Design Journey
Project Timeline
SEPT & OCT 2023
OCT 2023
NOV 2023
NOV & DEC 2023
FEB 2024
MAR 2024
APR 2024
APR & MAY 2024
MAY 2024
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Primary research via field trips and interviews
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Secondary desk research
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Understanding the problem
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Identifying the niche
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Defining the problem scope
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Setting up the problem statement
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Systematic view of the flood problem
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Brainstorming and ideating for solutions
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Identifying system interfaces
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Meetings with professionals
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Proof-of-concept prototypes
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Tests and experiments on interaction design
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Design iterations
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Reiterations of new designs
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Final touch-ups
Meeting up with stakeholders & professionals
Field trips
Field trips is an essential step for us to identify and pinpoint our problem...
Sketching our User Journey
Decisions made
Scoping down...
Scoping down the user scenario to some constraints:
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Open water area (eg Tai Mei Tuk, Tai Po)
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Not on rooftops
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Victims should possess functioning phone with our app downloaded
Enabling offline functionality
Allow the users to send distress signal via Bluetooth to the patrol drone and it will be passed to rescue team.
The multi drone system
The patrol drone will carry the delivery drone as a mean of transport while flying around the flooded area to search for victims when they do not have access to the internet.
The delivery drone will cover the last-mile delivery of the flotation device and the main focus in this project.
Interface layout
Conduct experiment for interaction design to understand how people learn a new system under stress and improve the layout through understanding their frequent mistakes when facing the new system.
Prototyping Journey
Iterations and reiterations
Challenges to overcome
Communication
System
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Tried to build and test the front-end code on web, however it is hard to share locations wirelessly
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Tried to write a Bluetooth control app but the functions are limited
Drone System
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Tried with different mechanism for releasing however they are difficult for assembly, thus servo motor is implemented as the core part of the mechanism
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Developed the drone that integrate GPS and RX hardware however it might face the problem of signal interference, thus the positions of modules are rearranged
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Hard to ensure the drone operates reliably in diverse weather condition, thus CFD is used for simulation and drone control optimization.
Flotation
System
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Torn holes are easily made by pointy soldering pen during fabrications, thus the heat is controlled and a hoof tip soldering pen is used
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The potential leakage holes in heat welding is hard to observed, thus male jumper wires are used for examining the heat weld fabrication.