I can’t believe we only have one week left. My time is Tokyo has truly been filled with so many great experiences and I feel like I have learned so much. Through seeing Japan’s unique engineering designs I feel I have expanded my visions of how to approach problem-solving and have gained a greater appreciation for different techniques. Being able to travel alone and have so much independence has also allowed me to learn a lot about myself. I can’t emphasis this enough – if you have the opportunity to study abroad I 100% think you should. It is such a unique experience that allows you to expand your views and learn so much than you could even expect. Do it!!
Alright, some updates from the past week. We started tackling our design problems. We are supposed to create a product that improves individual’s daily lives. That could be related to accessibility, convivence, or something similar. Darshon, Kat, and I had a great brainstorming session and decided to create a cart that follows the user around. Read our little blurb from our elevator pitch:
Cling E is a smart cart that, like the name says, is clingy. Cling E will drive to wherever you are, following you in a fully customizable range. Using its proprietary sensor technology, it avoids any objects in its way to always be conveniently next to you. Cling E even has separation anxiety. When you get too far, Cling E will start complaining. And you don’t have to worry about security, when a stranger makes a grab for it, Cling E will scream. But Cling E isn’t just limited to your luggage. It can assist elderly individuals with groceries and blind or visually impaired users who need both hands free. It’s convenient. It’s secure. It’s accessible. It’s CLING-E.
After discussing various options for how to implement all the features of the device, we created our first sketch. We decided to shape the device as a hexagon because we wanted 3 equally spaced out omni wheels. We chose the omni wheels because they don’t skid when freely rolling in other directions, allowing the cart to roll in every direction. The cart has multiple IR receivers in order to determine the direction of the user, who has the IR emitter. The cart will also have ultrasound sensors in order to avoid nearby objects.
We searched online to see if there were any stores selling tiny wheels. While we couldn’t find any stores selling wheels, we did find a robot store in Akihabara that had exactly what we needed. There was the smallest sign outside directing us to the third floor where there was a room tightly packed with all sorts of robot goodies. We purchased three omni wheels. I’m thankful we had such success navigating Akihabara, because it was quite overwhelming the first time we went.
This next week we will begin constructing the base by cutting out a hexagon and attaching the sides. Then we’d like to work on meshing the DC motors and the wheels. We are still working out how to find the distance between the user and the machine. Right now we are hoping that infrared will work, but we know it requires direct line of sight. We will test it tomorrow and see if we can find direction and distance. If we can, then this will be implemented in the first prototype. Otherwise, we are looking into other technology like Bluetooth.
On Thursday we went to Tokyo Underground Discharge Tunnel Site. This site was created to reduce flooding is the area. It transfers the water from five smaller rivers into the Edogawa River that goes to Tokyo Bay. When we went down into the tunnel, there were huge pillars. The tour guides shared that rather than keeping the ceiling up like we normally think, these pillars actually keep the floor from coming up. I found this very interesting.
On Friday we went to The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation Japan. We got to interact with more cool robots and go to a variety of exhibits. One we went to was the “Park of Aging” to consider how we could adapt our designs we were creating to accommodate the effects of aging. At the Park of Aging, I learned about how age affects hearing. When speaking to someone who has lost their hearing due to aging, using a loud voice is not very effective. Originally we were going to have Cling-E make a sound when the user gets too far away, however, we have instead decided to have it vibrate the bracelet or device the user has. Those who have lost their hearing can be especially challenged in noisy environment, like the airport. Although hearing aids can help, they amplify different tones depending on the user, so it would be challenging to identify a sound that Cling-E would play that would work best for all users. Creating a vibration instead allows the users to be noticed by a feeling, and reduces the error that might occur if the user fails to hear Cling-E.
If you are curious to see the observations I am continuing to make about Japan’s unique engineering deigns choices feel free to check out my “Tokyo Design Observation Blog” here.
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Brainstorming
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Omni Wheel
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Discharge Tunnel
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Keparan Robot in Science and Innovation Museum
This weekend I took a day trip to Nikko with Daniel and Lily. We went to the Shinkyo Bridge and went on a lovely hike. On the hike we got to go to the Sainko Lake, Senju-ga-hama Beach, Aka-iwa, and Ryuzu Falls. I really enjoying hiking, so was very grateful to get to escape to the quite nature for even just a day. It was a nice break from the busy Tokyo lifestyle and a good way for me to reset before the week. It was definitely a lot of travel for one day because Nikko National Park is 3 hours away and we had to take the bus within the park. If I did it again I would make it a two-day trip instead of trying to fit everything into one day. There is lots of things in the area we didn’t have time to get to. For example, I would have liked to have seen Kegon Falls. Who knows, maybe someday.
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Shinkyo Bridge
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Suspension Bridge near Sainko Lake
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Senju-ga-hama Beach
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Ryuzu Falls
It was another great week. One more to go. See y’all next time 🙂