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Team Vision for Problem Definition Phase
During this phase of the project, or team worked together to fully understand the problem at hand and to identify how our product will be used. We also investigated the current accessible toilet and ways to improve the design for ease of use and efficiency.
During this phase our team gathered information to help us define the problem and the issues with the current system. After contacting various clients, we can understand the customer needs, what products already exist and what improvements can be made. Furthermore, we were able to define the engineering requirements needed and the possible risks that can take place throughout the project.
Project Summary
Public restroom facilities are required to accommodate everyone, most importantly individuals who are challenged with the current bathroom process. Articulating Toilets are used to accommodate individuals who are required to use wheelchairs for daily transportation and have little to no use of their lower body. The toilet themselves should provide the user with the ability to use in a timely and efficient manner. Some people are still encountering problems while using wheelchair accessible restrooms. Some of these daily problems include not having the means or strength to lift themselves onto the toilet seats, experiencing a difference in height between the toilets and the wheelchair, and not having enough room to clean themselves after use.
A prototype was developed by senior design team W.A.R.3 in 2018/19 in attempt to resolve these problems that makes the bathroom process more feasible for individuals with limited lower body strength. This device uses a hydraulic system that sometimes faults during use, has trouble fitting over the standard toilet seat, and looks from medieval times. Our team will deliver a product that meets ADA requirements, fits over any standard toilet. The design will include safety features and will be easily installed in any public and home restrooms.
Use Cases
The team identified 5 use cases that encompass the situations in which the device would be most helpful, in both public and home health care settings,
- A wheelchair user at home, with assistance
- A wheelchair user at home, without assistance
- A hospitalized wheelchair user in need of assistance
- A wheelchair user in a workplace or professional setting, without assistance
- A wheelchair user on a road trip using a government maintained public restroom
Project Goals and Key Deliverables
The main goal of this project is to design and produce an add-on for toilets that would:
- Allow for easy / easier transfer from most / all types of wheelchairs to and from a toilet
- Allow for easy self cleaning once transfer is completed
- Cost less than $500 to at least prototype
- Be approachable, safe, and comfortable to use while meeting any and all ADA requirements
- Be easy to install
Customer Requirements (Needs)
Purpose
Decompose the Problem Statement into functions of elements needed to satisfy the customer. Based on interactions with the customer the needs and wants of the assistive device were recognized and ranked based on the importance of each of their different asks. Throughout the scope of the project, the customer requirement document will continue to be updated with the changes based on customer feedback.
Document Overview
Document Owner: Hannah Husarek
The customer requirements document is a living document that was created based on customer needs taken directly for the Project Readiness Package, the customer interview, and last years team's requirements page. The needs of the various stakeholders were considered when creating the following requirement table. Stakeholders for our project include our customer Art North, wheelchair bound individuals (adults and children) and our guide Steve Pellow.
The following requirements were sorted into 5 main categories that are as follows:
- Ease of Use/Comfort
- Safety
- Ease of Install/Maintenance
- Manufacturing
- Reliability
The most important requests stated by the customer are that the device enables the user, to use the restroom in a safer, efficient, more sanitary manner.
Figure 1 Customer Requirements Document:
The link to the live document can be found here.
Engineering Requirements (Metrics & Specifications)
Purpose
Create a contract between the engineer and the customer where indisputable satisfaction of the engineering requirements equates to customer satisfaction.
Document Overview
Document Owner: Hannah Husarek
The project engineering requirements were created in response to the customer requirements obtained. The requirements include measurable and testable specifications that are able to be tested after the design and building of the prototype device is completed. The individual engineering requirements are all traced back to the corresponding customer requirements, to ensure that are necessary customer requirements are met. The document will continue to evolve throughout the scope of the project and requirements and specification for the requirements may be amended overtime as the customer requirements and/or design of the device changes throughout the project.
The engineering requirements are broken down in the same categories as the customer requirements, which are as follows:
- Ease of Use
- Safety
- Manufacturing
- Ease of Install/Maintenance
- Reliability
Figure 2 Engineering Requirements Document:
The link to the live document can be found here.
Constraints
- Size - must fit within a 32 x 28 inch footprint and accommodate a range of wheelchair sizes
- Seat adjustable from 17 to 27 inches off the ground
- Fit on a standard toilet
- Ethics surrounding human testing
- Overall prototyping cost of at most $500, while also keeping overall future production cost as low as possible
- No use of electricity due to bathroom and water
- Support up to 400 lbs
- Easy to install, use, and clean
House of Quality
Purpose
Confirm that the Engineering Requirements will meet all of the Customer Requirements. This document will also help facilitate design trade-off decisions.
Figure: 3 House of Quality Document:
For a full view of this document click here.
Design Review Materials
Here are the links to all our Phase 1: Problem Definition Review Materials
- Pre-read
- Presentation
- Comments/Notes
Plans for Next Phase
Goal for Next Phase
Begin to breakdown the overall system design into the various subsystems. Look at previous years progress and determine the functionality, shortcoming, or failures with the current design of the device and see where improvements can be made or what needs to be redone. Towards the end of phase, look at how the different subsystems will interact and combine with each other and create an action plan to begin to build the different subsystems/components.