Stage 4 Design, Digital Technologies and Engineered Systems

What is Design?

• Design is a way of finding a solution to a challenge.

Factors Influencing Design

• The acronym S.A.F.E. helps to remember important factors influencing good design.
• S - Simple designs are long-lasting.
• A - A design must be appropriate in terms of aesthetics, cultural acceptance, and its impact on society and the environment.
• F - A design must be functional and achieve its intended purpose.
• E - A design must be economical, with a reasonable working life and minimal resource usage.

Design Processes

• Design processes involve a sequence of organized steps to provide a solution to design challenges.
• Design processes can take from seconds to years, involve one or many people, and can be simple or complex.
• Design processes involve evaluation and iteration throughout the process.
• The general design process follows eight steps, using the acronym D.E.S.I.G.N.E.D.

D.E.S.I.G.N.E.D. Design Process

• D - Describe the challenge.
• E - Establish ideas after research.
• S - Select an idea.
• I - Investigate the idea by testing, experimenting, and researching.
• G - Go or stop with the selected idea.
• N - New design - manufacture begins.
• E - Evaluation - a final assessment of the completed project.
• D - Done - the completion of the design process.

What is Design?

• Design is a way of finding a solution to a challenge
• Simple designs are long-lasting

Factors that Influence Design

• S.A.F.E. acronym helps remember important factors:
  • S: Simple
  • A: Appropriate
  • F: Functional
  • E: Economical

Simple Design

• A design that is easy to understand and use
• Long-lasting designs are considered simple

Appropriate Design

• A design that is aesthetically pleasing and culturally acceptable
• Consideration of the design's impact on society and the environment

Functional Design

• A design that achieves its intended purpose
• Example: A roadside sign that is easily understood by people traveling at normal speed

Economical Design

• A design that has a reasonable working life and uses minimal resources
• Consideration of resources used during manufacture, use, and disposal

Design Processes

• Involve a sequence of organized steps to solve design challenges
• May take seconds, minutes, or years to complete
• May involve one person or many people
• May be simple or complex
• Involve evaluation and iteration throughout the process

D.E.S.I.G.N.E.D. Design Process

• 8 steps to solve design challenges:
  • D: Describe the challenge
  • E: Establish ideas after research
  • S: Select an idea
  • I: Investigate the idea through testing and research
  • G: Go or stop with the selected idea
  • N: New design - manufacture begins
  • E: Evaluation - a final assessment of the completed project
  • D: Final delivery or deployment of the design

Creativity and Design Process

• Brainstorming, writing down good ideas, and talking to people are essential steps in achieving good ideas
• Researching through libraries, internet, and conducting research helps in generating creative solutions
• Sketching ideas and using mind maps can aid in developing creative solutions
• Try using ideation to develop innovative solutions

Managing and Making Quality Projects

• Managing involves planning, organizing, implementing, and evaluating projects
• Building a bridge project involves managing the bridge design and making (constructing) the bridge
• Success of all design projects depends on effective planning, organizing, implementing, and evaluating

Research

• Research is the process of gathering information to gain knowledge
• Research methods include recording past experiences and gathering information

Evaluating

• Evaluating means to determine the value and appropriateness of something
• Evaluation occurs throughout all stages of the design process
• Evaluation involves determining what questions to ask, assessing all possible solutions, determining the best method, and assessing the final design product

Information and Communication

• Information is the collection of facts and data that becomes knowledge when remembered and understood.
• Communication is the exchange of information between individuals or groups.

Methods of Communication

• There are five methods of communicating information:
  • Printed Information
  • Computers
  • Voice & Hearing
  • Sight
  • Broadcast

Principles of Effective Communication

• The sender must provide a clear and unambiguous message.
• The method used to send the message should not reduce the clarity of the message.
• The receiver must easily understand the message.

The Work of Designers

• Designers have contributed to the quality of life in early societies through developments such as:
  • Using bone as a digging implement
  • Using animal skins for clothing
  • Inventing the wheel for transport
  • Building bridges to cross rivers
  • Designing boats for fishing

Fields of Design

• There are 11 fields of design:
  • Architecture
  • Engineering
  • Fashion Design
  • Graphic Design
  • Industrial (& Product) Design
  • Interior Design
  • Jewellery Design
  • Landscape Architecture
  • Set Design
  • Textile Design
  • Theatrical Costume Design

Designers' Contribution to Quality of Life

• Designers have contributed to the quality of life in society, and without them, society as we know it today would not exist.
• An example of a design that would impact life greatly if it no longer existed is to be considered by the individual.

Responsible and Ethical Design

• A responsible design is one that will not harm the user, other people, or the environment.
• An ethical design supports the accepted values, beliefs, and customs of society.

Ethical Considerations

• Privacy
• Public Acceptance of Designs
• Ownership of Designs
• Advertising and Marketing of the Design
• Ethics in Research & Testing
• Designs involving Genetic Engineering
• Exploitation during the Making of Design Products
• Financial Mismanagement if Design Projects

Designing Sustainable Products & Solutions

• Resources are categorized into:
  • Hardware
  • Software
  • Essentialware
  • Wetware

Work Health & Safety

• The law in NSW regarding the safety for people in the workplace is called the “Work Health & Safety Act 2011” (WHS).
• The WHS aims to encourage persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) and workers to maintain, monitor, and improve the health, safety, and welfare of everyone in the workplace.
• The WHS requires PCBUs to consult with workers on matters affecting their health, safety, and welfare.
• There are three options for doing this: WHS Committees (HSC), WHS Representatives (HSRs), and Other agreed arrangements.

Hazard Identification

• A ‘hazard’ is something that could harm people, such as:
  • Scrap materials left on the floor
  • Machines that could throw particles into the eyes of the user
  • Sharp tools
  • Hot materials, machines, and tools
  • Chemicals
  • Cutting machines
• When a health or safety hazard has been identified, removing or controlling the hazard should be a priority in the WHS program.

Controlling Risks in the Workplace

• Where it is not reasonably practicable for the risk to be eliminated, the PCBU must minimize risks implemented in a series of steps.

Emergency Procedures

• Know the location and how to use the fire extinguisher, fire blanket, first aid box, and emergency stop buttons for machinery.
• Learn evacuation procedures.
• Get help as soon as possible and report all accidents, even if they seem minor.

Personal Safety

• Always wear safe clothing, such as an apron and solid shoes.
• Avoid loose clothing, jewelry, or long hair that is not covered or tied back.
• Avoid working in unventilated areas and wash your hands when finished.

Safe Practices

• Always listen to instructions.
• Do not play or fool around in the workshop.
• Keep the work area clean and tidy.
• Always use tools for the correct purpose and only after being shown how to correctly use them by your teacher.

Machine Safety

• Never use a machine if you have not been shown how to operate it by your teacher.
• Do not operate machines without a teacher present in the room.
• Make sure all machine guards are in place before switching on the machine.
• Only the operator is to be in the machine safety zone when operating the machine.
• Use workshop safety glasses when using tools and machines requiring eye protection.

Electrical Safety

• Keep the power lead away from the work area.
• Check that the machine switch is off before switching on at the power point.
• Do not use electrical tools or power leads that are damaged.
• All plug-in electrical tools and electrical leads must be inspected, tested, and tagged every 12 months in schools and 3 months on a construction worksite.
• Do not use out-of-date electrical tools or power leads.
• Report all damaged electrical equipment immediately.

Getting Started with Google Sheets

• Create a new Google Sheets file in a shared folder and name it 'Production and Design Folio'.
• Ensure proficiency in navigating the spreadsheet.

Formulas and Functions

• Basic arithmetic operations: Add, Subtract, Multiply, Divide
• Median, Min, Max, Count, Counta, Average functions
• Conditional functions: If, Ifs, Iferror
• Data analysis functions: Countif, Sumif, Vlookup
• Filter function and Current Date/Time function

Creating an Interactive Chart

• Add a new sheet to the spreadsheet and rename it to 'Creating an Interactive Chart'.
• Learn to create an infographic to visually represent data using the new sheet.
• Example data: Enhanced Media Metrics Australia report on young Australians' eating habits
• Key finding: 60% of Australians aged 14-29 eat fast food at least once a month, compared to the national average of 45%.

Engineered Systems

• Engineered systems involve the design and production of sustainable systems, machines, and structures that consider force, motion, energy, and material properties.
• The selection of resources for engineered systems involves considering factors such as hardware, software, essentialware, and wetware.

Resources

• Resources include hardware (physical equipment), software (knowledge), essentialware (time, finances, energy), and wetware (human creativity).
• An engineering system combines components to provide a pre-planned and useful function.

Materials

• Materials are substances used to design and produce engineered systems.
• Criteria for selecting materials include:
  • Awareness of the range of materials
  • Quality of the material
  • Financial cost
  • Renewable and recyclable resources
  • Durability
  • Environmental impact
  • Ease of use and waste management

Tools

• Tools are implements that assist in performing tasks and can be machines.
• Designers and producers must consider the characteristics and functions of tools.
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people developed tools for specific purposes.

Ethics

• Ethics involve moral principles that judge good or bad and right or wrong.
• Designers must consider current and future trends, patriotism, multiculturalism, and profitability.

Profitability

• Profitability is the ability of an enterprise to produce a return on investment.
• Profitability is important in commercial design and technology projects because it resources further research and development.

Sustainability

• Sustainability involves the intelligent use of renewable resources to minimize depletion of natural resources.

Impact of Industry 4.0 on Societies

• Positive impacts include new products and services, increased efficiency, and remote work capabilities.
• Negative impacts include inequality and job displacement.

Transportation

• Australian Indigenous People used canoes as their main form of transport and developed engineered systems such as water bags and firestick farming.

Control Technologies

• Control Technologies involve systems that produce desired outcomes from an action by controls.
• There are two basic kinds of control systems: open-loop systems and closed-loop systems.
• Examples of control systems include open-looped systems (e.g., a tap) and closed-looped systems (e.g., a toilet's cistern).

Industry 4.0

• Industry 4.0 refers to the current trend of automation and data transfer in design and technologies.
• It involves the development of smart and autonomous digital systems that produce smart machines that learn from data and algorithms without human intervention.

History of Industrial Revolutions

• The 1st Industrial Revolution (18th century) introduced mechanization, steam, and water power.
• The 2nd Industrial Revolution brought mass production and the assembly line.
• The 3rd Industrial Revolution introduced computers and automation.

Examples of Industry 4.0

• SAM (Semi-Automated Mason) is a robot that lays bricks three times faster than humans without errors or fatigue.
• Drones are used for crop spraying, planting, aerial imaging, remote monitoring, and analysis of fields and crops, increasing productivity and profitability for farmers.
• Immobots are immobile robots that think for themselves and operate machines without human intervention, used in NASA's Deep Space One mission.

Impact of Industry 4.0 on Societies

• Industry 4.0 requires raw materials, which can impact Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders through environmental damage, loss of culture, livelihoods, and health.
• Extractive industries can cause conflict, forced displacement, and further marginalization for Indigenous communities.
• Agreements like the one between Argyle Diamonds and local Indigenous peoples recognize the latter as landlords and establish a long-term relationship.

Positive and Negative Impacts of Industry 4.0

• Positive impacts: new products and services, increased efficiency, and remote capabilities.
• Negative impacts: inequality, widening wealth gap between innovators and laborers, and conflicting interests.

Mechanical Control Components

• Drive systems connect an energy source to a rotating output shaft and can change direction, velocity, and torque.
• Levers, pulleys, and gears change direction, distance, speed, and effort to move a load.
• Cams convert rotary motion to reciprocating motion.
• Crank and slider mechanisms convert rotary motion to reciprocating motion and vice versa.
• Screw threads actuate linear motion from rotary motion and are used in airplane flaps, car jacks, and robotic screw actuators.
• Hydraulic and pneumatic actuators produce linear and rotary motion from control signals using high-pressure liquids and gases.

Electrical Control Components

• Switches are mechanical devices that make or break connections to turn power on or off.
• Electric motors are actuators that use electrical signals to turn a driveshaft.
• Stepper motors are special DC motors that move in small, accurate steps and are used in photocopiers, printers, and industrial robots.
• Solenoids produce linear motion from an electric current and are used in valves, door locks, and dispensing machines.

Electronic Control Components

• Automatic electronic control systems have four stages: input, process, output, and feedback.
• The input stage uses data and sensors to detect light, temperature, position, and moisture.
• The process stage contains an electronic device that responds to sensor signals, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU).
• Examples of processors include Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) and Integrated Circuit Cards (ICCs).
• The output stage contains components that take action, such as lights, buzzers, and motors.

Mechatronic Control Components

• Mechatronics combines mechanical, electronic, and software engineering to design and manufacture modern products.
• Examples include braking control systems in cars, cameras, and medical devices.
• Mechatronic design involves a joint study of mechanical, electrical, and software engineering.

Programming Language

• Software is written in programming languages that enable a processor to operate.
• Many programming languages exist, but non-procedural languages are often used for machines and robots.
• Examples of programming languages include LabVIEW, C, and Pascal.
• Lego Robolab Software is derived from NASA's robotic exploration software.

Connecting Interdependent Devices

• Interdependent devices in a control system communicate with each other to achieve required outputs.
• Examples include the Lego Mindstorms EV3 package, which uses input sensors to command motor and light outputs.
• The Codrone drone uses infrared, gyroscopic, and barometric sensors and connects to a computer via Bluetooth.

Modelling, Simulating, and Prototyping Systems

• Modelling represents a real-world system, while simulation uses that model to test and predict outcomes.
• Computers are used for modelling and simulation due to their processing power and accuracy.
• Simulation is used to model dangerous, impractical, or expensive systems, such as aircraft flight simulators.
• Prototyping involves building a three-dimensional model to evaluate and refine a design.
• Rapid prototyping and 3D printing have replaced traditional prototype model making.
• Additive Manufacturing uses 3D printers to create working machine parts on demand.