MIAD
EDF
Effortless Dolly Cart
12 in x 6 in x 4 in
January 6, 2021 Foam board, Acrylics, Found Materials Sculpture EDF is an effortless dolly cart, that is able to carry heavy objects up and down stair flights. It reduces back pain and minimizes amount of effort put in. This product was inspired by a DJ, whom has a passion towards his business, but is limited to the work he is able to do because of age.
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Inspiration
My inspiration came from a DJ, my father, Marcos. Since the age of 16, my father has been a DJ and started his business at the age of 19. When speaking to him he mentioned various things he had to do. His first gig was at his high school's dance, with little money he bought a mixer; later on he started working to gain enough money to buy equipment, varying from; speakers, cables, lighting,, laptop, etc. I did notice multiple problems he had encountered, two of the most shocking ones I noticed was how he had no proper work space and how he had transportation other than his car. I had also noticed how with age he seemed to slow down with his business. Marcos mentioned his love towards his business and how he struggles from time to time with doing things faster. My inspiration came from his journey to get where he is with his business. Marcos worked from a young age to start a business involving his passion, music. The older he gets the less he wants to stop DJ, it his stress reliever and I was inspired to help him figure out to continue his passion. I also found inspiration from already existing products. There was a hover board backpack that gave me inspiration to use the hover board and modify it to a zipper. As well as an existing three-wheeled dolly, meant to help older people carry groceries.
Process
First Prototype
For the first prototype I was just trying to get an overall idea of what I wanted to add, or take away from the design. I did want to add some handles in the back as it would help out with cables and reduced the travel times. I also had to think about how I the wheels would work and design to help reduce the weight.
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Second Prototype
For the second prototype I had the overall idea already set. I included a more detail prototype including the place where the hover board would be placed, fixed the handles and added four places to hold the cables. I also began the idea of making the wheels. I used toothpicks to insert on the triangle, then made a small hole on the side of the cart where the wheel would be able to turn all three wheels. I also did fix the proportions, just to see a new perspectives. I did go to the person and asked if he would prefer a wider or skinnier cart, he did say he would prefer it to be not as wide as the first and overall liked the proportion of the second prototype.
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First Wheel Prototype
After finishing the second overall prototype, I decided to build a mock-up of the wheels and see how it would look on the finished product. I decided to build it out of foam board and cotton swabs. I also built a stair case, and decided to test out the wheels. I did decide I was going to change the spacing between the wheels and the triangle. Instead of a full triangle it could be almost poles connected on the center of the wheels, that way less material used would help reduce the weight. This will allow for the finished cart to fit into tighter places, like doors and hallways. I did decide to build the finish product out of wires and bottle caps that way the movement of the wheels will flow better.
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Final Product
I started making cutting out the pieces from the poster board, and laying them down the way they would fit together, I made sure to have correct measurements, especially with the triangles, that would help the wheels move correctly.
Using a mixture of mod podge and water, I grabbed paper towels, dipped the paper towels into the mixture and placed it on the places where there would need more stability, bottom of the cart and any creases.
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In order for the wheels to be able to turn I made a very small container, almost as a step, to put the wheels through, that way they would move at the same time, and last longer when lifting heavier things. Not only did this serve as a protector for the wheels, but helps the person put all the weight on those wheels
Once I had let the mixture dry and everything was built, I painted the dolly, using the black paint to have outlines around and have it look appealing, and then painting everything else gray to represent the material (steel).
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While letting the paint dry I used 6 water bottle caps to make the wheels. I used a pin, that was over fire for a couple of seconds to make a small hole in the center of the wheels. I did this of all six wheels, then used nails to insert them through the triangle, then the wheel. I used hot glue to ensure it would not fall off, but would have the mobility.
After assembling all pieces I decided to make a small model of two speakers to show how it would be carried, I also built small staircases to show how it would move overall. To build these I used poster board and hot glue.
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Experimentation
When experimenting I was going to use the pins to make attach them, I did try to cut them down to size but was not able to, I then decided to leave it and put hot glue. I was not very please with this so I decided to use small nails that I had found. When working with the nails I did however, needed to make the hole from the bottle caps a bit bigger, causing me to use the pin technique multiple times.
After completing the model, I do think it turned out how I had originally planned. There were a couple changes from the very first sketch to the final product. For example, I did change the handles, and removed the placing to carry cables. This is because when speaking with the DJ, he did say how he usually carried a bag full of cables and saw no need to include that, he did also say he would often struggle to find correct placing to hold when trying to turn the cart. That is when I replaced the cable holders with new hand placements.
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ACT Responses
1. Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your work.
The DJ struggled to get his job done because of back pain and age, after doing some research, I was able to create a board to propose an idea to people in the same situation.
2. What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Marcos struggles to carry heavy objects, mainly focusing on reducing the cause of his back pain.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusion have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while your researched your inspiration?
When interviewing Marcos I noticed, with age comes a various amount of health problems, preventing people from doing what they love to do.
4.What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The main idea is to design a product that helps older people put in less effort in carrying products
5. What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
There have been multiple products ranging from: hover boards, kites about shoulders, all in which help reduce the amount of weight being carried.
The DJ struggled to get his job done because of back pain and age, after doing some research, I was able to create a board to propose an idea to people in the same situation.
2. What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Marcos struggles to carry heavy objects, mainly focusing on reducing the cause of his back pain.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusion have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while your researched your inspiration?
When interviewing Marcos I noticed, with age comes a various amount of health problems, preventing people from doing what they love to do.
4.What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The main idea is to design a product that helps older people put in less effort in carrying products
5. What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
There have been multiple products ranging from: hover boards, kites about shoulders, all in which help reduce the amount of weight being carried.