Unit 2: Grade 09 Exploring Technologies - Design Process

Unit 2: Grade 09 Exploring Technologies - Design Process - SPICE

This unit focuses on the design process, communications technology, and use of basic tools for hands-on projects.

Faulty Towers allows you to apply the design process to figure out a solution with limited resources - time and materials to get to your goal with this project.

Logo design allows you the opportunity to come up with your own student professional logo and use it in four specific mediums all the while experiencing a little of what graphic communications is using an illustration program commonly used in senior classes and in real world industry.

For the final project, students will be introduced to packaging and pattern making, a very important part of understanding a sector, packaging design. Students will use a per-existing pattern to create a project box with their own marketing around it and keep their future Exploring Technology projects in. Yet another double barreled project that helps students be organized and learn at the same time.

Course Units and Descriptions

Unit	Description
Review course outline for more details
1	Careers & Safety- Intro, computers, organization, safety, and careers
2	Design Process - SPICE- Faulty towers, logo design, and project box
3	Materials, Machines, Tools, & Process- Acubend, key ring holder, key ring accessory
4	Project Research, Design, & Build- Bridge/tower, mag-lev, co2 dragster
5	Web Portfolio- Showcase course work, projects, and understanding with web portfolio and presentation

Unit Content Activity Quick Links, Click to Jump to Specific Activity!

Unit 2, Act. 1: Faulty Towers - The Technological Design Process
Unit 2, Act. 2: Graphic Logos - Make an Image for Yourself
1. Illustrator, Files, Apps, Elements, Logos, Headers, Steps, and Evaluation
Unit 2, Act. 3: Project Box - Store Your Stuff
1. Safety, Packaging, Resource links, Steps, Evaluation, and E-inst.

Unit 2, Act. 1: Faulty Towers - The Technological Design Process

Situation:

A class of students interested in tech have taken this course, Exploring Technologies, to learn and experience several different related courses that lead to related technical careers. One of the major principles of this course/field is the "Design Process", and is applied in all of these technical areas. For this activity we are going to use this "Design Process" and apply it to this tower project:

It involves being ship wrecked on a small deserted island and you and your partner need to be saved as you have limited food, island resources, and know you need to be rescued to get back to civilization. As your position is likely away from the shipping lanes your best hope is a radar beacon held as high as possible. The highest tower will be the team that will be rescued first and get offered the new positions.

Problem/Challenge:

You and your partner must design a prototype radar beacon to be seen from all directions and must be mounted on top of a tower, also designed to be as high as possible with island available equivalent materials to create a prototyped solution which will include:

3 sheets of composite board material (in class 3 index cards)
1 old saw (in class 1 pair of scissors)
1 meter of seaweed (in class 1 meter of 3/4" wide masking tape)
2 meters of rope (in class 2 meters of thin string)
1 sheet of shiny aluminum (in class 15*12 cm of aluminum foil)

The prototype tower design build must be; as high as possible, stable, look like it will work, have great joints, securely hold the radar beacon, and with-stand those tropical storms.

Investigation/Ideas:

SPICE Model

In this section, we will investigate more background information to support this project and focus on the project process so that it can be applied to other future projects done in this course. Design process, radar design and build, tower build ideas and comparisons, further design sketching techniques, safety, and build techniques.

Design Process SPICE

There are many design process models out there. We will look at a simple model called SPICE to show how the technical design process works. This model can be applied to almost anything to get to your goals. Below are some further related resource links:

Radar Beacon and Tower

As your position is likely away from the shipping lanes your best hope is to design and create a radar beacon,held as high as possible. Two important facts will help you understand why this is important. A high reflective return radar shape that has 90-degree surfaces in all directions will have a better possibility to be picked up by local ships with radar emitters. Also true is the higher you can locate the beacon, the further distance away, the ship can pick-up your signal. This is explained in more detail here. The formula for figuring out how far your tower range will be is as follows:

You and your partner will need to design a radar beacon to be seen from all directions mounted on top of a tower, that you will have to also design to make it as high as possible. The tower must be stable and hold the radar beacon securely. The higher the tower the better chance you will get rescued (and rewarded with better marks).

Real Tower Designs to Check-out

You will find great towers all over the world. We have our CN Tower right here in Toronto. Building one with limited materials will require knowledge and skills to build it right for height and support. Looking at current designs may help you with your design with available prototype materials.

Radar Beacon Reflector

You will need to think of the best way to design your radar beacon to get maximum detection from ships radar scanners and stable enough to last for the duration of time needed for the rescue. For that you will need to think of different patterns that could work.

Tower Prototype Material Building Tips

The following shows how scoring before bending can very helpful and also sample shapes:

There are many types of joints that can be made with or with-out tape. Here is one example joint without using tape to hold it together:

How High Can You Go?

Well you have heard the old saying the sky is the limit? Well the limit is based on how well your design is. Joints need to be strong, stiff, and straight. The higher you go, the better chance you have to be rescued, but as you get real high, stability becomes a problem. If you cut your index cards too small, you will end up with a tower that may not even stay standing up. If you cut your index cards too wide, then you compromise height. Remember your tower's primary purpose is to hold the radar beacon securely, second priority is to be as tall as possible to maximize beacon range, so make sure you keep those priorities in mind when designing. Below is some pictures showing a tower built well over a meter high and still has extra tape, index card left over:

Sample 1

Sample 2

Sample 3

Sample 4

Sample 5

Create/Construct:

Project Process

On the Faulty Towers Handout you need to fill out all the design steps of the tower project as needed. Investigation Ideas will include research, notes, and sketches. Initial steps can be filled out right away, while others will have to be filled out as you work through your project. The SPICE design process includes the following steps

Situation
Problem/Challenge
Investigation/Ideas
Create and Construct
Evaluation

Research and Lots of Idea Generation

The "Investigation and Ideas" step is very important. It could mean whether you are very successful, semi-successful or not. Take time to gather all the information you need (research) and then come up with many ideas.

There are several different research methods that you can use to find more information. You can use the Internet, library, videos, etc and you also do some testing yourself. For example, knowing what materials you have you can test different build techniques and scenarios that may work better then others.

Do not fall into the trap of taking the first good idea that pops into your head and not continuing to look for alternative and possibly better ideas. Engineers will research and build several ideas, then pick the best one based on goals or the solution to their challenge. Remember the best chance of getting rescued is to make the tower as tall as possible with the largest multi-directional reflector, that of course is stable enough not to fall in a wind storm.

Prototype Sketch Ideas

Sample
Thumbnails 1

Sample
Thumbnails 2

Sample
Final Design 1

Sample
Final Design 2

Steps to Complete

Fill in the materials you will be using for this project on the handout
Calculate the beacon range problem, showing all formula's, rough work, calculation steps, units, and solution
Compare tower vs school sizes and complete tower chart showing number of steps, your calculations, length of school comparison chart drawn in
Objectively come-up with at least 5 ideas and sketch those thumbnails along with related labels and notes
You will also need to think up or research two possible radar beacon designs, half a page each and show on page the finished product via sketch and a related scaled pattern
With several ideas of a tower build and radar beacon, you need to select what you think are the best ideas and expand on it. Sketch a full size page showing your main idea with different views if necessary. The tower and radar reflector should have related notes and close up details on joints, tape, support, radar beacon, etc. Your ideas on how you plan to accomplish each joint, connect them, and how you plan to make your radar reflector must be done prior to the build day
Between your partner and yourself, you will have to objectively decide on which tower and/or reflector design will work the best to get rescued
Build day, ensure you have checked your material supply for your group, and start your build
Instructor will come by to inspect and measure once you are done or the 50 minutes are up
You will be required to total up tower report evaluation points instructor has written down, be prepared to notify instructor on amount of work each did in the group
Submit all paper work for final evaluation
Clean up your area, recycle your materials

Tower Build

The build process must be done in 50 minutes, so one of your major limitations is time. Make sure you have everything you need prior to starting so that you do not waist time during the build. Here are some sample pictures of students in the build process from a previous class:

Evaluation:

You will be evaluated based on your SPICE explanation, thumbnails, final design, build, and team work. See handout for related project components that are listed below.

Evaluation Breakdown Component Descriptions	Marks
TBE= Tower Build Evaluation, Always double check that you have completed all components for full marks.
Thumbnails - full page of five thumbnails with details and pic of testing	20
Rough Radar Beacon - Two designs - pattern, final shape, and pic of testing	15
Final Design - full page sketch showing final tower/beacon design and notes	10
TBE-Height - 1 Point per centimeter	?
TBE-Stability - from weeping willow to hurricane proof, how strong is it?	5
TBE-Ingenuity of joinery - from tape all over to super lock, are your joints amazing?	5
TBE-Aesthetics - from not working to excellent structure , does it look like it will work?	5
TBE-Radar Reflector - from stealth to 747, large enough with all angles and sides covered?	5
Handout -S-I-C-E spice steps filled out	5
Handout - Radar beacon calculation - show work	10
Handout - school size and comparison calculation - show work	10

Your final mark on your tower build will depend on the average tower height of tower heights in class that day and the time/effort each partner puts into the project.