Controlling the variable of pressure in the production of test footwear impressions

Footwear impression lifting and enhancement techniques may be affected by several variables introduced during the production of test footwear impressions, thus limiting the usefulness of enhancement technique comparisons and the results obtained. One such variable is the force applied when the impressed mark is being made. Producing consistent test impressions for research into footwear enhancement techniques would therefore be beneficial. This study was designed to control pressure in the production of test footwear impressions when mimicking a stamping action. Twenty-seven volunteers were asked to stamp on two different surfaces and the average stamping force was recorded. Information from the data obtained was used to design and build a mechanical device which could be calibrated to consistently deliver footwear impressions with the same force onto a receiving surface. Preliminary experiments using this device and different contaminants on the footwear sole have yielded consistent and repeatable impressions. Controlling the variable of pressure for the production of test impressions in this study demonstrated that the differences observed were visual (due to the amount of contaminant transferred and subsequent enhancement) and did not affect the replication of outer sole characteristics. This paper reports the development of the device and illustrates the quality of the impressions produced

A task based approach to global design education

This paper provides a new perspective for managing and delivering a global design class, and a clear alternative to the traditional joint project for participating institutes. The ‘task-based approach’ used to structure a Global Design class at the University of Strathclyde is described. This entailed the creation of a series of short design exercises to be run in conjunction with three partner institutions: the University of Malta in Msida, Malta; Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia; and Stanford University in Palo Alto, USA. These exercises focussed on specific aspects of distributed working, including synchronous working, asynchronous working and digital library support, according to the location and facilities afforded by each institution. This provides a number of pedagogical and organisation benefits. Students are required to take a more strategic approach to their design work, developing a higher evaluative understanding of the tools and processes required to produce a successful design. Staff members have a greater level of control afforded by a shared collaborative class component, including assessment, timetabling and learning objectives, rather than simply having a joint project. This potentially makes global design classes a more flexible and viable option for institutions interested in participating in such programme

A concurrent engineering approach to develop BioMEMS employed in a deep brain stimulator integrated with a drug delivery system

This paper presents an Integrated Product Development (IPD) based model to specifically develop bio-medical micro-electro-mechanical-systems (BioMEMS). The concurrent engineering model is based on the IPD model phases, which are presented and formulated by the Integration DEFinition (IDEF) model- ling language. To evaluate the IPD model, a case study concerning the development of a BioMEMS device for a deep brain stimulation (DBS) system was investigated. By following the relevant mechanisms and controls in the model, a design concept of a wireless head-mounted DBS implant integrated with a drug delivery system (DDS) was conceived. The contribution of this paper is the IDEF model, which provides a road map to the product development team members in order to take a concurrent engineering approach to develop Bio-MEMS. The qualitative feedback received from the identified stakeholders, together with the quality of the case study employed, namely, an integrated DBS and DDS solution, indicate a degree of evidence that the model provides a sound basis in this direction.peer-reviewe

Towards a multi-perspective based ontology to develop smart wearables for paediatric habilitation

A user-centred approach is applied during the design process of rehabilitation devices to eventually make therapy more efficient and effective. Similarly, this applies to the development of Smart WEarables for Paediatric Habilitation (SWEPH), which are utilised by children with physical limitations. Additive Manufacturing (AM) provides design engineers with a multitude of possibilities, especially the ability to attain more personalised devices which meet the individualistic needs of diverse users. Nevertheless, the more user-centric a device is, the more complex the design and AM requirements become, making it more difficult for the designers to satisfy the different needs of the users. In this study, the user groups considered are the children with physical limitations, the occupational therapists and the parents of the children. These users bring various requirements that the designers must abide by, to achieve a positive User eXperience (UX). Given the challenge to design SWEPH which provides a high-quality UX, this paper proposes a multi-perspective-based ontology that takes into consideration the following three aspects: a) requirements of multiple users and other significant stakeholders b) UX measures of the three different users of SWEPH and c) Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) considerations. Ultimately, this ontology aims to facilitate the design of SWEPH and assist design engineers in developing optimal devices with a higher acceptance rate and user adherence, whilst taking advantage of the benefits AM offers. Future work proposed is aimed to confirm the uncertain links established in this ontology and eventually verify and validate it holistically to guarantee its practicality and applicability.peer-reviewe

Rapid fabrication of annuloplasty rings by electron beam melting

Electron Beam Melting (EBM) is an Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology capable of producing intricate parts by melting powder metal with the aid of an electron beam gun. EBM has facilitated the production of standard and customisable implants. Customizable implants such as orthopaedic implants, cranial implants and dental implants have already been developed and implanted successfully after being fabricated by AM technology. Other medical devices can also benefit from the possibilities offered by AM. An example of such a medical device would be the annuloplasty ring. Standard annuloplasty rings are implanted whenever a patient is diagnosed with mitral valve regurgitation. This problem arises when the mitral valve does not close properly, causing back leakage through the closed valve resulting in blood flowing to the atrium instead of the aorta during systole. The latest designs of annuloplasty rings allow restoration of the mitral annulus configuration to a saddle-shaped shape.peer-reviewe

Towards intelligent early form design and prototyping, questionnaire results and analysis

Currently, the Department of Manufacturing Engineering (DME), University of Malta and the Istitito per la Matematica Applicata e Tecnologie Informatiche (IMATI), Genoa are conducting research on how simple components represented by sketches on normal paper can be converted to computer models. One of the key issues in developing a sketch recognition system is precisely to handle the trade-off between ease of computer recognition and the preservation of sketching freedom. With an attempt to address this issue, two sketching methods (or sketching languages) have been developed by the DME. This report presents the results of a questionnaire about the sketching activity itself and also about the two proposed sketching languages. An analysis of the results obtained is also presented with the scope to identify what should be the future directions that might contribute to enhance the usefulness of the two sketching approaches

Experiments with augmented reality for supporting education in distributed product design solution evaluation

This paper presents results of an experiment set up to exploit the impact of using Augmented Reality (AR) whilst groups of engineering design students from Malta, Scotland, London and Hungary were collaborating on designing different parts making up a car seat belt mechanism. In particular, the experiment focuses on the distributed, real-time evaluation of the emerging design solution. The results achieved are encouraging and the paper contributes insights of the suitability of using AR in distributed and collaborative design evaluation scenarios

A multi user-centred design approach framework to develop aesthetically pleasing and sustainable OTCP packaging

With the healthcare industry moving towards self-medication, the number of selfservice pharmacies stocking over-the-counter pharmaceuticals (OTCP) is rising. The aesthetic attributes of OTCP packaging are critical to attract consumers' attention against competing products. Moreover, sustainable design aims at minimising the negative environmental impacts of packaging. Studies show that stakeholders' interests should be represented more in pharmaceutical packaging, specifically in the early stages of the design process. For this reason, OTCP packaging design is challenging, as sustainable packaging is typically seen as unappealing. Within this context, this paper presents a novel and comprehensive framework aimed at supporting designers to develop aesthetically pleasing and sustainable OTCP packaging, placing multiple users at its core. Studies with OTCP packaging stakeholders were first conducted to identify the framework requirements together with the necessary OTCP packaging attributes. A framework architecture was developed and subsequently implemented in a proof-of-concept computer-based tool. The framework and its implementation were evaluated with the OTCP packaging development stakeholders. Results provide a degree of evidence that the framework contributes significantly to guide OTCP packaging designers in taking the right decisions and can also provide the first steps towards considering aesthetics and sustainability in the packaging design in other sectors, namely, food and beverage.peer-reviewe

A user-centred design support framework to develop aesthetically pleasing and sustainable over-the-counter pharmaceutical packaging

Stakeholders consider aesthetics and sustainability as important aspects of over-the-counter pharmaceutical (OTCP) packaging, and studies show that their interests should be represented more. To address this, a framework which supports designers to develop aesthetically pleasing sustainable OTCP packaging was generated, keeping at its core the stakeholders. The requirements were identified, leading to the architecture development and implementation in a prototype tool. Results provide a degree of evidence that the framework contributes to a user-centred design approach for OTCP packaging.peer-reviewe

Influence of sketch types on distributed design team work

Product development is a collaborative activity more often than ever carried out by distributed design teams. It is critical to determine how sketches are used in such environments in order to improve the design process. Sketches produced by students participating in a collaborative design project of three European Universities are classified according to the intention of the designer when producing a sketch, the level of detail shown in the sketch and the phase when the sketch was produced. The adapted classification system used in this paper helps to analyse type of sketches with most variety of ideas. Furthermore, this paper reviews which type of sketches offers the most potential to be further developed. Results show that persuasive sketches offer the broadest range of ideas since they are produced as a combination of ideas from brainstorming sessions. Shared sketches help to achieve consensus in decision-making since the sketches are most likely to be produced by the entire group rather than individually