Assignments for this week! We did some SolidWorks exercises, came up with some invention ideas, and sketched some objects.

Solidworks Screenshots

Inventions

I asked some questions to my friend about some problems in their life to try to isolate a problem that needed solving. Here's a summary:

What are some problems you face in your daily life?

Not wanting to talk to people (having trouble communicating this)
Being quite sensitive to smell
Short on time in the mornings (efficiency in routine)

Trying to identify commonalities:

All of these problems seem to have something to do with being overwhelmed
Sometimes by sensory things, sometimes by social things, sometimes by responsibility

What exactly is it that overwhelms you?

Having to deal with multiple tracks of thought
Not being able to focus on important things

Trying to identify a root problem:

There's too much to deal with at once
Sensory overload?
Sometimes you just need to step back and take a break

The root problem: Sometimes it gets hard to focus because there's too much going on at once.

5 ways to solve this problem:

• Mask that filters out smells temporarily (solves sensory issues)
• Mask/Button that displays a status (whether you want to talk or not)
• Toothbrush that dispenses its own toothpaste (streamlines routines)
• Toaster that automatically butters the toast
• Tactile alarm clock

Sketches of the inventions:

For the tactile alarm clock, the clock should weigh less than 60 grams, be resistant to drops and impacts (reasonably for someone wearing it), and be able to go 2 weeks or more without charging.

The revised problem: Sometimes it's overwhelming when we're short on time in the morning.

Sketching