ALREFAIE99: Ultra Sock 2000

Executive Summary

The objective for Project Two was to design and fabricate a device to aid the Marianist community in their universal goal. After interviewing a Marianist and conducting research, the team had a general idea of the various options available. During group discussion, each member presented ideas to the group for consideration. The options were recorded and after deliberation many were rejected. After learning about elderly citizens struggling to put on their socks, Team Zayad created the Ultra-Sock 2000. The Ultra-Sock 2000 is designed to aid the elderly and disabled with putting on their socks. The Ultra-Sock 2000 has a frame in which to position the sock. The user, going toes first, slips on the sock, guided by the plastic slide. The handles have double features as a shoehorn and a sock grabber. With the completion of fabricating the Ultra-Sock 2000, the team reached its objectives and goals with convincing success. The Ultra-Sock 2000 works very nicely, helping to put on a sock with great efficiency.

Introduction

The challenge for Project Two was to design something which would help the Marianist mission. The team focused its research on helping the elderly and disabled, and decided to work on a noble, basic, and practical tool which can make the beneficiaries more independent and able to overcome the difficulties that they face during their daily tasks. One of the problems the elderly and disabled face is the need of others’ help to do a simple task such as putting on their socks; therefore, the team worked on easing the burden and make the targeted group more confident.

The team kept in mind some objectives to reach. The first goal the team attempted to reach was helping those people to feel more comfortable and able to perform their own needs by themselves. The team set up a certain level of quality, durability, and practical benefits which need to be achieved, for example, having an appropriate size which covers as many foot sizes as possible, or using such sturdy materials which will not add too much weight to the tool to increase user friendliness. The team wanted their tool to be highly practical, so the tool did not settle on being solely a sock “putter-onner”. The team went further to create handles which work as a shoe horn and help taking the socks off or even grab them from the ground when needed.

The team also faced some constraints which need to be addressed. One of those constraints was making reliable joints connecting sock “putter-onner” portion with the two handles, which took some time until the team agreed and found the appropriate materials for the joints. Another self imposed constraint the members faced during their design selection was to stay within the goal agreed upon. The team did not want to have a complicated tool requiring heavy detailed work or large amounts of money, because the goal was making a practical tool which did not cost a lot of money, but could support the targeted group, and could spread widely.

Regarding the requirements, the project’s supplies should not cost more than $60. The group succeeded on not exceeding the limit, as the allocated budget was only $20. Finally, the project was to be completed in time for the established due date.

The project leader had made some calls and contacted some members of the Marianist community who explained their needs, and after contacted, the targeted group of focus for the team had been narrowed down. As a result, the team chose to aid the elderly and disabled. So in order for the team to choose their final project, every member has done his or her own research and looked up further information which helped so much to arrive to the final idea, a combination between the members’ ideas.

Design Alternatives

Team members did research about the Marianist Community to know their goals. The team presented some difficulties the Marianists face, such as how to help the elderly mobilize, education, help the elderly and disabled in general to become more independent. Conceptual sketches can be seen in appendices A and C. The team decided to concentrate on aiding the elderly to become more independent rather than being dependent and waiting for people to help them. The team members discussed helping the elderly and disabled to get in a van by inventing a ramp which could help them to get in the van without any help and with a small amount of money. (Appendix B) However, the team found some difficulties on how they could build the ramp; so the team rejected the idea. After, the team decided to find another way to could help the elderly people to live a more independent life. The team came up with the idea of the Ultra-Sock 2000, which could help the elderly and disabled to put on their socks without any help. The next step was to discuss how the Ultra-Sock 2000 could be built.

The team came up with many different designs for the Ultra-Sock 2000. Each team member presented different designs of the Ultra-Sock 2000. The team then discussed the designs. These designs were narrowed down to the features the team wanted to incorporate on the final design. The team found a way to incorporate several features to improve the final design. Some of the features the team conceived included a shoehorn, and a sock picker-upper. The team voted on what aspects would be included in the final design. A drawing of the final design was then made to show how the elected aspects fit together. The final design was then assessed with the measurements of each feature. The layouts of the final design pieces were then drawn to show how the team would fit the pieces of the project together.

Design Selection

Each member of the team developed different ideas for the sock “putter-onner”. The team met to discuss the different options presented. The team decided the design should include multiple functions because the target audience of the product is people with limited mobility. The aspects of the design which would be focused on were putting the sock on, taking the sock off, and helping to put on shoes. The ability to use the product safely was also a key point in the design. Other elements the team focused on when creating designs were ease of use, flexibility, sturdiness, and movability of the parts of the product. The team rejected some of the presented ideas because the designs did not meet the requirements. One alternative design which was rejected was to have a wooden base on the product. The wooden base was rejected because the team felt a base would be too heavy and hinder ease of use. Another rejected alternative design was to have a dual system unit. The idea was rejected because the team felt a dual system unit would impede use for the target audience and cause safety issues. (Appendix D)

Final Design

The final design the team chose used a wire frame with a plastic slide and multifunctional handles. The metal frame, constructed from 9-guage wire, was bent into a design which could cradle a sock. The three-dimensional shape of the frame bends into an L shape from a nearly nine-inch rise from the connection point, and bends back down after about three and a half inches. From there it drops down for another three inches and bends sharply out at a 90-degree angle. This loops around in an arch until it returns up in the same way it bent down. The plastic slide, measured at six and a half inches, is a half pipe cut from PVC piping. The frame is connected two and a half inches down from one end of the pipe. This orientation of the PVC pipe from now on to be referred to as the top, with the reverse end described as the bottom. The multifunctional handles are connected with very close dimensions to each corner of the top of the pipe—approximately half an inch from the top and side. These handles are bolted on with loose joints such that they have nearly free range with the exception of the wire.

The Ultra-Sock 2000 provides optimum sock “putting-on” experience. Offering multiple functions, the Ultra-Sock 2000 boasts a durable and impressive sock putting-on experience. However, the current version contains relatively sharp corners and slightly heavy materials. This failed to meet one of our constraints, to make a lightweight design. The weight of the sock putter-onner is not heavy or cumbersome to use, but it is not lightweight. The weight would not be an issue in the execution of use. A final weakness worth mentioning is the ease of use. The Ultra-Sock 2000 is not necessarily an intuitive design. There are specifications with how to mount the sock. However, it is not a difficult process to learn, and the proper application of the sock results in an exceptional sock putting-on experience.

Technical Aspects

The engineered design for the Ultra-Sock 2000 required many scientific and mathematical principles. Most of the math used in the design was used to measure the parts of the design and the way of attaching them. The team decided to use a long shoehorn to make using the Ultra-Sock 2000 easier with a length of 18 and a half inches. The shoehorn cost the team $11.29. Also, the team used a PVC tube as plastic slide and that cost $7.53. The team cut the PVC tube to make a plastic slide; the team decided to cut this 6.5 inches in length with a diameter of 4.25 inches as the width of the plastic slide. Moreover, the team bought a metal wire for $10.98 to use as a frame of the Ultra-Sock 2000. The measurements of the wire frame were 6.5 inches in length and 3 inches wide. In addition, the team used nuts with blots to attach the parts of the Ultra-Sock 2000. The nuts were 5mm width and the team bought the nuts for $4.68. Also, the blots were 5mm width by 25mm length and the team bought the bots for $1.97. After attaching all the parts of the Ultra-Sock 2000 the total length came out to be 23 inches with a width of 4.25 inches. In addition, the team achieved the requirement of the project by being within the budget. The team spent only $36.45 on the Ultra-Sock 2000 which made the team spending about two thirds of the whole budget and saving more than one third.

Testing the Design

The construction of the Ultra Sock 2000 began with the cutting of the PVC pipe. The PVC pipe was to be used as a guide for the user’s foot. The team first cut off a smaller section of the PVC pipe. The smaller section of the PVC pipe was cut in half to be the semi-circle guide. The next step was to drill holes for attachment purposes in the PVC pipe and shoehorns. One hole was drilled in each of the shoehorns and four holes were drilled in the PVC pipe: two for attaching the shoehorns and two for attaching the wire frame. The holes for the wire frame, which would hold the sock, were drilled at an angle in order to the keep the wire from sticking out too far. The wire was cut, shaped, and attached to the PVC pipe. The shoehorns were attached to the PVC pipe with a nut and bolt. Members of the team conducted the tests of the Ultra Sock 2000. A member of the team tried to put on a sock using the device. From the first test an issue became apparent, which was the sock not staying up on the wire frame. The team resolved the issue by lengthening the wire frame and reshaping the wire. A bend was put in the back of the wire in order to keep the sock from sliding down. The team retried the test to put on a sock. At first the sock did not go on how it should have, but with experimentation on mounting the sock in the frame, the team found a solution. The test to put on the sock was successful.

Results

When the building process of the Ultra-Sock 2000 had reached its end, it was as same as the team conceived it to be. The Ultra-Sock 2000 came up with the right measurements that can fit as many different foot sizes as possible. The Ultra-Sock 2000 has also shown its strength after being tested by the team, which removed all the concerns the team had about the durability of the joints.

Conclusion

The design has met all the objectives and goals which were set up by the team. The first goal for the team was building a tool that can help elderly and disabled people and add something to the community, and that was what the Ultra-Sock 2000 did. By using the Ultra-Sock 2000, wearing socks became easier. The technical goals of the project included a frame size that could conform as many foot sizes as possible, and this is what the team did. The team arrived, after two trails, to a frame size that would fit different foot sizes. Another goal for the team was building durable joints that last long and do not break easily, and the team succeeded in having durable joints that show its strength after being tested. Another goal the team worked on having in the device was making a tool that could be used for different purposes, so the team did not only build a socks putter onner, but also a shoe horn and a sock grabber. With all those goals accomplished by the team, only $36.45 was spent from the $60 budget supplied by the University of Dayton.

Recommendations

The team had several mistakes that they had not thought of or planned for before starting to build their design. The first problem the team struggled with was finding a way to cut the PVC pipe perpendicularly into equal halves to get the half-moon shape which would be used as a foot slider. However, the team used handsaws to cut the PVC pipe, even though that created some unequal or sharp edges that the team had to equalize and smooth off afterwards, it would have been more efficient and easier if the lab contained a safe way to utilize electronic saws.

Another point that postponed finishing the Ultra-Sock 2000 was not having a clear vision of the frame size, because there was not enough information which the team can collect in order to choose a frame size that can fit different foot sizes. Once the team had finished with building the Ultra-Sock 2000 and started testing it, the device did not work well because the size of the frame could not fit a normal foot size. However, the team had enough time to rebuild the frame and get it done in a short time, but with more practical frame size this time. So the team could have avoided the problem by doing their own research and not relying on expectations.

One last problem faced the team while creating the frame was not having a tool which could cut the wire into appropriate length; furthermore, there were no tools to help shape the frame. In that case the team needed some manpower in addition to the tools, so the members were using their power to cut the sturdy wire, and to shape the final design of it using their own hands which cannot be as accurate. However, if there were a safe way to heat and bend the wire it would have been better, because that would make the metal wire easier to control.

Recommendations

Size Adjustments

One recommendation that can improve the Ultra-Sock 2000’s practicality, in the event it would be produced, is having different sizes of the foot slider and the metal frame. The team tried their best to come up with a size that perfectly covers as many different foot sizes as possible; however, that size still has its limitations where it cannot fit larger or smaller foot sizes.

Aesthetics

For beauty and quality purposes, the Ultra-Sock 2000 was going to look better if it was possible to paint it. The team did not paint the Ultra-Sock 2000 for several reasons; one reason is that painting a tool that would be interacting with the body needs specialists who can provide some paints with no side effects on the skin of the human body. Another reason the team did not paint the Ultra-Sock 2000 was the possibility of paint rubbing off onto a piece of fabric that may touch the tool, because the team did not want to ruin the users socks or clothes.

Smoother Edges & Hide Bolts

Another point the team could work on better was finding a way to hide bolts so it does not create any kind of problems for the person who is using it. Also, the edges of the Ultra-Sock 2000 were a little bit sharp, so it needs to be smoother to avoid hurting the user’s foot while using the tool.

Bellow is a video showing the final test of the tool