Introduction |
Contribution |
For this Project, my group and I were tasked with creating a new design for the Starship drone. The goal was to give it an alternative purpose, meaning that its doesn't deliver food anymore, but does something else other than that. This new drone should have a human connection, that it doesn't have to be a heartless machine roaming around campus, but something that when you see it around it sparks joy. This portfolio is the journey that me and my team took on creating this thing, all of the documentation and designs were a group effort and
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Interview Protocol
Hello [name of interviewee], thank you for taking the time to talk with me today. I will be asking you some questions regarding your thoughts about Starship delivery robots to help my understanding of their design. Is it ok if I record this interview? If at any point you don’t wish to answer a question or continue, feel free to stop the interview.
Interview Questions
Conclusion
Our interview has drawn to a close now. Thank you again for your participation. If you have any questions, please reach out to [provide your school email]. Have a good day.
Interview Questions
- What do you think of starships?
- Under what circumstances have you or would you use them?
- If you have used them, how often do you use them?
- What might make you more likely to use starships?
- What is your main hesitation when it comes to using starships?
- Would you consider using starship if that problem was resolved?
- Is there anything you wish the starship service had?
- How would you improve the design of the starship?
Conclusion
Our interview has drawn to a close now. Thank you again for your participation. If you have any questions, please reach out to [provide your school email]. Have a good day.
Interview Transcripts and Recordings
Cole Tweedy:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Xy6qTiZql5HEHCvLi74vnrFX23y_5KZL1RNcPZPxgmU/edit
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bwRQ0UsuDwW8LHY2VRhVU-qogLfsr0ob/view?usp=drive_link
Grace Lindemann:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_4oOELOGPV1qv92ORIexZlpjHUcG4EVsqDB0UfKNSUo/edit
Bryce Stanisz:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jsg9gVbZ0zIimFvYIeh7TnuP8zIdnTAB1ArSiYNwSlo/edit?usp=sharing
Jasen Speaker:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N20ZiU1oYPqz3YfcyZwsDvJJIC5Ad1Ml/view?usp=sharing
Matthew Pizzo:
audio1714316721.m4a
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Xy6qTiZql5HEHCvLi74vnrFX23y_5KZL1RNcPZPxgmU/edit
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bwRQ0UsuDwW8LHY2VRhVU-qogLfsr0ob/view?usp=drive_link
Grace Lindemann:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_4oOELOGPV1qv92ORIexZlpjHUcG4EVsqDB0UfKNSUo/edit
Bryce Stanisz:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jsg9gVbZ0zIimFvYIeh7TnuP8zIdnTAB1ArSiYNwSlo/edit?usp=sharing
Jasen Speaker:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N20ZiU1oYPqz3YfcyZwsDvJJIC5Ad1Ml/view?usp=sharing
Matthew Pizzo:
audio1714316721.m4a
Brainstorm
Below are ideas which we considered when coming up with possible designs for our starship. Not all of the ideas are of the same caliber of quality as we were in the early phases of ideation and were saying any and every idea we had and considering what would and wouldn’t work later.
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This storyboard depicts a Starship with a PAL hotspot. The people are shown using their phones. The people’s phones die but they locate a hotspot Starship. The people plug their phones into the Starship and charge their phones back up. Now, their phones are charged, and they have better signals. This starship also connects people in a context where they cannot retreat to their phones, giving an opportunity for human-to-human connection.
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The top left storyboard depicts the idea for a trash can/ ashtray Starship. In the storyboard, the user starts his journey in a class where he feels he needs a break. The user checks the Starship app for the closest smoking designated starship and leaves class. He then has a nice time chatting with the other people taking advantage of the pro-smoking area.
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Icy Sidewalks at Purdue
To help understand the state of ice removal at Purdue University and see where our Starship design might be useful, we searched the internet for information on how ice is cleared and what people feel about it. Below are sources we used during our design and summaries of their contents
https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/purduetoday/releases/2021/Q1/be-cautious-walking-in-winter-weather.html
In the article published by Purdue University, the REM (Radiological and Environmental Management) provides a list of guidelines for traveling in icy conditions at Purdue. The article states that students should avoid walkways that haven’t been treated but gives little or no information on how main sidewalks will be handled. This is hazardous for the students because, for students who walk on the main sidewalks, they are unsure when paths will be treated or which ones have been, until they go out.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Purdue/comments/5svtrx/be_safe_out_there_the_ice_polishers_are_at_work/
In this thread, many students express their dissatisfaction with the current way that sidewalks are clear, calling the vehicles used to remove the snow and ice, “ice polishers”, which are still . This thread also shows that there are disagreements about what the best solution for icy sidewalks would be. Additionally, the vehicle in the picture provided is too wide to clear regular-width sidewalks.
Inital Sketch
The concept of the snowplow starship was from a story board design. The idea of that was plow the sidewalks while everyone was asleep, ensuring that there will be no snow there the following day.
Preceding our initial presentation of our concept, we created a clearer sketch of what a snow clearing starship might look like. The above is that sketch. This initial sketch shows a Starship with a snowplow on the front and salt spreading/antifreeze spraying attachments on the bottom. This initial sketch stays true to the form of the starship while also adding the features needed to make it useful as a snow-clearing robot. |
Refinement
Following the midpoint review, we discussed on how to make it more human, finding that human connection. I was in charge of the redesign, making that iconic look so people can recognize it and understand this purpose. There were some ideations from the original, at one point considering something of a spherical nature, but the rest thought that was to off brand.
The eventual idea was that there were supplies within the drone that people can get to clear personal residents housing or areas that the drones can't go. |
Final Design
The final design of the starship drone shown above is an improvement from the original design, offering more features and having a better design. The sleek design was one of the things that I wanted to retain, as this is a key feature the starships already have and is recognizable. After the midpoint review, there was a lot of work to get done for this product. The first problem that arose was the snowplow itself, as this product will be used for a quarter of the year. So, we decided that this will be the main feature, that the interchangeability of this product so it could be used yearly was the main point. For the summer, there is an attachment on the bottom that can move your yard and during the fall, there is a leaf blower function for the front.
Secondly, we added treads to replace the wheels for it to get more traction on snow or icy surfaces, as I have seen them get stuck multiple times cause of this. Inside the starship, there is a container with winter gear for maintenance workers to use if necessary. There is also a tank to hold antifreeze and a compartment for rock salt to use on sidewalks inside the starship. Finally, there is a rotating salt dispenser and an antifreeze sprayer located on the bottom of the starship which will de-ice as it plows snow.
Conclusion
The Starship that this team created is an extremely useful robot. It solves many problems with the current starships by creating a robot which serves as a helper on the sidewalks, instead of a nuisance. Despite removing its food delivering capabilities, we gave it a set of features which would help serve the whole campus at once, not just an individual at a time. We created it because we and others feel that Purdue’s response to snow is lacking. There are not enough people to clear all the sidewalks on campus before they can become icy and dangerous. We are tired of being restricted by the snowy weather in where we go and what we do out of concern for our safety. The Starship that we designed could be used year-round to help keep campus safe and beautiful. A safer campus will invite more people to explore and meet new people, making Purdue a more connected space.
Thank you to Grace Lindemann, Jasen Speaker, Bryce Stanisz, Cole Tweedy for being great group members.