Rapid Prototyping
Activities
======================================
======================================
Design Games
The design games required a communication, problem solving, and teamwork. The communication involved verbal, mental, and a wierd combination a wierd twist on telepathy. The games were fun and were designed to be that way, but the games have more depth to them. They were a great introduction to the scope of the class as well as being a icebreaker. The team work involved was very different then usual teamwork, you had to continually switch and rely on different people, and sometime rely on people that were not in your group. I learned that icebreakers help to improve the overall effectiveness of the class and the concepts being taught, that every group does not need a leader, that comfort amongst your peers increases productivity, and that the less time given to achieve a particular goal, the more balanced the work is divided amongst the members of the group.
Toy Dissection
The in class toy dissection project helped our group understand how and why a toy worked and how the process of making the toy works. We had to predict and draw the internal mechanisms of the toy without opening and looking inside. By just playing with the toy we came up with a good idea of how the toy works. Then after we presented our ideas, we took the toy apart to find the magical devices that really made the toy work. Our group had the general idea of how the toy was structured but made a few mistakes in predicting the overall make up of the internal mechanisms. The group communication was for the predicting the internal structure of the toy. None of us had crucial any prior knowledge of how the worked or even with similar toys. Therefore, the more ideas and toy thoughts that the each member to the others the better our predictions were. Each idea builds on relayed the previous idea as well as member’s idea might spark the correct structure in your mind. Once another the internal parts were less communication with respect to the amount needed for the first part revealed the of the exercise was member could physically see how the toy worked.needed. Each member could physically see how the toy worked.The communication goes hand in hand with the problem solving aspect of this project especially the first part of the assignment. Everyone must contribute all ideas to the group in a clear and concise way, so that each idea helps to invoke better ideas. I learned that prior knowledge of how something works should not prevent you from investigating into why and how it does what is does, and that your the ideas of the group build on each other.
Newspapers I
The purpose of this project was to build a freestanding structure out of newspapers such that it would completely enclose every member of your group. The first step in the design process was to brainstorm and present the best possible structures based on the characteristics of our group. Everyone had an important role in coming up with the prototype that was eventually going to be built by another group in our class. There were members that rolled the paper, built the structure, and wrote the directions. The second part of the assignment involved the building of another group’s structure. Again, we had to divide the building of the structure up so that we could achieve the fastest build time, in which communication and leadership is a key to success. Everyone had a particular assignment and when the time came to do a particular task for the structure, the person best suited to complete that task stepped forward. The leader of the group changed with accordance to the percent completion of the prototype. My team worked well together because we understood our roles and completed what we had to in the time that was given. Everyone participated in the design of the structure, the building of the structure, and the final prototype. I learned that groups do not have one leader. Every group member is a leader at some point during the process, and sometimes groups have multiple leaders at one time.
Cardboard Cube
The design of the perfect cube allowed me to work close with one other person. Working on the four inch by four inch cube was different than any other project, because of the size of the group and the experience of my partner. He had worked with cardboard before in his architecture classes. We worked together well because he did the exact-architecture part (cutting) while I did the exact-engineer part (measuring). I learned that prior experience and knowledge of the materials that are being worked with, allows a group to be efficient and productive. Because we both had experience in using cardboard, it allowed us to easily differentiate who should do what. We had good group dynamics, and working with only one person required us to stay focused and on track so that we could achieve perfection.
Egg Drop
The egg drop was a particularly interesting activity, because it required three criteria: aesthetics, safety of an egg, and target practice. First and foremost, the group was broken down from the start, such that there was a cost, structural, and industrial engineer. Secondly, the safety of the egg was the most important part of the activity, and the proximity to the bull’s eye and aesthetics were tertiary factors. Because of the dividing of the team into specific roles, our group dynamics were great, and each person knew what do from the start. Each person kept the others on track and focused on the goal. I learned that knowing your role in a project helps group dynamics and aides in minimizing time spent while maximizing your design success.
Playing With Food
The playing with food activity was a cleaver way for the professor to get the students to attend class when in fact it was carnival weekend. The activity was fun and interesting but in the terms of rapid prototyping I did not learn anything, but I did learn about what chemical reactions occur to produce gummy worms.
Newspapers II
For the newspaper design / build take II, I learned that a project like this one is fun the first time around, and could be fun the second time around but the second time needs to be done closer to the original activity. Because of the stressful environment here at Carnegie Mellon University, the activity did not have the liveliness that it deserves. I learned that by the end of a semester at CMU, everyone is laid back and has nonchalant attitude.
Making / Taping Presentations
The taping and making of presentations are interrelated because you see what you did right and what you did wrong. By watching a tape of your presentation, you can make a conscious effort to improve on your weak qualities and exploit your strong qualities. I learned that preparation and comfort are the keys to any presentation. Watching the tape of yourself, allows you to focus on your strong qualities, and overshadow your weak qualities by exploiting your strong qualities.
Making Web Pages
The making of webpages allowed me to become comfortable with web-based communication. I learned that webpages are a great way to share information for the viewing by the general public. The use of the web is the most convenient way to a portfolio, because there are no disks to exchange or reports to print ou.
======================================
======================================
|| Class Home Page || Main Page || Class Portofolio || Pictures || Meeting Of the Minds || Links || Owen K Silbaugh ||