CAN DESIGN BE TAUGHT?

William DurfeeDepartment of Mechanical EngineeringUniversity of Minnesota

HUMAN/MACHINE DESIGN LABDepartment of Mechanical EngineeringUniversity of Minnesota(www.me.umn.edu/labs/hmd/)

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Passive Element

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Muscle mechanics

Haptic interfaces for virtual product prototyping, smart knobs for cars

• Stimulated Muscles = Power • Brace = Trajectory guidance • Brake = Control, stability

Rehabiliation engineering-Tele-rehabilitation-Stroke rehab-Driving simulators

Human assist machines-Compact power sources-Powered exoskeletons-Natural control

Smart orthotics + electrical stimulation for gait restoration

Medical device design-Evaluation of surgical tools

Some provocative statements(for an academic)

Design defines the engineerDesign deserves its place as a legitimate activity in a universityTeaching design is different from teaching engineering sciencesWe don’t do a good job producing design leadersFaculty must do designI enjoy design

Face the facts

Most of your students go on to industryIndustry wants good designersEngineering sciences tasks are now done by specialists or computersYou can’t do professional training in 4 years, so you might as well turn out some good designers

A successful design programrequires:

Buy-in from the topBuy-in/participation from a critical mass of facultyFaculty are rewardedMultiple opportunities for students (DaC)Industry/client participation Connections to researchAccess to resourcesA buzz

Typical design courses

Intro to design(frosh/soph)

Capstone design(senior)

Projects in a course(all levels)

Graduate product design

Design is...

A processAbility to think about the systemAbility to gather informationPractical fabrication knowledgePlanning

Basic designThe sense of processDesign thinkingBasic design covers 99% of what is done in industryFocus on what can be done to help novices improve their design skillsAdvanced design includes optimization, axiomatic, genetic,….. that’s later on

Basic design process

Understand the problem/needIdeationSelectionDetailBuild/testEnvision the future

Learn design by doing design

A series of creative, successful

experiences

Hands-on design

Directly involve students in the processBinds analysis to actualSeeing what works reinforces the basicsGain respect for design process

http://www.nps.gov/edis

GPA

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GPA

THE SIX ANTI-”HANDS-ON”ARGUMENTS

1. Costs too much2. Classes too big to consider fabrication projects3. Our machine shop can’t handle all the students4. Not enough faculty5. I don’t know how to teach hands-on6. Difficult or impossible to grade projects

The old UMN MechE design program

Capstone design

Freshman

Sophomore

Junior

Senior

Graduate

Areas targeted for IMPROVEMENT

Introduce design earlierHands-on design through fabrication/prototypingDesign across the curriculumOpportunities for graduate studentsLinks with other departments/collegesInvolve local industryImprove resources for student designers

Highlights

Introduction to Engineering– Freshman/sophomore

Design Projects– Senior capstone course

Student activities– Vehicle competition projects

New Product Design and Business Development– Graduate level

Introduction to Engineering (1)Required 15-week courseArt and practice of engineeringHands-on approachIntroduce M.E. and a few basic skills Excite and retain studentsMinimal use of resources (staff, shops)

HANDS-ON AT LOW COST

Introduction to Engineering (2)

DesignDissection

Disciplines

Skills

• Forces and motion• Energy• Materials• Manufacturing• Mechanisms

• Communication (visual, oral, written)• Fabrication/prototyping• Information gathering• Software (Pro/E, Excel,....)• Estimation/analysis• Innovation• Project management

Learning from everyday objects

Full cans are strong Empty cans are not

Mechanical dissection

Participatory lectures

In-class critique

Visual communication

Sketchbooks

Presentations and reports

DESIGN PROJECTS

Need not be “serious”The more the betterStudents experience concept generation, selection, design/build/testGoal: Get students thinking like a designer

An aside on teamsTeam skills– Working with and appreciating skills of others– Managing a self-directed work group– Helps to train the teams

Teams are good…but you don’t have to do everything in a team

An aside on projects

Made-up projectsSerious, client-driven projects

These are OK!Must deliver

Results sometimes are serious (no matter what the marketing says)

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Tools for building and testing

We loan them this

Distributed shops...build in your dorm

They can purchase this

Intro Eng design projects

Tip-A-Can

Edible Scale

Tower of Books

ROBOT PROJECT

“Design and construct an autonomous machine that does something interesting for 45 seconds”

RulesFits on 34 x 28 inch baseHas at least one moving partControlled by a microcontrollerCosts no more than $30 beyond parts provided (microcontroller, motors, battery)Is safe

Robot project components

Plus……$30 of your own parts

Garages, dumpsters, junkyards, “Ax-man”surplus

BASIC Stamp Microprocessor

8-bit16 digital I/O linesCustom BASIC programming languageProgram retained after power off in EEPROMDevelop code on any PC, link to Stamp via serial portSimple, inexpensive

Start out with

•Ideation•Sketching concepts and designs...

The ideas get crisper...

One week before...

LOTS OF ROBOTS!THE FOURTH ANNUAL ME 2011 ROBOT SHOW

Wednesday May 3, 2:40-4:30 PMGateway Center

University of MinnesotaFor the past six weeks, 210 collegestudents in an introductory design coursein Mechanical Engineering have beendesigning and building robots. Their taskwas to create a machine which “doessomething interesting”. The results of theirefforts will be on public display at theRobot Show. It should be one of the largestcollections of robots ever assembled in the

Twin Cities and will be fun for kids of allages. We invite you to join us for thisexciting event. The Gateway Center is at200 Oak St. S.E., Mpls, on the East Bankcampus of the University of Minnesota. Formore information please contact Prof. WillDurfee (625-0099, wkdurfee@tc.umn.edu)

Design Projects (ME4054)The benefit to companies: You get 4-6 very bright MechE seniors working on your project for 15 weeks for free. You come up with the project. The tax: No fee, but company provides a project advisor who meets with the student team at the University every Tuesday or Thursday afternoon for about 90 minutesNew projects start each semester: Sept-Dec and Jan-MayDetails at www.me.umn.edu/courses/me4054Visit the Design Show: Tues Dec 14, 2-4 pm

Where else can you get smart engineers working on your project for free for 15 weeks?

Capstone design projects course

Common expectationsFocus on processMany industry projectsPrototypes expectedJuried Design Show

Student activitiesVehicle competition projects

– Solar car– Hydrofoil– SAE Formula race car– SAE Baja Buggy

Independent / co-curricularDepartment support

– Dedicated faculty– Seminar courses– Space

U of M Solar CarAurora II

– Sunrayce 95 (Indianapolis to Colorado, 1100 miles in 9 days): 2nd place

– Fastest day (50.5 mph)– Best aerodynamics

Aurora III– 35 students, 5 depts– $150K outside funding– Top speed: 78 mph– Sunrayce 97: 11th– World Solar-Car Rallye,

Junior Division: 1stAurora IV

– Sunrayce 99: D.C. to DisneyWorld in 10 days

NEW PRODUCT DESIGN AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENTBusiness and engineering students join with industry to develop new products

www.npdbd.umn.edu

WHYNew products drive successful businessesProduct development is more than designFaculty from several schools within the university interested in new productsNeed to train students in a multi-disciplinary settingNew partnerships with industry

WHAT• Graduate level course offered by CSOM, ME, BME• Work with client firms to design a new product and create a

business plan• Teams of 4-8 grad students (1/2 business, 1/2 engineering) +

faculty + marketing and engineering company reps• Nine months (Sept - June)• Deliverables: Working prototype, comprehensive business plan

FEATURES• Real projects• Companies commit to manufacture• Cross-functional teams• Engineers do marketing and vice-versa• All patents assigned to companies• All team members sign confidentiality agreements• Strong university/company collaboration

Projects (1995-2005)Andersen Windows (2001) Novel window technologyHormel Foods (2001) Food safety sensorIntrospective (2001) Medical catheterGeodigm (2001) Dental scannerMedtronic (2001) Electrode impedance monitorVivaCare (2001) Emergency call system3M (2002) Multifunction electrodeNewco (2002) EEG biofeedbackComedicus (2002) Imaging in the pericardial spaceHearing Components (2002) Soundproof headphonesPando (2003) New sports field technologyMedtronic (2003) Visible Heart technologyScimed (2003) New catheter product3M (2003) Smart electrode productProbus (2003) Timers and nightlights3M (2003) Wound care product3M (2004) DVT preventionArctic Cat (2004) Snowmobile accesseryIMI Vision (2004) Food dispense machinePneumedics (2004) Device for controlling surgical bleedingUnisys (2004) Security applicationVenturix (2004) Ablation catheterMedtronic (2005) Lead implant deviceIMI (2005) Fluid powerTennant (2005) Cleaning productDevicix (2005) Spine surgeryStarFire Medical (2005) Aneurysms Pando Technologies (2005) Sports training

3M, Home and Commercial Care Division (1995), 2nd generation Twist ‘N Fill container

Toro, Consumer Division (1995), Powered, hand-held gardening toolMicro-Medical Devices, Cleveland OH (1995, 1996), Endoscope

technologyReel Precision Manufacturing (1996), New market hinge productHorton Manufacturing (1996), Smart cluth/brakeIrwin Publishing (1996), CD-ROM textbook supplementDonaldson (1997), Engine noise control productMolecular Diagnostics Lab, UMN (1997), Blood collection systemAetrium, Inc. (1997), Motion platform for Integrated circuit testing

machineSpinal Designs International (1997), Low-back pain care for people in

wheelchairsAugustine Medical (1997), Skin care productHorton Manufacturing (1997), Web control productSoil Sensors (1998), Next-generation soil moisture sensorHoneywell, Home & Building Control (1998), Residential ventilation

systemSelect Comfort (1998), Improved-comfort sleet systemSulzer Medica, Winterthur Switzerland (1998), Hip surgery instrument3M, Stationery and Office Supply Division (1998), Improved Post-it Flag

dispensorsAugustine Medical (1998), Nursing home market for Augustine

technologyMedtronic (1999), Catheter productEnhanced Mobility Technology (1999), Biorehab productLincages (1999), Windows version of CAD mechanicsm softwareShepherd Medical (1999), Male contraceptivesRust Architects (1999), Ice-palace coolerSulzer Medica (1999), Arthoscopy productSpineTech (2000), Artificial disk productEnduraTEC (2000), Tissue test gripsScimed (2000), Smart catheter productMedtronic (2000), Visible Heart CD-ROMMachine Magic (2000), Key duplicating machine

OUTCOMES• 45 projects, 36 companies since 1995• 5 patents, several commercial products• 200+ students, 8+ faculty

SELECTED COMPANIESMedtronic, Scimed, Honeywell, 3M, Comedicus, Geodigm, Hormel, Andersen, EnduraTEC, SpineTech, Augustine, Sulzer, Select Comfort, Horton, Spinal Designs, Aetrium, Donaldson, RPM, Toro

PROJECTSCareful selectionKnown area, but not completely definedBusiness challengesEngineering challengesTypically mechanical, electromechanicalMany medical products4-6 projects/year

LESSONS LEARNEDEngineering and business must lead program equallyCreating appropriate agreements takes time and effortRequires didactic component on product development processAdvantage if company is nearby

Some final words

Protect hands-onMultiple opportunities for studentsReward your faculty!

It’s worth it because...

We have bright, energetic students who are ready to be challenged and who are

turned on by design !

Bot show

That’s all folks!