Project Development
Week 20
In the last week I finally had time to work only for my final project. A week of intensive vacation. Since I was still missing some things for my final project, I worked out a final plan and also clarified some questions for myself.
Evaluate project plan
What tasks have been completed, and what tasks remain?
Several steps still had to be worked out and this in the short time that still exists. In the end it should all work out ideally - really. The boards still had to be designed, then manufactured and afterwards surely optimized again. That means two days of intensive electronics. The design for the chair still had to be implemented. The integration of the conductive filament or the layers still has to be adapted and then transferred into a model. That’s certainly a few more hours of work. All sensors and actuators still have to be addressed and integrated into the system. Additionally some things have to be coded. In the end you must never forget the time for assembling, just like buying small components.
Intermediate conclusion: The whole thing had to be well coordinated because it will be a really tight challenge. Because of the amount of time I had and the few days I had left, I made a priority list. I deleted some features and concentrated on the basic functions. For an overview I always need a Gantt chart, which looked like the following for me:
What has worked? what hasn’t?
The 3D scan looked promising and the first efforts towards processing are done. Many solutions that worked and were suitable for my case did not exist.
I also carried out the first tests with the conductive filament. Compared to classical copper foil it is a good alternative.
What questions need to be resolved?
- How can I implement pressure mapping and determine whether a person is sitting or not?
- How do I ideally integrate the pomodoro technique?
- How do I implement the haptic feedback system?
- How can I create a seat from the scan?
What will happen when?
Then I get closer and closer to my goal, step by step.
What have you learned?
- Individualization and 3D printing still need to be optimized.
- There is always no time at the end.
- There are always obstacles. You have to be relaxed and find solutions.
Summary and communication of the essence of a project
The project is essentially concerned with optimizing one’s own health. All mass-produced products are not tailored to the individual. And here new digital manufacturing technologies make sense and promise to solve this problem. The chair is an example for this topic, but it should also think further. Pressure mapping will be used to evaluate the distribution of pressure at a later stage. Does an individualized chair make sense? Is it better? Questions that the nature of the project should deal with.