Reverse Engineering

What is it about an object that captures a person’s attention? Its function—the speed, efficiency, reliability?  Its form— the color, shape, proportion? With an understanding of form follows function, and some insight into the visual design principles and elements, you will be able to create products that capture the attention and imagination of the viewer. 

This week, working in a team of two or three, you will act as an engineering team for a novelty toy company. Your company has noticed the skyrocketing sales of the Automoblox vehicles and would like to design accessories or enhancements that can be purchased separately but will work with the existing toys. As a first step, your team has been assigned the task of reverse engineering one of the Automoblox vehicles. This will follow a process of visual analysis, functional analysis, and structural analysis.

Deliverables

Monday, 2/23:

• Intro to Reverse Engineering + Maker Faire prep

Tuesday, 2/24:

• Visual analysis of Automoblox

Wednesday, 2/25:

• Functional analysis of Automoblox

Thursday, 2/26:

• Structural analysis of Automoblox

• Reverse Engineering Reflection Post

Friday, 2/27:

• Instant Challenge

Reflection Post

How do visual design principles and elements impact the commercial appeal of a product?

What does a black box represent in the system input/output model?

Why do engineers perform reverse engineering on products, and how would you describe it in your own words?

Part of the mission of Automoblox is to "offer a high quality building system that will delight and inspire children while fostering the development of important skills and learning foundations." If given the opportunity, how would you improve the Automoblox design (visually, functionally, or structurally) while furthering the mission of the company at minimal cost?

Geometry of Design

A CAD model can quickly display an engineer’s ideas in a realistic way. And once an engineer has developed a model in CAD representing an idea, the idea can be shared much more easily with a wider audience. As is the case with technical sketching, CAD models must begin as sketches of points, lines, and shapes. However, a computer model can be much more accurate and precise than a freehand sketch. The lines of a CAD sketch can be drawn perfectly straight (or perfectly circular), with start and end points that occur in exact locations in space. A line may also be given precise length through the use of dimensions. If more than one line is being sketched, they can be made perfectly parallel or perpendicular or shown at a precise angle. CAD programs give designers the ability to sketch any kind of geometry and provide the ability to dimension, extend, rotate, mirror, copy and paste, pattern, move, and trim (to name a few tools) that geometry. Whereas hand-drawn representations are made to appear three dimensional by the strategic placement of additional points, lines, and shapes, CAD sketches can be transformed into 3D models using features that appear to add and manipulate material. As a result, within the software designers can extrude, revolve, or sweep a sketch such that the two dimensional sketch appears to become a solid form that can be electronically manipulated and viewed from any angle. Once a 3D model is created, the solid form can be hollowed out or the edges can be rounded.  

Deliverables

Tuesday, 2/17:

• Intro to Geometry in CAD + Brainstorming Maker Faire

Wednesday, 2/18:

• CAD Model Features 

Thursday, 2/12:

• CAD Model Features

Friday, 2/13:

• Instant Challenge

Reflection Post

What are the various geometric shapes and how are they defined by their characteristics?

How are physical properties of objects used to define design requirements?

What advantages do CAD programs provide over traditional paper and pencil design? What advantages does paper and pencil design provide over CAD?

Geometric Constraints

Trampoline by Joshua Jenkins

Geometric shapes are found everywhere. Take a moment to analyze products or objects you use every day. Geometric shapes and solids are the basis of these products. Engineers who have a strong understanding of these shapes, solids, and other geometric relationships can help designers develop and create solutions to a variety of problems. As designers progress through the design process and these design solutions are formalized, the level of accuracy and precision in the design specifications must increase. Conceptual sketches are converted to computer models and formal drawings, which include annotations describing the size and characteristics of the design features. A strong understanding of shapes and other geometric relationships is necessary to effectively and efficiently develop these computer and graphic representations.

Deliverables

Monday, 2/9:

• Discuss geometric constraints
• Calculating Properties of Shapes

Tuesday, 2/10:

• Inventor Research

Wednesday, 2/11:

• Review Calculating Properties of Shapes

Thursday, 2/12:

• Teach What You Know: Understanding Inventor

Friday, 2/13:

• Instant Challenge

Reflection Post

1. What shapes did you use in the design of your model shelter, and why did you choose those shapes?

2. What angles resulted from the shapes you chose?

3. What was the overall surface area of the shelter’s exterior? What material would you cover the outside of your shelter with, and how much of it would you need?

4. What was the overall surface area of the shelter’s interior? Approximately, how many people would comfortably fit in your shelter?

5. What external load factors did you taken into account for your shelter? How did you design your shelter model to meet those constraints?

6. How did you consider “form follows function” in the design of your shelter?

Form Follows Function

If an object has to perform a certain function, its design must support that function to the fullest extent possible. The saying "Form follows function" was coined by the American architect Louis Sullivan in his article "The Tall Office Building Artistically Considered" published in 1896. This 'tall office building' soon came to be known as the skyscraper. He expressed the efficiency of modern architecture with his famous quote:

"It is the pervading law of all things organic, and inorganic, of all things physical and metaphysical, of all things human and all things super-human, of all true manifestations of the head, of the heart, of the soul, that the life is recognizable in its expression, that form ever follows function. This is the law."

Consider the design process and how it was applied to selected objects and systems. How did required functionality affect the specifics of the design? Complete a quantitative analysis of an object. Compare functional requirements with aesthetic values. Using lessons learned, exercise judgement of a product's function and how it affects design.

Deliverables

Monday, 2/2:

• Discuss how the design process was applied to objects around the PLTW Lab
• Choose an everyday object
• Brainstorm the needs and proportions (Keeping form follows function in mind, what would make this object 'better'?)
• Research and analyze the client and product

Tuesday, 2/3:

• Read excerpt from Don Norman's The Design of Everyday Things
• Concept sketch your object, include detailed multi-view sketches 

Wednesday, 2/4:

• Design CAD parts for the object
• Develop and refine the design

Thursday, 2/5:

• Work on presentation
• Write reflection blog post

Friday, 2/6:

• Critique

Reflection Post

1. Describe: Describe what you intended—colors, size shapes.
2. Analyze: Try to describe the process for how it is made.
3. Apply: Describe the ways it meets the project requirement
4. Associate: What does it remind you of?
5. Compare: To what is it similar? In what way is it unique?
6. Arguments: Take a stand, have an opinion. How could it be better?

Here's a preview of what's happening next week in the PLTW Lab.