Design Notebook
10-18-04
Throughout the next several weeks, our team is tasked with designing and ultimately constructing a water balloon launcher that can be used safely by children in the third grade. There are some initial constraints for the project, including safety, cost, and the distance that the balloon must be launched. The ultimate goal of a functioning launcher will be realized after several weeks of tasks. The first set of tasks will involve defining the problem using various techniques mentioned in Strategies, and establishingg a top-ten customer wants list for the launcher. The second week consists of benchmarking and idea generation, where metrics are created and brainstorming takes place, leaving the team with several possible approaches to solving the problem. The third set of tasks consists of comparing the possible concepts to the metrics and determining which of the concepts is most appropriate. Week four of our task focuses on implementing the solution by creating sketches and designs, while evaluating potential problems with our design. The final week of this project will create a physical product, as well as instructions for a timely assembly and product testing and evaluation by another team.
