Prototyping and Fabrication | Dr. Matthew Wettergreen | TEDxRiceU
The speaker argues that creative ingenuity, not specialized training, is the core skill of problem-solving, demonstrating this by showing how simple materials can create functional prototypes, even illustrating this by suggesting attendees build a rough, fast-to-build low-fidelity model using available supplies.
## Speakers & Context
- Unnamed speaker presenting at a venue on the Rice campus.
- Focuses on prototyping and fabrication as core skills.
## Theses & Positions
- Problem-solving can be achieved by breaking down large problems into smaller, decision-based steps using the engineering design process.
- Prototyping is solving problems by creating physical artifacts, ranging from Post-it notes to manufactured objects.
- The ability to prototype is universal: *"every single person is capable of prototyping."*
- The core of problem-solving is *"practical ingenuity and creativity"* more than the specific tools or materials available.
- Materials in the real world, like discarded milk jugs or plastic, are valuable raw materials.
- Building should be approached as a process of solving a problem, not as a means to develop a final, polished product.
## Concepts & Definitions
- **Engineering Design Process:** A systematic way to take very large problems and use decision-based steps and quantitative reasoning to break them down into smaller problems.
- **Prototyping:** The act of solving problems by creating physical objects or artifacts.
- **Fabrication:** The stage following prototyping, often requiring industrial engineers or experts, where artifacts are turned into manufactured objects.
- **Fidelity Categories:**
- **Low fidelity prototype:** Created with whatever is available (scissors, glue, tape); results are *individually unique*.
- **Medium fidelity prototype:** Uses tools like laser cutters and hand tools; multiple versions might share features.
- **High fidelity prototype:** Manufactured in batches that are *exactly the same*, requiring knowledge of advanced manufacturing (CNC machines, injection molding).
- **Prototyping Library (at OEDk):** A collection of 28 examples of parts and projects that can be made with a laser cutter, serving as a standard of excellence for learning.
- **Cradle to grave mentality:** Demonstrating that discarded objects can be collected, reshaped, and resold.
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Wheelchair design for Pedro:** Designed a specialized wheelchair allowing him to row forward by pushing, granting him desired mobility.
- **Giraffe feeder design (Houston Zoo):** Used the engineering design process to develop a feeder mimicking a giraffe's natural feeding habit, extending its daily feeding time.
- **Bajaj redesign challenge (Ethiopia):** Students were tasked with designing a safer three-wheeled taxi (Bajaj) using limited materials to prevent compound femoral fractures in crashes.
- **Testing Safety:** Safer Bajaj designs were tested by shooting them down a zip line, requiring them to stay together within a specific time frame.
## Timeline & Sequence
- **Research/Idealization:** Start with the initial idea.
- **Prototyping:** Spend the majority of time physically testing the idea using low-to-high fidelity models.
- **Fabrication:** Move to creating the final, manufacturable good using specialized experts.
## Named Entities
- **The Austrian Engineering Design Kitchen (OEDk):** Location on campus where students learn fabrication and prototyping.
- **Pedro:** Client whose unique physiology required a specialized, rowing-style wheelchair design.
- **Houston Zoo:** Collaborator in a project involving giraffe feeding time extension.
- **MacGyver:** Hero associated with low fidelity prototyping, using a basic multi-tool (like a paperclip).
- **Iron Man/Tony Stark:** Hero associated with high fidelity prototyping.
- **Etsy sellers:** Archetype of medium fidelity prototyping—crafting objects by hand.
- **Addis Ababa:** City location where the market demonstrates raw material recycling.
## Numbers & Data
- **28 examples:** Number of projects available in the OEDk's prototyping library.
- **Three-wheeled taxi:** Called a Bajaj.
- **Ping-pong balls:** Used in the Bajaj challenge to represent the driver and passenger.
- **25 minutes:** Time allotted for students to design a safer Bajaj using given materials.
## Examples & Cases
- **Pedro's Wheelchair:** Designed to allow rowing motion for mobility.
- **Giraffe Feeder:** Developed for the Houston Zoo to extend natural feeding time.
- **OEDk Prototype Examples (Visualized):** Displayed examples ranging from low fidelity (elastic bands, PVC, wood) to high fidelity (laser-cut pieces).
- **Ethiopian Materials:** Wood and plastic found in Ethiopia were guaranteed to be the same raw material as those at the Rice campus.
- **Bajaj Prototype:** Showcased models using wire bent like a spring to act as a shock absorber, keeping ping-pong balls inside during testing.
- **Gas line repair:** A real-life, unsafe but functional repair using two straws and duct tape, cited as an example of amateur prototyping.
## Tools, Tech & Products
- **Laser cutters:** Tool used to create medium-fidelity prototypes.
- **CNC machines / Injection molding:** Tools associated with creating high-fidelity prototypes.
- **Prototyping library:** A resource containing physical standards for various laser-cut parts.
- **Duct tape, Scissors, Glue:** Recommended initial, low-fidelity prototyping tools.
## References Cited
- **United States entrepreneurship and product design:** Field of study cited as containing the pathway from idea to shelf.
## Trade-offs & Alternatives
- **Low vs. High Fidelity:** Low fidelity excels in immediate, unique problem-solving with basic materials; high fidelity requires specialized training and access to advanced machinery.
- **Paid vs. DIY:** The alternative to problem-solving via prototyping is simply paying someone else to fix or create the object.
## Counterarguments & Caveats
- Over-reliance on advanced manufacturing skills is a barrier; not everyone has access to specialized training or materials needed for medium/high fidelity work.
## Methodology
- **Engineering Design Process:** A systematic methodology for deconstruction and solution-building.
- **Low Fidelity Approach:** Emphasizes practical ingenuity by using readily available materials (duct tape, scissors) to solve the problem first.
- **Safety Testing:** For the Bajaj, failure to contain the ping-pong balls or fail the time-based zip line test indicated design flaws.
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- All people possess the innate ability for creative ingenuity and problem-solving.
- **Assembly Instruction:** Build a low-fidelity prototype/kit from available materials, using duct tape, scissors, and getting hands dirty.
- **Three Simple Rules for Prototyping:**
1. Don't worry about how it looks.
2. Build it rough and build it fast.
3. Focus on functional solutions that work.
## Implications & Consequences
- The ability to view any discarded item (like milk jugs) as potential raw material suggests that resources are abundant for inventive problem-solving globally.
- Viewing raw material everywhere (house, office) implies that the barrier to entry for problem-solving is extremely low, requiring only a shift in perception.
## Verbatim Moments
- *"they learn how to bend plywood without breaking it."*
- *"we teach a technique of problem-solving called the engineering design process."*
- *"moving forward just by pushing and he uses that everyday and it gives him the mobility that he desired."*
- *"if you have an idea there's a pathway to get it onto the shelves at a store"*
- *"it's not a sonic screwdriver it's just a paperclip."*
- *"If I asked you to solve a problem for me with the prototype you would produce something that would be individually unique"*
- *"low fidelity prototypes are created with whatever you have around you scissors glue and tape"*
- *"every single person is capable of prototyping"*
- *"everything is a raw material"*
- *"duct tape is your friend"*
- *"don't worry about how it looks build it rough and build it fast"*
- *"your prototyping is solve a problem not to develop a product"*
- *"focus on functional solutions that work"*