P19305 Problem Definition

Team Vision for Problem Definition Phase

Project Summary

Electric longboards have been around for almost decades at this point but current models suffer from numerous limitations and flaws that make them unappealing to the vast majority of potential consumers. Most have unnecessarily long ranges, being capable of going 10, 15, 20, or even more miles on a single charge even though that’s substantially in excess of what is needed for common use cases. This focus on a large range leads to correspondingly large batteries, significantly increasing the weight of an electric longboard to the detriment of portability, which is further impaired by the inherent length of a longboard. Current models of electric longboards are also controlled via a handheld remote, which is prone to loss or failure and makes braking and accelerating in a controlled manner difficult due to the lack of granularity and feedback. Additionally, the current steering mechanisms in electric longboards, the kingpin, exacerbate the control issues by rendering electric longboards unstable at high speeds.

The goal of this project is to design an electronically powered longboard that would be desirable to a significantly larger market than the current designs and which has a futuristic look to it that invokes feelings of freedom in the end-user. The focus would be on portability and ease of use, being collapsible such that it could fit inside of the average backpack, while being lightweight, and having a setup time of seconds. The prototype would have a max speed of at least 25 MPH and stability over the entire range of possible speeds. Further, it would incorporate a braking system, preferably regenerative, and be entirely hands-free with a control system that is integral to the longboard and manipulated via weight-shifting and foot placement.

Use Cases

Project Goals and Key Deliverables

The focus of this project is to deliver a fully functional electric longboard prototype by December of 2019. This longboard should be collapsible, stable, quick to assemble, and hands-free controlled with a minor emphasis on waterproofing and general weight reduction. This functioning prototype is the project's main deliverable, however this project is also responsible for completing a submission to Michelin's 2019 Mobility competition by March 1st. For this competition a general design with preliminary sketches and renderings needs to be submitted in a effort to show how this concept meets the criteria of Michelin's design challenge. For 2019 Michelin challenges students to envision what freedom inspiring urban transportation in the year 2035 will look like. Our design goals for this longboard incorporate feature combinations that are novel making our prototype and concept well suited for this design competition. 

Interview Information

Table 1: Interview Documentation Table

Stakeholders

Table 2: List of Stakeholders

Customer Requirements

Table 3: Customer Requirements Table

Link to the live document here.

Engineering Requirements (Metrics & Specifications)

Table 4. Engineering Requirements 

Benchmarking

Table 5. Benchmarks

House of Quality

Table 6: House of Quality 

Risk Assessment

Table 7: Risk Assessment Table

Team Plan

Over the next few weeks, we will finalize the set of deliverables, keeping an open line of communication with customer so that we can adapt to any changes in customer expectations. Research will be conducted by each member on their assigned project subsystems: motors, pressure sensors, batteries, folding mechanism, etc. Following this, after identifying the impacts any specific component of a subsystem may have with the other systems, initial design of subsystems will commence. A visual representation for the Michelin Design competition will be created by mid February.

Individual Plans

Table 8: Individual Tasks Table

Deirdre Arcand's plan

Connor Ford's Plan

Matthew Gould's plan

Erik Lydick's plan

Tanvir Majlish's plan

Kristin Ostiguy's plan

Relevant Files