The Cultivator 3000
The class I have been in is called Design and Engineering. In this unit of D&E we learned about the process of creating new tools and the thought that goes behind each step of the process. In this project, I have created a new tool design with the intended consumer being senior citizens. I learned how to create something while being empathetic. Thinking about someone else's needs to allow you to make a more effective tool. I learned that it can be difficult coming up with your own ideas and there are a lot of variations of tools.
There is a lot of work that needs to get done prior to having a complete version of your tool. This could include interviewing those who might use the tool. I chose to interview my grandmother who is also a gardener. Something that she explained does not work well with the tools she uses is that it can be "difficult to bend down to complete the task". She also pointed out that in gardening in general it can be hard on her back. I decided I wanted to design a tool that would help with this process.
The tool that I have designed with my partner, EM, is a variation of a cultivator. A cultivator is a tool used to mix soil or break apart hard pieces of soil. My partner and I decided that we wanted to create something that would allow someone to not have to do as much manual labor, this might include not having to bend over so much. In this design, the user of this tool will be able to sit on this contraption and move it around with a steering wheel connected to an engine. The front of this contraption will be where the cultivator is placed and in this way it is similar to a lawn mower that you sit on. This tool is going to have a wedge as part of it because the blades of it go into the soil to break it up.
When researching other variations of this tool, we were unable to find one that would allow you to sit on it and still get the purpose achieved. This tool is also safer than most because there is a protective cover to prevent potentially hazardous debris from flying everywhere. This tool is intended to be more durable than most because of its size and the materials it’s made of (i.e. metal and some plastic).
There is a lot of work that needs to get done prior to having a complete version of your tool. This could include interviewing those who might use the tool. I chose to interview my grandmother who is also a gardener. Something that she explained does not work well with the tools she uses is that it can be "difficult to bend down to complete the task". She also pointed out that in gardening in general it can be hard on her back. I decided I wanted to design a tool that would help with this process.
The tool that I have designed with my partner, EM, is a variation of a cultivator. A cultivator is a tool used to mix soil or break apart hard pieces of soil. My partner and I decided that we wanted to create something that would allow someone to not have to do as much manual labor, this might include not having to bend over so much. In this design, the user of this tool will be able to sit on this contraption and move it around with a steering wheel connected to an engine. The front of this contraption will be where the cultivator is placed and in this way it is similar to a lawn mower that you sit on. This tool is going to have a wedge as part of it because the blades of it go into the soil to break it up.
When researching other variations of this tool, we were unable to find one that would allow you to sit on it and still get the purpose achieved. This tool is also safer than most because there is a protective cover to prevent potentially hazardous debris from flying everywhere. This tool is intended to be more durable than most because of its size and the materials it’s made of (i.e. metal and some plastic).
This class has taught me a lot about many different things related to the design process. I enjoyed this class more than I had anticipated and acquired a newfound interest in this field. I enjoyed working with a partner and being about to see my other classmates designs. In the future I would like to create something that is more realistic and something I could possibly create a prototype for. I hope you enjoyed seeing this post and learning a little more about what I was able to create in this class.
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