Each team member selected one of the new variations of product designs and built a prototype.
Hanging Baskets Overhead
This prototype is for solving the problem of hanging baskets overhead. The main features of this design are: ergonomic grip handle, telescoping vertical pole, 90-degree angle pole, rubberized spring-loaded griping cups. This design hopes to solve the stress and strain of reaching and lifting hanging flower baskets up into the trelis or overhead rafters, as well as minimize the jumping or reaching currently required. This design will also accomodate different sizes of hanging baskets.
Standard view
Slightly Exended View
Top View: Spring-loaded cups
Pot Separation
This is a prototype of the Foot Pedal Operated Telescoping Flower Pot Extruder. The user would step on the pedal, the black tab on the right of the prototype, which would elevate one of the telescope pieces one notch, enough to push a single pot through the grippers on the top of the prototype. The left wall of the prototype is adjustable so that multiple pot sizes may be used in the machine. The wooden sticks represent the adjustable supports that will keep the pots in place.
Front View
Side View
Top View
Watering
This is a prototype of the Watering Wand Timer Sleeve. It has a waterproof body with a timer and solar panel, attached to a hose wand with 2 strips of Velcro. There is a button that drops down onto the handle of the wand and attaches with Velcro. This button is positioned so that the first finger hits it when using the handle, and this button resets the timer. Depressing the button a second time starts the timer over.
Isometric view of the Watering Timer Sleeve
Close up of the timer.
Close up of the switch mechanism on the handle.
Reflection
The process of building prototypes was a tricky process. Since the prototypes are supposed to be quick and cheap, it took some thought to decide which materials would represent the concept well. Deciding how to simply represent mechanical components and processes was also a difficult decision. From the chosen materials, it is also tough to determine if the prototype accurately depicts functionality and usability. The prototypes as a whole required a balance between simplicity and accurate representation of the concept and therefore took a lot of thought, but the actual construction was not as difficult.