Project Overview

For our project we want to engineer a simple, effective, and elegant product that people will want to use. Through brainstorming, a problem that we found and that we would like to address is the limited choices of iPhone cases. Through research, we found that there are no color changing iPhone cases, and that inspired our project. Our project goal is to 3D print an iPhone case out of color changing material, that is both appealing to the eye and protective for the phone. We hope to create unique and desirable phone cases that consumers want to purchase. The material we will use for the actual phone case is either a thermochromic or photochromic plastic. These materials change in the presence of light and heat, respectively. The market for this product is iPhone users who are searching for a new protective, creative, ergonomic, appealing, and unique case for their beloved iPhone.

Pramod Abichandani Biography

Pramod Abichandani is an academic and a technology entrepreneur. He serves as the Director of the Second Year Engineering Curriculum and an Assistant Teaching Professor at the College of Engineering at Drexel University. He is the founder of LocoRobo Inc., an educational technology company whose mission is to introduce kids to programming using robotics. He received his Bachelors of Engineering (B.E.) degree in 2005 from Nirma Institute of Technology, Gujarat University, India, and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Drexel University in 2007 and 2011 respectively.

His research interests are centered around optimal, multi-dimensional, data-driven decision-making, through the use of techniques from mathematical programming, linear and nonlinear systems theory, statistics, and machine learning. Specific technical areas include optimal decision-making for multi-robot systems under communication constraints, sensor fusion for naval ship monitoring, cognitive bias effects in handwriting forensics, and embedded systems design for data acquisition and control. Sponsors of his research include the National Science Foundation (NSF), Office of Naval Research (ONR), Will Eye Hospital Department of Reserach, Mathworks, Drexel ExCITe Center, and Drexel University's College of Engineering.

On the education front, he works on bringing innovation to the classroom by introducing novel course content, pedagogical methodologies, and evaluation techniques. He is leading research efforts that explore credentialing in engineering education, the scalability of engineering education innovations and technology, and engineering-specific learning theories for data analytics education. He has won several awards for his teaching, including the Continuing Excellence in Teaching (2010) award at Drexel University. In 2013, he was selected to participate in the National Academy of Engineering’s fifth Frontiers of Engineering Education symposium in Irvine, California where he presented his Data Science education initiatives.

Source: http://www.pramod.co/biography.html

Week Five

Hey,

     So just today our 3D Filament arrived in the mail from Makerbot, and I am going home to pick it up sometime before this weekend. Now we need to find a CAD model of an iPhone case, and print out a prototype to see how it works. From there, we will decide further on thermochromatic 3D printing filament options that we have. 

     Below I have included a render of an iPhone case that we found online through GrabCAD.com (https://grabcad.com/library/iphone-5-case-minimal-1#) and we hope to use this or a similar model for out prototype. Hopefully by week six we have a color-changing prototype!

Until next time,

Etienne

Week Four

Hey everyone,

So this week we made good progress, and we are headed in the right direction with creating a thermochromic iPhone case. The original research we did had us convinced that we should buy separate plastic to adhere to the iPhone case, but after deeper research we found that there is thermochromic 3D printer filament ink! This simplifies the iPhone case because now we are able to create a case and the color changing effect in one piece, rather than sticking them together. Thermochromic filament is difficult to come by, but the three sources we have found are, respectively, in China (Suntec from http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Factory-direct-sale-Blue1-75-3-0MM-Luminescent-PLA-filament-for-3D-printer-For-Makerbot-Reprap/1819140844.html), the Netherlands (Trideus from http://www.trideus.be/en/formfutura-thermochromic-ecopla-grey.html), and the US (Makerbot from https://store.makerbot.com/filament/pla#small). We decided to order from Markerbot, since they are closest and a well known brand. We purchased a small spool of "Blue Photochromatic" filament . We are excited to print a test case and see if it works!

Until next week,

Etienne

Week Three

We entered week 3 with the idea that our new project would be centered around a coffee maker that would start when your alarm sounded.  It would come equipped with an app much like the original blinds idea from week one.  After much internet research, it turns out that a coffee maker that automatically starts at your alarm already exists.  Needless to say we had to scratch that idea.  After more brainstorming we entered the field of mood/heat sensitive material.  We found a company that makes a skin for iPhone cases that changes color based on heat.  This skin does not protect an iPhone from damages from falls or spills.  We are going to create a CASE for iPhones that is heat sensitive, changes colors by the touch, and adequately protects the iPhone.

Week Two

Hey everyone,

During week two of our engineering design lab, we decided that maybe that designing an alarm clock app that syncs and raises your window blinds could be too difficult. We wanted to keep this same idea, of engineering some product that would make it easier to wake up in the morning. Through talking with the class advisors, they suggested creating an alarm clock app that syncs and starts your coffee machine, pouring you a cup of coffee. This project idea would be simpler than the window blinds, because instead of creating a window blind, we would be modifying a coffee machine. In our research, we found that for in-home appliancances, bluetooth technology is innefficient and that many companies used a wifi-based communication called Zigbee. Through Zigbee technology, consumers are able to sync their home appliances, and our alarm clock coffee machine would be just another appliance in the house. We will continue to explore different coffee machine options, different Zigbee / wireless connection options, and how to create a userfriendly smartphone app. Below is an image of a similar product called WeMo that communicates between your phone and your coffee machine.

Until next time,

Etienne

Week One

At the start of the first class, we formed our team and began breaking down the parameters for the project, and brainstorming ideas.  The parameters seemed broad; almost too broad.  We were told we were allowed to create any invention as long as it is an original idea, and we were to create a Kickstarter page to attract investors.  We began brainstorming ideas based on general things in our lives that annoy us and could be improved.  That resulted in the idea to create a window blind system that opened when your alarm sounds in the morning.  Sunlight triggers chemicals in your brain that allow you to naturally wake up rather than feeling groggy when you wake up.  Our blinds invention was to come equipped with an app that would set the alarm time as well as the time to open the blinds.

Kyle Shallow Bio

Kyle Andrew Shallow was born in 1995 at Pennsylvania Hospital to Lisa and Peter Shallow.  At the age of 3, his family moved into a colonial era house on a farm in rural South Jersey.  Shallow enjoyed growing up on the farm with his two younger siblings.  After a short stint in preschool, he attended Our Lady of Good Counsel School in Moorestown, NJ for grades K-8.  Shallow played most every sport you can imagine.  Sports were his passion.  But he knew they weren't in his professional future, so he studied hard in hopes of one day making a difference in the world.  In his spare time, Shallow did the monthly bookkeeping for the local farmer.  When the time to decide between high schools came around, he was left with a excruciatingly tough decision: Holy Cross High School or Saint Joseph's Preparatory School.  Shallow chose Holy Cross and they treated him well.  He began taking all the honors and AP courses offered at the school.  In the summers, he took a full time job as a laborer at Paparone Construction.  It was at this construction job that Kyle Shallow found his passion for engineering.  He loved the industry and wanted to be a part of it in the future.  Shallow graduated from Holy Cross having earned three varsity letters (football, basketball, golf) and been the editor-in-chief of the school newspaper.  Before graduation, Shallow decided to take his talents to West Philly and enroll in the college of engineering at Drexel University.  The transition from the farm to the city was a big leap but the co-op program drew him in.  Shallow lives happily with friends in his room in Kelly Hall.

Thomas Crowding's Bio

Thomas Andrew Crowding Jr. was born in Media, Pennsylvania on November 12, 1995. He was born to parents Thomas Andrew Crowding Sr. and Soyun Crowding. Growing up in a household of two different backgrounds and a very strong effect on Thomas. His mother Korean and father Irish and German he had his fair share of racial backgrounds. Thomas started schooling in his hometown of Media, and attended Penncrest High school until 2014. In high school Thomas was involved on the lacrosse team, rugby team, Future Business Leaders of America, and Physics Olympics. From these extracurricular activitiesThomas was learning how to be involved as a student. Some of Thomas' interests include music, snowboarding, socializing and working. After High school graduation Thomas attended Drexel University where he is currently studying mechanical engineering. His graduation from Drexel is planned to be in 2019.