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Concepts
Pallet Dampener
A modular suspension system that can be attached to pallets to prevent costly damages caused to packages during shipping.
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Contributors
Kenan Sehnawi: CAD, machining, sourcing parts, presentationNatalie Cardenas: Communications, Talking to users, Presentation, Product ContractKaili Glasser: CAD, machining, sourcing parts, background technical researchAndrew Palleiko: CAD, part sourcing, logisticsBryan Sperry: Research, calculations, machining
Reviewer Feedback
Atissa Banuazizi
Concept
It wasn’t immediately clear to me whether your “21% damage on arrival” figure was entirely the result of damage incurred while moving up and down on a pallet, and I wonder if this is different depending on the kind of object that’s being moved. One possible user base you might also explore is piano moving, which requires very specialized methods and equipment!
Analysis
A lot of useful items on your product contract, but I’m not sure that any of them directly addressed the core value proposition. How do you predict when the pallet is stabilizing well enough to prevent breakage?
Execution
Well-made mockup, and it could still be valuable for running further useful tests!
Chuck Xia
Concept
The shipping company and the artist are very different user groups, with different level of priority and investment in the large item. Usually the two are separate entities. For the product vision, is the pallet dampener an item for the shipping company to purchase and add to their pallet for the artist or large item producer purchase and give to the shipping company. The damping requirement would also change depending on the type of the item on the pallet. For example, if the customer is the glass artist then are you need to convince the Artist (with limited knowledge on shipping logistic, or maybe they have a lot of knowledge) to purchase the damper and give to the shipping company. If the customer is the shipping company, they get a wide range of items. Which item are they most concerned about? Usually the shipping company have insurance to protect them. Who would find the most value in this product? And to the group that find it most valuable, what item are they most concerned about that travels on a pallet? Also is it always on a pallet?
Analysis
What type of vibration cause the most damage? Does your mechanism works on damping that type of vibration. Damping is a frequency dependent. Does fragile item use wood pallet? There are rubber (damping material) pallet that have a different vibration response comparing to wood pallet. Why not redesign the entire pallet? If the user is shipping a hundred thousand dollar art pieces, a thousand dollar custom shipping pallet is penny to ensure the safety of the are pieces. If the user is shipping commercial TVs, then it might not be as viable (reusability?). The use case is unclear, therefore the specification is lacking. Start with the more compelling use case, then measure the use case condition (frequency amplitude, etc). Then develop your specs to address the issue.
Execution
I like that we can jump on the pallet damper system and test it during the review. However, the jumping doesn't really tell us how well it works since we don't have the one without to compare it to. Show your thought process on how and why you pick the design with the shock absorber, the clamping mechanism. Why that particular shock absorber? Is it due to material/ordering limitation? The clamping mechanism feels like a cantilever. I feel like you want the shock absorber to be as rigidly connect to the pallet as possible. Design and build with evaluation in mind. You need to figure out how to simulate the use case environment to prove that your product works. Proving the effectiveness of your product is critical. Instead of having us jumping on it (fun but not informative). A better show case would be to have a precariously stacked jenga blocks on the pallets with and without damper and have us kick (simulate pot hole?) the pallet.
Lauren Futami
Concept
I understand the idea to dampen pallets to avoid possible damage to the products on the pallets, but I'm curious how damage arises from this type of scenario in the first place. Like you said during the demo, usually products are wrapped in plastic on the pallet, do you know how efficient or inefficient this is? What kind of damages are shipping companies seeing? When you mentioned the Chihuly glass sculptures, it made sense to look into the art transportation market as there isn't much standardization on how to move art since there is such a wide range of media, but I'm also unsure if art is frequently transported on pallets and in shipping containers to begin with. What is the biggest failure case? If the truck just sped through a speed bump, would this still help? I think the use case could be refined a bit more as well as more research conducted to determine how much potential damage can be remedied with pallet damping.
Analysis
There was brief analysis on the damping mechanism, it would have been interesting to see some numerical research on what type/magnitude/threshold of vibration causes damage to appliances and art.
Execution
Seeing the mechanism installed on the pallet made it easier to see it being realistically used since it had a pretty low profile compared to just a regular pallet. Instead of walking on the pallet to test it though, would you be able to test it in a truck with a load on it? Seeing the results compared to a normal pallet could help inform possible mechanism changes.
Ana Lo
Concept
I have a number of questions about the market/use case: Who is the buyer vs user vs beneficiary (person who benefits from this but does not necessarily interact with it)--do they have aligned incentives? How much work will this add to the current process? What is the failure rate of the current process (ie things break/are broken upon arrival)? What are the repercussions of delivering something damaged? Does liability fall onto the delivery company (doesn't seem to for small orders; but does this change with $$$?) These questions will inform the design a lot--make sure to interview target buyers and users ASAP!
Analysis
Make sure to evaluate sheer forces, not just loading. Since they are the only point(s) of contact between the pallet and the truck bed, all forces will be transferred through them. A few other questions: what happens if they detach when the pallet is being moved by the fork lift? Can they survive a 6ft drop?
Execution
I wanted to see more ideas/mechanisms for dampening. I know time is limited between milestones but make sure to investigate a large range of dampening methods. Have a brainstorming session with the team to get ideas rolling!
Kait Becker
Concept
Pallet Dampener. Clear User/use/concept. Strong concept if it works well (mentioned no damping measured in testing yet), if there's interest/buy in from a customer, and it's easy enough to implement. Have you asked any galleries for their interest in this product? How much to they spend to pack/ship/insure pieces? (Side note - most people won't know this or mind but I would refer to Chihuly, glass artist, visited MIT and talked about chucking his pieces into water for fun/dramatic effect/part of the installation process, not related to shipping. His large sculptural pieces are shipped as separate pieces that are assembled in their final location.)
Analysis
More analysis would be required to asses the benefit if your product. It can support the weight of several people standing on it, but it needs to reduce the impulse if you drop that amount of weight. Maybe you could look at what the impulse is with and without your device and with different springs. What it the mystery damping mechanism that you mentioned with the spring? Have you looked at other mechanisms, pneumatic cylinder and dashpots? what about just a big piece of polyurethane foam? What is the weight (and impulse) limiting structure in your current assembly?
Execution
The size of mockup and ability to interface with standard pallet seems appealing if the damping can be made to work.
Charlotte Folinus
Concept
Who your users/customers are makes sense to me, but it’s less clear what they key challenges are for them and how your concept might address them. In transportation, difficulties can arise from repetitive vibrations (generally low frequencies), from sudden impact, and from items generally shifting around — which of these (or something else?) causes fragile items like your glass sculptures to break in transit? When people’s large items arrive damaged, what type of damage is there, and when in transportation does it occur?
Analysis
Understanding the specific problem with fragile item transportation can help you set physics-based functional requirements and do some first order frequency, stiffness, and damping calculations (mass-spring-damper system, where you can look at force transmissibility or dynamic amplification factor, which can be plotted as a Bode plot). The frequency and attenuation you need will likely drive the specific design concept — if you need high attenuation at low frequencies, you may find that your system needs a very low natural frequency (associated with low system stiffness, omega^2 = k/m) and/or damping elements. If the problem is impact, you might need a system that has high energy absorption capabilities (even a crash causes plastic deforrmation).
Execution
No feedback provided
Juhan Sonin
Concept
All Pink feedback in one PDF: https://www.dropbox.com/s/3txyfm3usxe97qm/MIT2009_Pink_MockupReview_Feedback_Sonin_Fall2022.pdf?dl=0
Analysis
No feedback provided
Execution
No feedback provided
Peter Nielsen
Concept
The cited glass sculpture probably requires very specialized packaging, not a damped pallet. It may add value to find a more general and suitable use case.
Analysis
It may be pretty easy to get some typical truck vibration profiles to test against. This seems like a classic case where a single station test unit subjected to its anticipated load and frequency/amplitude could yield empirical results, and be tuned on that test stand to meet the user needs. Maybe you want two or three models based on payload.
Execution
The prototype clearly needs some form of quick attach/release mechanism. There are many ways to damp vibration, typically chosen based on vibe criteria. One would have to ensure that the payload doesn't "walk" across the truck bed when in transit. A leaf spring with damping material may have value.
Nate Phipps
Concept
Love the concept, is very clear to me how it is intended to function. Your user were clearly defined as art and appliance movers in massachusetts; it was unclear to me however how much research went into that user group. I would encourage more research into pallets and intermodal transport. From some (very) brief research it seems vibration during transport is problematic for two main reasons, first the pallets "floating" and moving during transport (necessitating blocking and rigging within containers) secondly harmonic vibration in the equipment leading to part failures or de-calibration. Art is a very interesting and specific space whereas appliances are likely a well solved space. Scientific and sensitive equipment may be your biggest opportunity they would almost always require custom built vibration damped pallets. Custom built pallets already incorporate a couple types of vibration dampers two examples are pallet mates and blocks of closed cell foam. Your product would be much more expensive than either of those solutions but it has potentially larger upsides including amplitude and tuning. It may be a tool in a shipper's kit and it may be more carefully incorporated into a pallet, not bolted onto a standard pallet. Here's one of the webpages I just read quickly, you might start calling some of these folks and asking about their needs. You should also go down to the stata mailroom and talk to Doug about all of the vibration damping solutions and scientific equipment he receives, there is probably some there to look at right now. https://cdcpack.com/preventing-shock-and-vibration-damage-during-shipment/
Analysis
I didn't see a ton of analysis but it would be interesting to measure the damping of these prototypes! perhaps you could rent a uhaul for some bumpy-cambridge-road-tests
Execution
Very nicely made! It was great to see a functional prototype.
Keith Clavin
Concept
The dampener idea makes sense to me as a concept. I have worked with pallets and know how thorny they can be, esp. with something large or unwieldy. With this device, my main concern would be installing it and the potential for it altering the lift of the forklift. Do the damages of large objects derive from the lifting or in the transport, or in some combination, or some other point in the process? I think locating exactly when damage occurs the most frequently would be a helpful variable to address in terms of the concept's value.
Analysis
The focus on niches like art and appliances is smart. This makes implementation more feasible than a broad market for supermarkets or something. That being said, those two markets are still quite different, so I would like to hear a little more about how something like ovens (which are very standardized and balanced) and art pieces (which are very unique in shape, size, and balance) will benefit exactly.
Execution
The model looks sophisticated and fits the pallets. I would have liked to see it absorb shocks with some type of data or sensor that could show us exactly how much energy can be dispersed and where.
Sea Turtle Incubator
A cooling jacket that can be inserted around sea turtle nests to rectify the gender ratio imbalance caused by rising global temperatures.
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Contributors
Katana Finlason: CAD, Solidworks simulationsSophia Sonnert: Heat transfer calculations, physical modelVictor Diaz: heat transfer calculations, physical modelViviana Rivera: physical model, information organization for presentationHanqi Su: physical model, information organization for presentationRafael Fernandes: physical model, ordering/sourcing materials
Reviewer Feedback
Atissa Banuazizi
Concept
The value proposition is admirably clear, although I still have some unanswered questions. I get that the sea turtle eggs can be dug up and replaced at whatever depth your product can accommodate, but is there any non-heat-related disadvantage to the eggs in *not* being three feet underground? Presumably the device will effectively protect from predators, but does one have to remove it from around the nest before the eggs hatch? (Are sea turtle nests mostly on nature reserves, or will you need to convince a lot of private beaches to accept an array of visually intrusive coolers?)
Analysis
No feedback provided
Execution
No feedback provided
Chuck Xia
Concept
Users are marine biologist and conservation organization. Do user interview on their day to day activities. Is it an everyday check up on it product or leave it and let it run. Which one currently fits the user's schedule. You want to design the product to reduce friction, but maybe the result is so meaningful that they are willing to change their day to day schedule. The front end of the product is for the human user, the back end is for the turtle egg. I think the concept is strong, however I am biased toward environmental focused project.
Analysis
There is a list of spec based on biological research on sea turtle egg development process. That is a list of necessity that you must achieve. Turtle egg safety of course is an absolute necessity. There can not be a shadow of a doubt on the safety of your product. Form follows function. Is the cylindrical shape a design choice or choice by default based on material available in lab. Is that the safest design? Design and build with purpose. Cooling methods is a critical spec. Talk to heat transfer professors and experts. https://d-lab.mit.edu/sites/default/files/inline-files/Clay%20pot%20cooler%20guide_English_reader_March_2021.pdf. The spec for sea turtle gender rectification missing a time and duration value. If it product only needs to be deployed once a year, then easily deployable isn't as critical as a product that needs to be redeployed everyday. I am not convinced by the front end user needs.
Execution
The heat transfer model and energy consumption estimate are a good start, as long as you know the uncertainty in your estimation. A 18W power requirement is only meaningful if you can say 18W +/- 2W, less meaningful if it is 18W +/- ?W. Flip of making the product is testing the product. It is just as important as making the product. You need to develop a testing environment to evaluate the efficacy of the product. Testing is just as important as making. If you can not evaluate the performance correctly, you can't fit it or improve it. It is just as challenging as building the product. You don't need to build the testing environment to simulate all weather condition (sand moisture, sun vs cloudy, sand particle size?). You need to build and measure enough (80/20 rule maybe) for you to confidently extrapolate the 80% of conditions. The model you made would be useful for that.
Lauren Futami
Concept
This is a very strong concept, and I completely understand the user, use, and concept.
Analysis
The temperature analysis of the sand is a good start into understanding the control for the active cooling requirements. How do you see the incubator reacting to higher than anticipated temperatures on any given day for the season? Do the eggs need to consistently be at/below a certain temperature to adequately incubate male turtles? How much wiggle room do you have for this? How accurate do the sensors need to be to achieve this?
Execution
The drilling mechanism was an interesting way to encompass the nest, is it wide enough to accommodate all nest sizes? How undisturbed do the nests need to be? It sounded like researchers are able to dig and find the nests in the first place, would they be able to move the eggs themselves to the incubator so you can avoid having to insert the coils around the existing nest?
Ana Lo
Concept
I understand the need, but how large is the market for this? How many places would buy it and what quantity? Who would actually be installing these?
Analysis
I worry that the installation process could damage the eggs. It takes a decent amount of force to install the incubator into the sand (and it's very easy to tilt). How can you ensure the eggs don't get damaged? Also, did you look into passive cooling mechanisms? Beaches tend to be very windy--could this be enough to cool the nest or be used in conjunction with an active cooling system (assuming the ambient air temperature is lower than the target nest temperature)?
Execution
I wanted to see multiple ideas for installation methods (not full blow prototypes; sketches are sufficient). Make sure to brainstorm other concepts before moving forward with the idea. It's easy to get stuck iterating on the first design rather than exploring other methods.
Kait Becker
Concept
Expandable shoe. Clear User/use/concept. I think the strength of this idea is more in it being fun than it being practical, though I'd be excited for you to prove me wrong. You may have found her research already, but Prof. Katia Bertoldi's group at Harvard does research in the auxetic structures and meta materials. I would check out her papers first but you might be able to reach out to a grad student over there for advice/feedback.
Analysis
How much do toddler shoes cost? How much would these cost? Do toddler shoes typically get thrown away/outgrown before they're worn out? Depending on wear an tear, maybe there's a case to be made that we want expandable shoes to reduce extra shoes contributing to landfill. I worry that the living hinges in the auxetic materials might not be the most supportive surface - do you think the shoe bed will have to be flat or can it incorporate some arch support?
Execution
The mockup communicates the idea well but does not look comfortable or enticing. For the purpose of future presentations, maybe cannibalize or take inspiration from some fun toddler shoes from target. It sounds like you figured out some important pain points in operation the auxetic structures, needing to reduce the for required for adjustment, etc. So, even if the mockup didn't look the most entices, it communicated the idea well and gave you plenty of ideas to work on for the next round. Would be interesting to see cyclic data on an Instron with the structure at difference size settings.
Peter Nielsen
Concept
The intended use is admirably unambiguous, ditto concept.
Analysis
Some valuable analysis went into the slides. Since price is mentioned here, is there any ballpark metric of what this could be worth to an organization?
Execution
For some reason I believe that a continuous screw thread could be easier to thread into the sand - the initial "thread" in the sand could help; the interrupted thread on the proto may allow the sand to re-form. (?) A CAD of the integrated system (not the slide showing the blue and white item that appears to not be hollow) with solar cover and confirmed 18W output would help. What happens when the eggs hatch? I wonder if single sticks (probes) in a quadrant around the nest may be less intrusive, easier to deploy?
Nate Phipps
Concept
Very clear, concept and user needs, nice work! Feels like a strong idea to me in the context of research / grant funded device / business.
Analysis
Really great steps towards analysis in product design models as well as thermal and business models, nice work. Here are some things that popped out to me. For business model 10% of existing grant money seems like a very large percentage to expect, how did you come to that number? For your power calculation you are using an area rather than a volume, why is that? In estimating 18w requirement have you considered losses related to your cooling system and what the final power input might need to be? Your product contract lists 18w as the power source. Whatever it is, solar panels can provide it, it is a question of size/cost/practicality of the panel. You mention that the scientists dig out the nests so the tube insertion device (your mockup model) is less necessary; why is the tube necessary at all if the nest is hand excavated (which it would need to be for the protection of the eggs anyhow); ie for heat exchange you want your coils located as densely around the nest area as possible, not above or below the nest, so why use an insertion device? The temps shown on your solidworks model (screen cap in the slides) are already below 27c what is the discrepency in the model; surface temp? Sand properties? Wrong screenshot? Ocean water in these regions is around 27c, is there a way you could use the worlds largest heat sink to your advantage here; what is the power delta to run a small pump versus a heat exchanger?
Execution
Nice work on all the models in a short amount of time. Keep analyzing and refining and making more and more models!
Keith Clavin
Concept
The turtle next protector is quite unique and I'm happy to see you have carried the work to this point. I think I generally grasp the need and purpose of the device. The main question I would ask is how much it outperforms existing methods and do experts in the field have a real interest in it? Enough so that they would spend precious research dollars to replace thei current methods?
Analysis
The risks and the market involved in this are a little unusual from a standard product as this is intended for scientific research and environmental preservation more than a commercial market. However, I can't say I have a real sense of what this would cost yet or who would be able to pay for it. Would it be universities or certain nonprofit groups? The technical work on heat exchange and temperature is handled well and persuasive. If you continue with one, a little more attention to the precise dynamics of the potential market would would good to see.
Execution
I handled the mockup and it definitely turned and became fairly difficult to twist as it went deeper into the sand. It's a nice piece of work that performs what you were aiming for. I was interested in the diameter of the device. It seems like maybe it would need to be wider, but will this have an impact of how difficult it is to turn or other factors involved?
Expandable Shoe
Our product is an expandable shoe that accommodates the growth in children's feet from ages 1 to 5.
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Contributors
Laura Schwendeman: expandable sole CAD, design, and fabricationEmma Suh: expandable sole CAD, design, and fabricationNine Morch: design and fabrication of shoe fabric expansion mechanismOliver Chinn: design and fabrication of winch mechanism for shoe expansionKevin Duan: design and fabrication of winch mechanism for shoe expansion
Reviewer Feedback
Atissa Banuazizi
Concept
One thing I did not see you address at all at this point is roughly what the cost of the shoes would be. If your customer’s main concern is price, you have to do one of two things: benchmark the price of a collection of really cheap/discounted shoes and beat it, or else convince the parent that your product is better/healthier for growing feet than what’s at the lowest end of the market. The natural advantages of buying several pairs are that they can adapt to the child’s changing taste and that the parent needs to worry less about wear and tear. (Will a stiff fabric upper realisticallly last for five years of kid-use?) In Pappalardo, you mentioned having an insole to protect the foot from things like water leakage – could this be removeable and replaceable over time, the better to cushion and support the growing foot (and to reassure parents that they are not compromising the health/development of the feet)?
Analysis
Really cool work so far on auxetics/fabrics/mechanics.
Execution
No feedback provided
Chuck Xia
Concept
Parents buy the shoes. Children wears the shoes. From 1-5 years old, the 'what shoes to wear' decision transition from the parents to the children. Actually, your customers are parents with kids 1-4 years old. If the limit of the size is 5 years old, parent are unlikely to buy your shoes since it won't expand beyond that 5 years old size. https://duckduckgo.com/?q=baby+feet+growth+chart&atb=v314-1&iax=images&ia=images&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2F18%2Fff%2Fd1%2F18ffd11c1f20017782b6e6d63cf8df45.jpg Seems like the baby shoes get replaced once every 6 month. Your shoes needs to last at least two show replacement cycle, 1 year. In one year the feet grow between 1/3 to 2/3 inches. Therefore minimally your shoes needs to expand 2/3 inches and last at least 1 year.
Analysis
The risk priority goes expansion, durability, then design. If the shoes can expand comfortability and made to last then you can start including fun design elements to compete against all the other Disney, spongebob, etc themed shoes. Interesting that waterproof is a user need. I would also be concerned about biting. Baby ~1 years old likes putting things in their mouth, such as their feet + shoes.
Execution
A demonstration tends to explain the product better than words. Show us what you got. - cromulon. I enjoy playing different auxetic structure. I ran out of time during the review, I wonder what you all learn about the different auxetic structure. What mades some structure better than other. A clear evaluation table (expansive ratio, weight, etc) of the different structure would be useful to differentiate the design.
Lauren Futami
Concept
The clarity of this concept, use case, and user is also very clear to me and I also believe it is a strong idea. The cost and material savings make it really compelling.
Analysis
I can appreciate how much analysis must go into this concept before being able to make concise decisions. These shoes also have to encompass an evolving use case which can add layers of complexity. It would be good to start with figuring out what kind of standards currently exist for children's shoes with respect to foot support and structure. It would also be useful to figure out the types of physical activities children do on their feet and how often they are using these shoes. It might be difficult to find a single material structure that can accommodate changing sizes while also being durable enough to handle extended use (possibly years?), while regular shoes normally only have to withstand a few months of use. What existing materials are used in shoes for durability vs flexibility vs other shoe considerations, and what combination of material and material structure might be able to help with what you want to pursue?
Execution
Seeing the different material structures gave more promise to the idea, and I think even looking into the auxetic structures that expand in all 3 dimensions could also be helpful, rather than trying to keep the z direction constant. If you can somehow compress the structure in the z direction as it expands, you might be able to maintain a more similar density across the various shoe sizes rather than using an auxetic material that expands in 2 dimensions.
Ana Lo
Concept
The need is clear, but I have a number of questions about the user and market. Is there a need for this in the US? Where to parents of lower income families usually get shoes? Would they want this instead? Are there places this would be useful internationally? I could see this being useful in less developed countries.
Analysis
The sole mechanism is developing really well. Make sure you continue refining the fabric/ratcheting mechanisms of the shoe. This needs to be tested with children--they always find creative ways to prove things aren't childproof. The sooner you can test, the better!
Execution
I really liked seeing the different patterns and ideas for the sole. It was great to have multiple prototypes to play with.
Kait Becker
Concept
Turtle egg incubator. Clear Use/user/concept and strong idea. This seems like the strongest motivator of the three ideas because baby turtles. It also seems the scariest from an optics perspective if you accidentally hurt the eggs.
Analysis
Have you asked biologists about any concerns with interfering with the eggs, risk of breaking them, or risk of affecting hatching in an adverse way? How long does this have to stay installed? Is there any concern of breaking eggs in the installation? How easily can the product be collected and reused? Are the eggs centered in the tube - how do the baby turtles get out?
Execution
If the biologist have already dug down to the nest, you you need the auger mechanism at all? Maybe set up some thermal experiments with sand and a heat lamp - with a control scenario of the temperature profile without versus use of your device.
Charlotte Folinus
Concept
I generally understand your use case/users, and I think this is a compelling opportunity. However, “shoes” is still very broad, and different types of shoes may have different form-based (aesthetics) and function-based (physics) requirements — think about a sneaker vs. a stiff dress shoe, or winter booties. Some of these shoes may get more use/wear — what shoes tend to wear out vs. grow out? I’m curious what parents might be most open to buying. I wonder if visiting playgrounds/playgroups or a family event could be a way to interact with a lot of parents (city of cambridge, churches, libraries).
Analysis
Analysis and execution together — Children’s shoe design is a new field to me, but my previous experience is in designing prosthetic feet and doing R&D for running shoes. I’m curious about the fatigue requirement — are there specific ISO or ASTM standards for children’s shoes? I’m curious how much strain the outsole will go through during a gait cycle. In developing a product that should last for longer than typical shoes, you may also want to think about material aging in addition to cyclic fatigue. You’re changing 30% overall size in the sole — what does that correspond to as strain in the elastic elements of the sole? Over a long time-span, factors like creep/stress relaxation could also be relevant, particularly for materials that might make good outsoles. Material properties may also be relevant as you think about how you would manufacture a flexible auxetic structure — many rubbery or elastomeric materials show time-dependent aging, and this can be more pronounced in additively manufactured components. I’m also curious about how your soles behave in out-of-plane loading, like bending (from normal walking) or torsion. The individual struts/walls are thin, and I suspect failure could be sensitive to manufacturing variations.
Execution
No feedback provided
Juhan Sonin
Concept
No feedback provided
Analysis
No feedback provided
Execution
All Pink feedback in one PDF: https://www.dropbox.com/s/3txyfm3usxe97qm/MIT2009_Pink_MockupReview_Feedback_Sonin_Fall2022.pdf?dl=0
Peter Nielsen
Concept
The clarity of concept is perfectly clear. How quickly do children destroy (or become totally bored with, or decide they're socially unacceptable as they grow) their shoes?
Analysis
During the live review there was some discussion about a system of inner cables that might preserve the "shoe" shape during expansion. The team may benefit from a little more experimentation before a choice is made. There will be less density in the shoe sole as the weight it is bearing increases, a thing to consider.
Execution
The teams showed some interesting concept work, but needs quite a bit of user analysis and empirical testing/modeling before committing.
Nate Phipps
Concept
Concept is clear and the user need identified is very interesting both in terms of household economics and product lifecycle. Auxetic material shapes for the soles is very cool and interesting, I am still uncertain about what the uppers will look like and how they will adjust.
Analysis
Using a winch system is a great concept for adjusting auxetics. Because the smallest size requires compression you will need to be sure to use a material with excellent elastic memory to ensure the re-expansion of the shoe over the course of months of compression. The larger boa style ratchet both takes up a lot of real-estate on a childrens shoe and is designed for near constant, larger scale, adjustment, several time per use. Can you think of a less obtrussive, smaller adjustment method which better matches the weekly or monthly adjustment of your shoe? I am imagining using a tool perhaps. Bigger picture, is this the best way to solve the problem of household economics and waste stream management? How much material/work will go into an adjustable shoe? Will it cost sig. less than several pairs of cheap mass market childrens shoes? How many generations of re-usability will it have?
Execution
Very interesting to see the print outs of various auxetics, would have been nice to have some kind of squeeze/rathchet mechanism to see it in action. Consider waterjetting out of actual spec materials for future tests as 3-d printed dont offer wid enough selection of materials and have intrinsic failure modes not present in final materials.
Keith Clavin
Concept
A great idea for reducing cost for consumers and general waste. I like fashion and shoes, but one of the main guilt-inducing features of that interest is the environmental impact of fast fashion and rubbers, etc. Developing a shoe that could satisfy a child's footwear needs for an extended period of time, over multiple size changes, is worth pursuing. That being said, this is a challenging topic because children can be unpredictable and may start playing with the shoe in way that we don't want, or damage it somehow that makes the adjustable features lose their fidelity. I think what I would like to see to further convince me are tests and/or explanations of how actual children may respond to the technology and the shoes themselves.
Analysis
Building off of the comments above, I feel like the next phase would require comparisons with children's footwear and some imaginative envisioning of what children may do with this product. Also, how do their parents view the product and do they respond to the appearance, concept, and cost in a positive way? They may be hesitant to invest in it, even if the promise of saved money is real, if they think the kids may rip them apart.
Execution
The dedication to materials and the supporting math is impressive. The superflex shapes and patterns are cool, but also seem to fit your goals. Likewise, the vision for the construction of the parts appears to be feasible. Of course, it would be good to see these modules combined in a later stage, but thus far, in separation, they are promising.