Constraints

Design Specifications

The specifications, constraints, and parameters for the product were determined through the needs and wants of the design while also trying to keep the product affordable and realistic. The constraints of creating a new product within eight months and having all devices fit onto a headband has severely limited our design. Additionally, having to meet the requirements of recognizing objects and warning the user in time while using sensors and audio transmission will prove to be difficult. As a result, the parameters will be seeing if everything on the headband fits properly and does not come loose and how long it takes for the device to recognize an object, transmit the data to the audio transmitter, and have the audio transmitter give the user a warning.

Stakeholders

The primary stakeholders for this project will be the visually impaired, our group of designers, and our mentors. We got input from the stakeholders by polling the visually impaired to see what features they would like and having our mentors give their feedback on what technologies we should be using to make the most cost effective and efficient product.

Criteria

Safety and Legal Issues

Potential legal issues that may arise would be from this product not properly accomplishing its tasks or the product itself causing harm to the user

The technology should not be powerful enough to harm the wearer with the devices being so close to them

Function

The product needs to recognize an object that will obstruct the users path and warn them in fast enough for the user to move out of the way and avoid the object

The product must recognize an object within 15 feet of the user and warn them within one second so they may have at least two seconds to respond to any stand still obstacle.

The product must be durable enough to withstand common weather conditions and collisions with other objects

Maintenance on the product will be very little due to the only maintenance needed being the recharging of the battery and cleaning of the sensor to ensure it still works

Customer needs

The customer needs a product that will maximize their safety in public spaces

The customer wants a comfortable product that will make it easier for them to interact with the human population and not have as many difficulties

Ergonomics

The product needs to be a good fit for the user so that it stays on during travel while also being as comfortable as possible

For the most efficiency, the headband must be worn the correct way so that the sensors face in front of the user and can detect the objects

All devices must have a layer of padding beneath it to reduce that amount of pressure put onto the user head

Materials

The only specific materials needed are the ones required for the devices that will be attached to the headband

Materials used will be able to withstand heat and water

The sensor will correctly and accurately detect objects even in humid and rainy environments

Target Cost

The anticipated consumer cost of the product is in the range of $70-$100

Form

The product will be in the form of a headband

It will be slightly smaller than the normal size of the head so that it can stay firm and secure on the user

It cannot be to big or too heavy and cause user trouble and annoyances during usage

Aesthetics

The visually impaired still care about the way they look, so we have to make sure that just because they can’t see, doesn’t mean we should disregard the way they look

The aesthetics should also be able to work alongside the functionality of the product, neither one of these can be more focused than the other.

Specifications

The headband will be holding the devices, as well as the power to the sensors and will be the main foundation of the product.

The sensors that will rest on the headband will pick up objects from a distance of 15 feet and will provide an audible output when it detects something within the 15-10 feet range.

The audio output that comes from the sensors will be transmitted through bone conduction and will be accounted for when dealing with timings by giving it a 1 second processing delay.