Design help...pwease?

[Mrs Banjo]

Hi guys...I has a problem...

I'm a design student at university and I need an idea for a final year project I have to design and make VERY soon...and it appears my brain has melted. :smalleek:

Does anybody have any ideas about something that could be designed to solve a problem that hasn't been addressed...like something that really annoys you, but no-one's ever put it right. Don't know how better to put it...but I can't think of anything better than an inflatable dartboard so I hope someone can give me an idea!

Thank you's in advance!

[Trog]

Two Words: Inflatable Dartboard

...

D'OH! >.<

[Spiryt]

I want a bath outlet that doesn't get blocked by hairs.

[Crispy Dave]

How about a pill you take that gives you good ideas?

[Haruki-kun]

Waterproof Teabags.

:smallbiggrin:

[potatocubed]

A cheap and easy way to put creases in formal trousers.

I mean, cheaper than a trouser press and easier than trying to press them with an iron without either a) ruining the trousers or b) ironing my hand. :smallyuk:

[SnowballMan]

How about an internet filter that blocks snarky responses to serious questions?

[Arrogonios]

How about an internet filter that blocks snarky responses to serious questions?

I certainly concur. Well, how about...headphones that don't break after three weeks of use?

[valadil]

Is this like a tangible object? Could software work? Do you have to build a prototype or just blueprints?

How about an automatic clothes iron? I like having nice clothing but I suck at ironing. It'd be amazing if you could just pass a shirt through some rollers and have it come out smooth.

What about an electronic tape measure? Something that shoots out a couple lasers and then uses the distance between the dots to figure out how far away a surface is. I imagine this would have the potential to be a lot more precise than traditional methods.

How about an alternative alarm clock? I like Clocky (http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/lights/91f2/) well enough, but something that lights up the whole room would be even better.

[DraPrime]

How mechanical can this be? Because I have an idea that might just work depending on your answer.

[Silence]

Hmmmmm.... How about a device that somehow keeps iPod cords from getting tangled?

[DraPrime]

Hmmmmm.... How about a device that somehow keeps iPod cords from getting tangled?

I would sell my soul for one of those.

[Syka]

Didn't we get one of these about 6 months ago? :smallconfused: (not angry, just wondering if I'm having a bad case of deja vu).

That said- an umbrella that a bike rider could use. It's one of the main reasons I don't have a bike is I can't use an umbrella on it and it rains a lot.

And I hate poncho's.

Cheers~

[Cristo Meyers]

Didn't we get one of these about 6 months ago? :smallconfused: (not angry, just wondering if I'm having a bad case of deja vu).

That said- an umbrella that a bike rider could use. It's one of the main reasons I don't have a bike is I can't use an umbrella on it and it rains a lot.

And I hate poncho's.

Cheers~

I say go with this. It's relatively simple and with petrol prices the way they are it could also be called a current issue.

[Thanatos 51-50]

Didn't we get one of these about 6 months ago? :smallconfused: (not angry, just wondering if I'm having a bad case of deja vu).

That said- an umbrella that a bike rider could use. It's one of the main reasons I don't have a bike is I can't use an umbrella on it and it rains a lot.

And I hate poncho's.

Cheers~

This may have be a rather large mbrellar with some sort of claw-grip affixed to your bike's a-frame or handlebars.
Hrm...
*contemplates*

As for creases in formal trousers/easy ironing...

Practice, practice, practice...

[Zedd]

How bout trash cans that consist in a lot of thin paper (or some kind of plastic) layers combined together to a simple frame?

Just so you could remove the inner layer (which would contain all the garbage) and voilá, you have a completely clean trash can, even if one layer thinner.

I hope someone gets the idea.

BTW, I've registered that already, so use it for your project and drop it :rolleyes:

[Silence]

For the umbrella, you woudl need some way of allowing air to pass through the bottom, but not through the top.

[Thanatos 51-50]

For the umbrella, you woudl need some way of allowing air to pass through the bottom, but not through the top.

Just some way to avoid generating and obscene amount of lift. If I recall correctly, the shape of the "wing" (Umbrella, in this case) has a huge effect on lift generated.

[Jack Squat]

Just some way to avoid generating and obscene amount of lift. If I recall correctly, the shape of the "wing" (Umbrella, in this case) has a huge effect on lift generated.

Yeah, the shape and angle has a lot to do with it. Jets have a sorta tear-drop shaped wing tilted upwards at 30 degrees, because it tends to work best.*

If I were designing such an umbrella, it'd probably end up being a triangle or square shape, and slanted forward some. This should allow for a relatively shallow shape, reducing drag and lift. Of course, it'd also be for recreational purposes, and not for people trying to break the land-speed record.


*I am not an aerospace engineer. This is something I'm pulling from a memory about something on Modern Marvel's.

[Thanatos 51-50]

Differentail windspeed over the surface areas of the wing is what generates the actual lift, right? Therefore, only the convex/concaveness of our umbrella should matter much, not its base gemometric shape.
If we make the umbrella removable and place it on the bicycle wisely there is no need to elimnate weight, as hopefully, a 100 pound plus human sitting on a five or so pound bicycle should produce some weight to counter said lift.


...
ask the playground for ideas, and they get desigining, eh?

[BizzaroStormy]

A self-warming toilet seat sounds like a good idea to me. Nothing feels worse than sitting on an ice cold toilet.

[Syka]

A self-warming toilet seat sounds like a good idea to me. Nothing feels worse than sitting on an ice cold toilet.

Been done.

http://www.nextag.com/heated-toilet-seat/search-html

Kinda freaked me out actually. I hate cold seats, but *shudder* it would just be weird. Like, feeling like someone else had just been on the toilet weird.

And I'm kind of surprised my idea took off, no pun intended. >>

Cheers~

[Jack Squat]

Yeah, it matters more about how deep the umbrella is and how it's angled more than shape, but assuming you want drive the thing on roads, a rectangle or triangle covering not much more than the bike would be ideal. I also believe it could get you a shallower shape than a circle, but I could be wrong on that. I'm not so much worried about bikes flying up off the ground than I am it causing enough tension in the pole to snap it.

Also, what bike is 5 lbs? Mine's closer to 30, although I haven't actually weighed it...had to carry it a mile or so...damn flat tire.

[Mr. Mud]

Okay, I got it...

A Waffle Iron... BUT FOR OMELETS

... Think about it.

:biggrin:

[Jack Squat]

Okay, I got it...

A Waffle Iron... BUT FOR OMELETS

... Think about it.

:biggrin:

It's been done (http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=folding+omelette+pan&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=2388278819&ref=pd_sl_7pq744tpdk_b), and they're horrible. The hinges get all gummed up, the crease in the pan tears the omelets, and you're really just better off learning how to fold an omelet.

[BizzaroStormy]

That too has been done.

As for my toilet seat idea, I was going for something non-electric.

The only thing worse than sitting on a cold toilet, is having your obituary in the paper the next day saying you were electrocuted when you went to take a dump.

[Mr. Mud]

It's been done (http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=folding+omelette+pan&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=2388278819&ref=pd_sl_7pq744tpdk_b), and they're horrible. The hinges get all gummed up, the crease in the pan tears the omelets, and you're really just better off learning how to fold an omelet.

Ahh... And I thought I had the idea of the day here...

*resumes position under rock* :smallbiggrin:.

[Thanatos 51-50]

Yeah, it matters more about how deep the umbrella is and how it's angled more than shape, but assuming you want drive the thing on roads, a rectangle or triangle covering not much more than the bike would be ideal. I also believe it could get you a shallower shape than a circle, but I could be wrong on that. I'm not so much worried about bikes flying up off the ground than I am it causing enough tension in the pole to snap it.

Also, what bike is 5 lbs? Mine's closer to 30, although I haven't actually weighed it...had to carry it a mile or so...damn flat tire.

Indeed, I wasn't thinking about competeing with cars or pedestrians.
I defer to your expertise on bike weights. I only have memories six years gone to work on, I've walked everywhere or used public transportation or bummed a ride since.
The major problem I forsee with a rectangle tilted forward is obscuring the rider's vision in a heavy rain.

[Jack Squat]

It depends on how tilted forward...and how high it's sitting. I think the best way to figure this out is to build prototypes and spray them down with a garden hose.

[mangosta71]

Thing with an umbrella is it needs to be able to swivel into the wind so as not to get turned inside out/destroyed and also stop the rain getting blown in. You also run into balance, especially on a bike, when the wind is coming from the side. A sudden wind shift would easily blow the person over. In addition, to provide adequate cover for the rider, the umbrella would have to be big. Best option is probably a transparent bubble canopy, but then you get into the lift problem again. Or at least taking up a lot of roadway. I'm really not sure this idea is workable, to be perfectly honest.

If you want to improve upon an umbrella, you could make one of the so-called golf umbrellas with a metal tip and slap a taser in there connected to a second button on the handle.

[Syka]

If you want to improve upon an umbrella, you could make one of the so-called golf umbrellas with a metal tip and slap a taser in there connected to a second button on the handle.

I would totally try rigging one of those up on my giant umbrella (my friends call it a sword), except Tasers are illegal on my campus. But you gave me a good idea for when I don't live on campus anymore. :smallamused:

Cheers,
Syka

[valadil]

Didn't we get one of these about 6 months ago? :smallconfused: (not angry, just wondering if I'm having a bad case of deja vu).

That said- an umbrella that a bike rider could use. It's one of the main reasons I don't have a bike is I can't use an umbrella on it and it rains a lot.

And I hate poncho's.

Cheers~

The problem with a traditional umbrella is that on a bike you're moving forward at such a speed that the rain wouldn't fall on your head, but would smack you in the face as you went forward. You'd need a very large umbrella or a windshield in front to stop that.

I've seen something similar which was a couple sheets bound around a small frame around the bike. They formed a vertical planar surface. I imagine a side wind could knock you over, but the whole thing wouldn't get any head on wind resistance. Only the rider's heads were exposed. Something along those lines (maybe with clear plastic and covering the heads) could work for the bike umbrella.

[BizzaroStormy]

You could try patenting the discovery of fire. It wouldn't do much for your class but you wouldn't need college with the royalties you'd get from everyone using fire.

[mangosta71]

The problem with a traditional umbrella is that on a bike you're moving forward at such a speed that the rain wouldn't fall on your head, but would smack you in the face as you went forward. You'd need a very large umbrella or a windshield in front to stop that.

I've seen something similar which was a couple sheets bound around a small frame around the bike. They formed a vertical planar surface. I imagine a side wind could knock you over, but the whole thing wouldn't get any head on wind resistance. Only the rider's heads were exposed. Something along those lines (maybe with clear plastic and covering the heads) could work for the bike umbrella.

Yeah, you'd have to pretty much make a tent around the bike. Which is basically what I was trying to say in my earlier post. Sleep-deprivation seems to be working against my ability to eloquate.

[CommodoreFluffy]

How about a cheaper solar energy device? I have plans for one, and nobody will take me seriously about it, considering I am a sophomore. It is mechanical, simple, and potentially cheap. It would be durable, and simple as a car engine to fix. If you want more information, just e mail me. [email protected]

[Mrs Banjo]

How mechanical can this be? Because I have an idea that might just work depending on your answer.

something fairly simple that could be made in a workshop in a fairly short amount of time. Electronics and mechanical stuff would have to be minimal really

[valadil]

I like the solar energy option. What if you could make a solar panel connected to something the shape of a battery so that you could use solar energy for all your battery operated devices. Naturally I have no idea how much energy solar panels provide as opposed to a AA battery.

Or we could combine the popular ideas. Solar panel umbrella! Well, more of a solar panel parasol for blocking the sun, while collecting its energy at the same time.

[Crispy Dave]

A self-warming toilet seat sounds like a good idea to me. Nothing feels worse than sitting on an ice cold toilet.

they got more features then that in Japan dude

[OverdrivePrime]

Hi guys...I has a problem...

I'm a design student at university and I need an idea for a final year project I have to design and make VERY soon...and it appears my brain has melted. :smalleek:

Does anybody have any ideas about something that could be designed to solve a problem that hasn't been addressed...like something that really annoys you, but no-one's ever put it right. Don't know how better to put it...but I can't think of anything better than an inflatable dartboard so I hope someone can give me an idea!

Thank you's in advance!
Hey awesome. I got my product design degree from the Institute of Design (http://www.id.iit.edu/) in Chicago many winters ago.

A few ideas:

A self-locating EpiPen (http://www.epipen.com/) injector design, to allow people to hit the right spot when they're panicking. Their current design sucks and sucks, then sucks some more.

An on-board bicycle mp3 stereo. Sure, there are some out there (http://www.active-tunes.com/), but whoever designed them should be dragged into the desert by wild dogs.

A catsup bottle nozzle that doesn't blast catsup all over the place when squozen. Some solutions exist. (http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2005/0173457.html) You can do better!

A holodeck (http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w219/mwellenstein/Sci_Fan/holodeck1.gif). Please. :smallsmile:

edit: fixed link!

[Crispy Dave]

that last link is dead overdrive

[Trog]

Hands-free iPhone mounter for your car so it can act as a speaker phone / stereo / GPS in one. :smallcool:

[valadil]

In addition to the iPhone car mounter, how about an iPhone case that actually protects the screen without interfering with the touch interface? This is more about finding the right material than engineering something though.

[Telonius]

An easy way to clean a mouseball.

Some way to get all of the crusty junk out of your keyboard that always seems to build up in there.

[Crispy Dave]

a taco that you can eat all of the things in it with the same bite.

[OverdrivePrime]

An easy way to clean a mouseball.

Some way to get all of the crusty junk out of your keyboard that always seems to build up in there.

Two solutions:
Optical mouse (still get gunk under the nylon 'foot pads on the bottom)

and the almighty Keyboard Condom (http://nigelmcloughlin.com/kondom-keyboard-kalau-kotor-cuci-saja.html). Those things work pretty well if you don't mind the feel of silicone or latex under your fingers when you're typing.

[black_Lizzard]

Didn't we get one of these about 6 months ago? :smallconfused: (not angry, just wondering if I'm having a bad case of deja vu).

That said- an umbrella that a bike rider could use. It's one of the main reasons I don't have a bike is I can't use an umbrella on it and it rains a lot.

And I hate poncho's.

Cheers~

bike umbrella = poncho

...and maybe a mask with goggles

[CommodoreFluffy]

Okay, here it is:

My idea is to create, or demonstrate the principals of a rotary stirling engine. Working off of thermal expansion, the cylinders would rotate, exposing themselves to the new temperature. The idea in general was invented in 1816 by Rev. Robert Stirling of Scotland. Stirling engines feature a completely closed system in which the working gas (usually air but sometimes helium or hydrogen) is alternately heated and cooled by shifting the gas to different temperature locations within the system. The other part of the idea (rotary system) was inspired by the Gnome Rotary engine, which was used during world war one in fighter planes, where the cylinders and piston arms would rotate together, but on offset axis to create a difference in depth.

In the world today, we are facing an energy crisis. Gas prices are inflating, and other alternatives are not working as well as hoped. One source of energy is as sure as the sun coming up each morning, it is, the sun coming up each morning. But current technologies that tap solar energy are expensive, a company that provides cheap household solar panels charges from $10k to 100k. In areas with not much money, and harsh conditions, such as the south Americas, and Africa, it is difficult to tap the sun, which affects them more than anywhere else. This project is an attempt to create a cheaper, more durable, and easily repairable way to tap thermal contrast.
My idea is to create, or demonstrate the principals of a rotary stirling engine. Working off of thermal expansion, the cylinders would rotate, exposing themselves to the new temperature. The idea in general was invented in 1816 by Rev. Robert Stirling of Scotland. Stirling engines feature a completely closed system in which the working gas (usually air but sometimes helium or hydrogen) is alternately heated and cooled by shifting the gas to different temperature locations within the system. The other part of the idea (rotary system) was inspired by the Gnome Rotary engine, which was used during world war one in fighter planes, where the cylinders and piston arms would rotate together, but on offset axis to create a difference in depth.


http://www.keveney.com/Vstirling.html
http://www.keveney.com/gnome.html
http://hypertextbook.com/physics/thermal/expansion/
http://www.greencastonline.com/SoilTempMaps.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mojave_Desert
http://www.borregosolar.com/home/solar-power-costs-savings.php

sorry about repeats, this was goin'g to be my science fair project, but i couldn't pull it off, better luck to you.
if you need clarification, PM me.

[Quincunx]

CommodoreFluffy: Why the heck not a science fair project? Was the scope of the project too broad? That is to say, was building an entire working model too much to do in a semester and would your teacher have preferred you worked on one smaller portion of the project, such as demonstrating that thermal expansion could impart motion into a system? Were you rejected because you did not include an analysis of the efficiency of mechanical solar power storage such as this machine vs. thermal storage like solar hot water heaters vs. electrical storage which is what solar cells do? Or does 'not pull it off' just mean you couldn't get the dang thing to work?

Mrs. Banjo: Is it possible, or already done, to make a USB cable which swivels with a universal joint? It would solve that pesky tangle problem. Alternately, is there a small clip-on spring available to counteract the torsion (twisty tendencies) of a pre-existing cable?

valadil: I don't know about cases, but my husband has put a high-end clear plastic self-adhesive cover onto his iPhone, and so far it's neither wrinkled at the edges nor dented.

[Yarram]

Why not a vacuum device that can automatically clean hallways:
Tubes with holes down the side of them that suck in dirt, powered by an engine situated somewhere in a building.
-Could potentially be intergrated into the building.

[Fri]

It depends. Are you, by any chance, a product design student?

If you are, schweet! another product designer itp. If you are not, well, that's still cool.

Anyway your query is still waay to vague for me. I'd like to help, but I need some more things. Like, yeah, the technological level would help. Just saying

"something never thought before"

is too vague

[Dallas-Dakota]

a taco that you can eat all of the things in it with the same bite.
Like a .... mini-taco!
But then sold in six-packs so you don't run out to soon!

[CommodoreFluffy]

CommodoreFluffy: Why the heck not a science fair project? Was the scope of the project too broad? That is to say, was building an entire working model too much to do in a semester and would your teacher have preferred you worked on one smaller portion of the project, such as demonstrating that thermal expansion could impart motion into a system? Were you rejected because you did not include an analysis of the efficiency of mechanical solar power storage such as this machine vs. thermal storage like solar hot water heaters vs. electrical storage which is what solar cells do? Or does 'not pull it off' just mean you couldn't get the dang thing to work?

Mrs. Banjo: Is it possible, or already done, to make a USB cable which swivels with a universal joint? It would solve that pesky tangle problem. Alternately, is there a small clip-on spring available to counteract the torsion (twisty tendencies) of a pre-existing cable?

valadil: I don't know about cases, but my husband has put a high-end clear plastic self-adhesive cover onto his iPhone, and so far it's neither wrinkled at the edges nor dented.

because they do not sell cylender pieces individually, and I don't have the resources to machine them, or one. I did suggest just uding a few for demonstration, but he didn't buy it. I am building a gauss gun now.

[Charity]

Yeah, you'd have to pretty much make a tent around the bike. Which is basically what I was trying to say in my earlier post. Sleep-deprivation seems to be working against my ability to eloquate.


bike umbrella = poncho

...and maybe a mask with goggles

This
http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/photos/prototype-spy-concept/Bmw-2001-c1.jpg
For a bike, made of see-thru plastic.

[Quincunx]

Yarram: Central vacuum systems exist, but the last I heard, they were ports in the wall which still needed to have unwieldy extensions plugged into them. I don't know if there exists a triangular rubber tube that would be laid down at the junction of wall and floor and plugged into the vacuum socket.

[Mrs Banjo]

It depends. Are you, by any chance, a product design student?

If you are, schweet! another product designer itp. If you are not, well, that's still cool.

Anyway your query is still waay to vague for me. I'd like to help, but I need some more things. Like, yeah, the technological level would help. Just saying

"something never thought before"

is too vague

hi,
yeah im a level 3 product design and innovation student at wolverhampton university, england.
well my new thought was designing for the disabled. I suffer from dyslexia and there aren't enough products out there for us, but learning disabilities really require electronics that i am unable to do. but the market for disability products is packed, so i could really do with a new problem that needs solving within the feild.
hope that makes sense. i really do appricate all your thoughts on this it has been very inspiring.

[Fri]

This is just, the awesomest thing I found this month.

I'm also a product design student, supposed to be in my last year, but failing so badly that I'm depressed just by looking at my campus building (sigh).

Funny you say something about dislexia, because I know that a senior of mine built some kind of tools for children with dislexia for his 3rd level. Something like a toy/tool to help dyslexic children to learn how to read.

And it had no electronical equipment at all.

Sadly I only saw it once or twice en passe, so I don't know too much about it. And I'm in my parent's house right now so I can't just ask about it.

But from what I remember, it's a plastic toy of some sort. Where someone can write letters or word using plastic holes and dots, and then they can.... do something with the word/letter.

Sorry I can't help you too much. My point is, you can make simple things (without too much mechanical or electronical parts) with great result. Just do more thought experiment.

Maybe you better focus yourself to one problem that you like, and do mental gymnastic from there?