walsh specifies how managers are involved in directing how specific tasks are completed. A manager with strong leadership skills will be able to ensure ethical practise is maintained throughout the entirety of the project to then produce an ethical product. For example, delegating tasks to the appropriate experienced people, monitoring the coding of AI systems and Its automation counter parts 3. Doing is the last D which involves the adherence to what is decided (walsh, 2004). As leaders it is crucial to follow the same rules and guidelines as everyone else to prevent conflict, ensure strong teamwork to then produce something which is socially responsible and abides ethically.

5.0 Outcomes of the project Before the upgrade, the crossing was prone to fatalities, communal gatherings and societal activities were vulnerable to danger and the overall design was not in compliance with newer RMS legislation. As mentioned in section 2, Through the interns creative, socially responsible and ethical practises, a design was established which was able to better meet the needs of a variety of stakeholders including the community and council which can be witnessed through figures 1 and 2 respectively. In addition to the physical needs of the community which the intern was able to cater for, the interns work also influenced many engineers at the council. His ethical practise of consulting with community members and key stakeholders before creating his design was a form of engineering behaviour which was adopted by his work colleagues and influenced engineers at the council to follow a top down methodology. The intern stated in his report how engineers typically follow a bottom up approach which involves reproducing what has been done previously. Although this creates efficiency in the design process it limits the engineers perspective to think of each design in a unique manner and one which influence society. Thus, his creativity in applying a top down methodology in an engineering work environment where a bottom up strategy is usually applied coupled by his success with the design is an example of how he has changed the councils usual practise

Figure 1: Original Design

Figure 2: Interns new design and final layout

6.0 Conclusion In conclusion, the case study was one which provided unparalleled insight to the daily work and activities of professional engineers. The key findings which was of most significance while studying the case study came in the form of 3 elements, socially responsibility, ethical behaviour and leadership. By following a top-down design methodology the intern was able to use this so called “unusual practise” to produce a design of superior quality and benefit to society. Although such a design strategy was less efficient in terms of time, it allowed the design to greater align with what the community needed. In addition, the interns creative behaviour of communicating with the community to receive their thoughts and suggestions allowed the stakeholders which would be most effected by any changes to have a say, as the project revolves around how these stakeholders would

go about their day to day lives, it was an ethical achievement to ensure their voice was heard. Furthermore, the illustrious leadership skills showcased his ability to keeping these elements working together in tandem, inclusive of his innate ability to manage the risks identified in an appropriate manner. The research into automation/ AI and how the current mechatronics engineering community is dealing with this trend further highlighted the importance of the role which engineers serve in society. Despite the immense profitability robotics can bring to businesses, the research demonstrated as engineers it is a prime responsibility that this technology does not disrupt society by causing mass unemployment, income inequality or is produced in an unmonitored/supervised way, thus causing an ethical dilemma. In my next internship, I will have a focussed approach in ensuring my work is ethical and socially responsible. The case study demonstrated to me that as engineers a design is the difference of improving someone’s life in a mediocre or great way. The research further exhibited the ever increasing trend of applied automation and the need to showcase to society that their interests are protected. As a result, during my internship I will take out time once a week to analyse whether I have practised responsibly, this will keep my practise aligned to what society needs and keep me on track to produce designs which are socially responsible and ethically bound.

7.0 References 1. Tor r es en,J . ( 2018) .Ar evi ewoff ut ur eandet hi c alper s pect i v esofRobot i csand AI . Fr ont i er si nRobot i csandAI .ht t ps : / / doi . or g/ 10. 3389/ f r obt . 2017. 00075 2. Sampat h,M. ,&Khar gonek ar ,P. ( 2018) .Soc i al l yr es ponsi bl eAut omat i on:A Fr amewor kf ors hapi ngt hef ut ur e.Nat i onal Ac ademyofEngi neer i ng, ht t ps : / / www. nae. edu/ 200473/ Soc i al l y Respons i bl eAut omat i onAFr amewor k 48( 4) , f or Shapi ngt heFut ur e

3.Dougl as ,D.&Papadopoul os ,G.2010,Adv entoft heCi t i z enEngi neeri nCi t i z en Engi neer–AHandbookf orSoc i al l yRes pons i bl eEngi neer i ng,Pr ent i ceHal l ,USA 4. Wal esh,S.2004,Managin and Leading:52Les s onsLear nedf orEngi neer s ,Amer i can Soc i et yofCi v i lEngi neer s ,USA...