Faro Scanner

My dad is a Professional Land Surveyor (PLS). He recently used a scanner that has just been introduced to America from Europe. He performed a survey in Riverside, CA at the Tyler Mall Galleria. The link is below. Scroll through the projects list until you see MND_10_5_11_Allen_Inst.

http://webshare.faro.com:8400/DebugTomcat/WebScene/WebScene.html

You may want to view this video about the technology also.

http://www.faro.com/usa/contentpages/colorscanner/lsvideo.aspx

The 2nd Annual CHS Cardboard Canoe Challenge!

The total number of achievements I earned in this challenge is: 15 (16 with Big Brain)

Design Achievements
Define the Problem and Brainstorm Solutions
(State the problem you are designing a solution for. List at least 20 ideas you have regarding your solution.)

Also

Big Brain
(The individual student with the most brainstorms listed will earn a bonus achievement.)

Problem: Build a cardboard boat that can travel the distance of the pool (25 yards.)

1. maximize weight distribution using large amount of surface area touching water
2. minimize water resistance by building a pointed bow
3. maximize buoyancy by using air pockets in cardboard boxes and lowering the weight
4. optimize duct tape use efficiency by coating the parts touching the water before other areas
5. duct tape the inside of the boat
6. prevent drag by lowering possibility of wet cardboard
7. use of a flat bottom for weight distribution
8. use higher walls to prevent splashing and sinking
9. obtain duct tape from The Home Depot by being sponsored
10. base design off of effective real world boat designs
11. maximize efficiency by spreading out the workload over the entire team
12. reinforce structure with form of propulsion kept in mind
13. cut cardboard precisely to reduce weight
14. build the boat with sailor in mind (Connor Heise)
15. Prevent possible leaks by using multiple layers of duct tape at stress points and corners
16. use box shape to create structural stability, and overlap corners to hold the vessel's stability
17. select air filled cardboard parts to maintain buoyancy advantage
18. prevent sagging by using multiple layers of structure,
19. optimize use of class time by working together as a group
20. optimize use of duct tape by minimizing overlap, while keeping enough of an overlap to prevent leaks
21. place floats in needed locations
22. create The Home Depot sign for sponsor
23. keep waste to a minimum
24. build a design that will keep the workspace relatively clean
25. optimize time use by measuring all pieces before cutting
26. don't cut on the floor or tables, put something underneath the item you are cutting
27. have a finished idea before you start building

Criteria & Constraints
(List or reference the specified Criteria and Constraints you're designing for. List at least one implied criteria. List at least three implied constraints.)

Criteria 

• Build a watercraft that allows you to traverse the CHS swimming pool.
• Your "boat" must float at least one student through the course of the competition.
• Protect your workspace from damage!
• Implied - keep your working space clean

Constraints

• You may only use Cardboard and Duct Tape for this event.
• All Staples or other foreign material must be removed from your cardboard. If we trash the pool, we will not be invited back for other activities during the year (yes, we have other activities in mind for 2nd semester).
• Cardboard must meet our quality standard and be approved by the instructor (more info to follow)
• Each boat must have a minimum of a 3" tall "sidewall" (no completely flat designs).
• All exposed cardboard must be covered in duct tape (this will reduce cardboard disintegration in the pool).
• Each team will be provided one "versa table" cardboard box piece and two 60yrd rolls of duct tape. Any materials beyond this (likely need more cardboard) need to be resourced by your team.
• Implied - finish constructing boat under given time
• Implied - all members of the group must participate in the construction of the boat
• Implied - must keep your working area clean

Sketch Ideas
(Draw 3 different sketches for possible designs. Label at least 3 key features for each sketch. Describe the feature's functionality so a viewer understands why the called out feature is important.)

Prototype Ideas
(Craft physical prototypes (models) of each of your three sketches. Use a note card or post it note to call out at least one key feature on each model. Post the images to your blog and describe the key feature that you've pointed out on each.)

Select an Approach
(Generate feedback (+, change, ?, !) and make a decision matrix regarding your sketches/prototypes. Specify the approach you've chosen and justify your selection.)

Build Achievements:

Build It!
(Build your watercraft. Document it with a presentable photo)

We built our watercraft under the listed constraints and criteria.

Test Achievements

The Fastest - (Awarded to the first team to reach the far side (25yds))

Our boat traveled the faster to the other side of the pool.

The Farthest - (Awarded to the team that can travel the furthest (laps))

Our boat tied for 1st place in this achievement for traveling the farthest (8 laps).

The Longest - (Awarded to the team with the watercraft that floats the longest (multiple teams may be awarded this achievement if multiple boats remain afloat at the end of our competition period))

Our boat, along with another group's boat, remained afloat for the extent of the competition.


Balance Master - (Awarded if you can have at least one person stand for 5 seconds in the boat (you must conduct this away from the edge of the pool so that non one falls over and hits their head))

I was able to balance myself in our boat for the duration of 5 seconds without tipping or sinking.

Videographer - (Take video of the challenge and post to your blog.)

Here is a video of our boat on race day.

Reflection Achievements:

Feedback
(Generate ten items of feedback for your effort (from the design/build process and/or the actual product). Make sure you include at least one item of feedback in each of our four feedback areas (+, change, ?, !))

+
1. very buoyant
2. able to travel quickly through water
3. more than capable of holding 130 lbs. plus

Change
1. tape the inside of the boat
2. take off the side air-pockets

?
1. What is the point of having the side air-pockets?
2. What is the advantage of having a flat bottom?

!
1. cover more of the top with tape, less water can get in
2. check for holes and tapes mishaps thoroughly

How Low Did You Go?
(How low in the water did your canoe sit (roughly)? Was it surprising how little your boat went down in the water? What is the unit weight of water in pounds? How much did your pilot weigh (roughly)? Use math to help explain the depth that your boat sat in the water.)

Our canoe sat a good 3+ inches in the water.
It was quite surprising how little our boat went down.
The unit weight of water in pounds is 62.43 lb/ft cubed.
Our pilot (Connor Heise) weighed 128 lbs. roughly.


Redesign
(If we were to do another Carboard Canoe race next semester, what would you build? Draw from everything you experienced in your class and propose the most competative solution. Include a sketch with key features and dimensions labeled.)

If I were to build another canoe for the 3rd Annual Cardboard Canoe race, I would build a boat similar to the one we built.


(Make Your Own Achievement)
(Make an achievement of your own design that you can award yourself for something awesome your team did.)

Rack Up Those Points! - The group that obtains the most points in the blindfolded, kick-board finding game get this achievement.

**USS IHopeIFloat obtained 8 points in the blindfolded, kick-board finding game. The most out of our period.

Rules of the Road - Mousetrap Racecar

What Criteria (rules) would you add to the Mousetrap Racecar Challenge to help "level" the playing field?

1) No use of rubber-bands, you must propell your Mousetrap racecar by using string only

2) Don't spend more than $40 on materials

3) You should be able to run more time-trails in order to iterate more

The Deep Dive

What I Learned from the "Deep Dive":

1. “From the buildings in which we live and work, to the cars we drive, or the knives and forks with which we eat, everything we use was designed to create some sort of marriage between form and function.



2. The folks at IDEO state that they are not experts in any given area. But, they do claim to be experts on the process of how you design stuff, which they apply to the innovation of consumer products.




3. After the team of designers is brought together, told the problem, and informed they have five days to “pull it off,” what phase of the design process do they immediately engage in?
The Research phase of the design process is engaged immediately.



4. Give two examples of what the team members did during this phase.
A. found those that use, make, and repair shopping carts and found out what they thought about shopping carts

B. record information found out in order to convey to others and to have themselves


5. List five rules-of-thumb that IDEO employees follow when they share ideas during the brainstorming phase:
A. One conversation at a time

B. Stay focused on topic

C. Encourage wild ideas

D. Defer judgement


E. Build on the ideas of others



6. Why should wild (and sometimes crazy) ideas be entertained during the brainstorming phase?
You build on those wild ideas and they become better ideas then if everyone came up with same or "appropriate" things. They allow many points to take off from to build a really innovative idea.



7. After the brainstorming phase was over, the team narrowed down the hundreds of ideas by voting for those ideas that were not only “cool” but also buildable in a short period of time. What phase of the design process is this called?
The Analyze and select a solution(s) phase of the deign process.



8. IDEO believes that the ideas and efforts of a enlightened trial and error will always be more successful than the planning of a lone genius.



9. Once the ideas were narrowed down and divided into categories, the group was split into four smaller teams. What phase(s) of the design process was each of these groups responsible for?
The Design/Development phase of the design process.



10. The leaders at IDEO believe that playful behavior and a fun environment are two important reasons why their employees are able to think quickly and creatively to produce innovative results.



11. Sometimes, people come up with great solutions that work by trying their ideas first, and asking for forgiveness later.



12. Design is often a process of going too far and having to take a few steps back. What phase of the design process would the critique of the four mock-ups come under?
The Refinement process of the design process.


13. Upon critique of the four teams’ models, it was obvious that none of the teams had developed an optimum solution. However, the people at IDEO believe that it is important to fail often in order to succeed sooner.



14. What percentage of the entire week’s time did it take to fabricate the final prototype?
It took 20% or 1/5 of the time to fabricate the final prototype.


15. Instead of showering his design team with a tremendous amount of praise, what did the boss require his employees to do with their new design?
The boss tells his employees to take their new design to a nearby store to test it out.


16. Of all the things that we are surrounded by every day, what has not been placed through the design process?
Nature does not go thought the design process.

Conclusion
1. What did you find to be the most impressive part of the team’s effort?
I found that the most impressive team's effort was their will to create the best product they could within their restraints. They didn't stop at good-enough.



2. What advantages are there to having a design team with members that have non-engineering backgrounds?
They have no thoughts of constraints to the product. They come up with ideas that may be overlooked to an engineer because they think it will not work and will be a waste of time to ponder.



3. There was a point in the process where a self-appointed group of adults stepped up, stopped the ideas, and redirected the group to break up into teams. Why was this done?
There was worry that the team was drifting. This was done to refocus the "Deep Dive".



4. At the end of the video, Dave Kelly states, “Look around. The only things that are not designed are the things we find in nature.” Can you think of anything that would contradict this statement?
Only in the past few years has there been a statement that could contradict this statement. Now-a-days, we are able to cross-pollinate plants and foods.