Invention Discovery Scavenger Hunt 2

A Tornado of Ideas?

Using brainstorming (Rule 1. There are no bad ideas so all ideas count)

Use this page when you are ready to start working on one idea to solve a problem you found. This page will start the process of inventing. Write out your problem here:

__Social Distancing out in public___________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

 

Solutions: write them below	Reasons this is a Good idea?	Reasons this is Bad idea?
1. carry a giant ring (2-meter radius) everywhere you go, it could be held up by your shoulders	Nobody can physically get within 2 meters of you   Shows everyone else how far away you need to be	Hard to walk into shops, pick up and buy product   Usually isn’t enough space on sidewalks
2. widen sidewalks and paint lines that you must stay behind while walking	Everybody can go by these rules, not just you   Do not have to carry anything	Takes too much time   Roads will be too small to drive   Hard to tell how far behind somebody is
3. carry a 2-meter-long pole and keep it between you and everybody else. It could have a small shield as well	Easy to carry and use   Might inspire others to do the same thing	Might hurt somebody walking into it   Cannot be used on multiple people at a time
4.have a sensor that starts beeping if someone walks too close	Easy to use and light   Barely noticeable until beeping starts	Can’t face in multiple directions   Can get annoying
5. Put a divider up on sidewalk	Forces people walking opposite directions away from each other   Quick to put up	Doesn’t block other walking the same way   Inconvenient for people closest to road

 

Are You a Solution Seeker?

By now, you have learned that many people are interested in solutions that allow them to live better lives. What kinds of solutions are important to you? Is there a special challenge that you’re working on solving? Read the questions in the chart below, then write your thoughts down.

My idea:

Carrying a 2 meter long pole to hold between you and somebody else on the street

Problem I have identified to solve:

Social distancing easily is a place with many people

Things I will need o know in order to solve this problem:

• What material to use
• Which people would be okay with a stick being pointed at them
• Which people would not be okay with a stick being pointed at them
• Is there any reason I’m not allowed to use this in public

Who will I need to talk to? Who can help me with this invention?

Maybe a law enforcement officer, jus to make 100% sure it’s okay.

If I wanted to build a model of my invention, how would I try to do it?

Cut a material like wood, plastic and/or a steel rod to about a 2 meter pole, then attach something clear to the tip of the pole such as some clear plastic.

What materials will I need to make my model?

Just wood, some clear plastic, and hot glue (or a wood screw)

What equipment will I need to use to make my model?

Band saw, some hand sanders (maybe a screwdriver)

What steps will I have to take to invent my model?

1. Find a plank of wood long enough to be the neck of the invention.
2. Use the band saw to cut the plank into a 2-meter-long rectangle with a height and width of about 10 centimeters
3. Ease off the corners using sand paper, starting with a lower grit, and working up until smooth
4. Get a piece of clear plastic about 1 meter all the way around and cut it into a circle with a radius of about 30 centimeters

What problems could come up (potentially)?

Having a plank of wood where I would have to cut along the grain

The edges of the plastic being sharp after cut

The glue not bonding the 2 pieces together strongly enough

Who can I go to for help? (Besides Mr. Romani)

If I do need help, I could grab my parents, or a friend to test it on.

Patently Perfect!

Going through the Trademark Process

Before you get too far along on your invention, it makes good sense to make sure that no one has come up with the same invention before.

I invented a means to view new borns in their baby seats. The problem I identified was baby seats for cars require you to place the baby facing towards the back of the vehicle. The problem here is you can’t see the baby directly, so it’s difficult to tell when the baby is choking, in an awkward position or may have torticollis. By inserting a mirror in the back corner of the car/vehicle and another one that clips onto the rear-view mirror, you can adjust them to see the baby easily from the front drivers seat. There’s a quick example for you…. And I had no idea until I became a father and experienced this situation.

To do this, you will need to visit the U.S. Patent Office online and search their patent database. The URL is https://www.uspto.gov/patents-application-process/search-patents

One you have found the site, quick on “quick search” Under – Searching Full Text Patents (Since 1976)

Although I was able to find inventions after searching “Spacing Aid”, the most recent one was in 2003, so the use would be completely different than mine. Of the ones I glanced at, most were about air traffic control and computer software, so possibly not.

What is your invention about?

Creating a barrier between the operator and another individual, creating the space that many people would consider safe in a time like this, without the need for estimating the distance

What words would you use to describe your invention? Using the answers to these two questions, generate 10 key words that relate to your inventive idea:

1.Simple	2. New
3.Inovative	4.effective
5.efficient	6.Safe
7.Insightful	8.Light
9.Easy-to-use	10.Protective

 

Next, type these keywords into the search fields on the U.S. Patent Web site. Try different combinations of keywords two at a time. What patents so you find? Do any of them look like your invention? List the names of similar inventions below:

I found a lot of patents based on safe drug use, some things about treating erythema, and other inventions of varying use. The words I used to describe my invention may have been fairly broad and common, but I didn’t find any patents relating to my invention.

 

 

Invention Discovery Scavenger Hunt

Who Invents?

A lot of students just like you come up with some really great ideas. Do you think like an inventor? Put your thinking cap on and go on a Scavenger Hunt to learn more about who invents, and how inventors being their ideas to the world? Read the questions below, and decide where you will look for the answer, then complete the questions. Be sure to write down where you found each answer.

 

1. Who is the first woman to receive a patent? Mary Kies – Google
2. What image is the most reproduced in the world? Mickey Mouse – Google
3. What did Luis Alvarez invent? “Time of flight techniques” – Wikipedia
4. Who invented google? Larry Page – wikipedia
5. Who invented the personal computer (PC)? John V. Blankenbaker – Wikipedia
6. Who invented the television? Philo Taylor Farnsworth – Wikipedia
7. Why is the Monalisa painting so famous? It was stolen – wikipedia
8. Who invented paper? ~200 CE – ancient.eu
9. What is Steve Jobs so famous? Founding apple – Britannica
10. What is the best quote from your favourite inventor? Why? Our virtues and our failings are inseparable, like force and matter. When they separate, man is no more. – Nikolai Tesla

 I like this quote because it implies that there are going to be ups and downs in our life, and that those positive and negative events will shape us as people. Without sour patches in our lives, we practically would not be human anymore, as there is nothing in life that has made you into your own unique person. – wikipedia

11. Who invented the telephone? Alexander Graham Bell – history.com
12. Who invented the battery and why is this such an important invention today? Anastasio Volta, the battery powers many everyday tools and doesn’t release greenhouse gas like fossil fuels do. – britannica

 

Looking at Real Inventions

What inventions can you find in the kitchen? Find three kitchen objects that are interesting – like tongs or peppermill – and fill out this sheet.

Objects Name	What does your item do?	What else could it do?	How could you change this to do something else?
1. blender	Used to mix and puree foods	Cut into small chunks instead of puree	Have a setting to determine how finely the food should be mixed (slower blade rotation, maybe)
2. oven	heats and bakes food	Have it automatically bake for you	Have a list of recipes built in and if you select a recipe, it automatically preheats to the temperature you need, tells you when to put the food in, and turns off when the food is finished cooking.
3. Cutting board	Protective surface used when cutting things	Help keep you cuts straight	Have small divots a certain length apart to help guide the knife while cutting

 

Eureka! I’ve done it!

How Inventions Happen

You are embarking on a solution-seeking  mission! You will be interviewing as many people as you can about the everyday problems they face and the tools that help solve them. Make a list of people to interview. Ask ahead when you might spend some time with them, and if they can give you 10 minutes to talk during a time when they are not busy. Before the interview, read the ‘Interview Questions’ below to get an idea of what you will ask. During the interview, take notes and fill in the chart as you go. After the interview, make sure you thank each person for his or her time and comments.

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Before each interview, go over the questions you will ask. Here are some ideas:

• What problem would you like to see solved?
• Is there something that you do at work or at home that you find difficult or frustrating?
• Would a new product or tool help you? If so, what would it be?
• Are there tools or products that don’t work as well as you would like them to work?
• If you could invent something to make your life easier, what would you invent?
• Any other questions you feel are relevant?

Person interviewed:

Problem he or she has:

Mom: Having to get up and let dog outside more than she would want (doesn’t want dog door)

Dad: Setting up Christmas lights on the roof during winter

What device to tool could possibly help this person?

Mom: Paw print scanner that opens door when our dog steps on it.

Dad: Pole long enough to reach hinges and hang up lights

Your notes about this:

Paw Print Scanner: Facial Recognition might be better, as the dog does not have to be trained to use it, this could be wired to the door hinges and handle, turning the handle, and pushing/pulling the door open.

Long Pole: Make the pole as light as possible, also hollow to have something in the middle that can pull the trigger on the stapler and have a feed for the wire across the front. Having another attachment that could pull out the staples would also be useful.

Your research to find out if it already exists and if so, how effectively it works to solve the problem.

Mom: There is already technology from Microsoft that works by having a motion detector which, when activated, turns on a face scanner that captures a few frames of the pets face and unlocks a dog door for them to walk through. This technology could be transferred over to be used without the dog door as well by having a signal being sent to open up the door latch, and another one to push/pull the door open.

https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2017/12/07/meow-facial-recognition-reaches-pet-doors/

Dad: Something that could help with this is sold at home depot already. Basically, you are to attach the light string to a clip, attach it to the gutter, and then press a button to let go of the clips, making hanging up lights much faster and easier. I does cost 40 dollars, though, and it would probably be much cheaper to build something like this yourself.

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/no-ladder-pro-string-light-hanging-kit-with-25-gutter-shingle-eaves-rapid-release-clips/1000834757

I feel lie in a time like this, a handshake is not necessary at all, especially because of the pandemic, but shaking someone’s hand doesn’t mean much anymore. It’s usually used as a formally as a greeting or agreement, but with COVID spreading so easily, it’s probably more formal now to simply practice social distancing and not put anybody at greater risk of contracting the virus. Fist bumps, high-fives, hugs and other gestures which make contact with another person should be reduced as well. This should be another action discouraged at least until we can find a way to neutralize or destroy COVID and hopefully end the pandemic, or better yet eradicate it. Some good alternatives  to this gesture would be to wave, finger gun, or come up with some other gesture between friends, family, and coworkers to help save lives, and maybe have a bit of a laugh doing the world a deed as well.

Robotic Arm Reflection

PART A:

Research – Problem: For the robotic arm, we did not use the internet to look for any design ideas but instead compared the different design ideas on the handout

 

Solution: We took all the ideas and picked one based on difficulty, effectiveness, and materials used to come up with what we believed to be the best arm. We held together pieces of cardboard to serve as a model for what we were going to build.

 

Design – Problem: I had never used a light line weight before and I was drawing with a heavy line weight to begin, therefore I could not erase all my lines and some parts looked messy.

 

Solution: I was consciously focusing on drawing with a lighter weight than I am usually used to and continued to draw. I think it did end up helping a lot and the drawings were looking a bit better, as the smaller syringes still worked in the places we had glued the larger ones in..

 

Materials – Problem: During the robotic arm Project there was a shortage of the syringes and we still needed a couple more for our robots’ arm, but none of the remaining syringes were long enough to stay outside f the play area.

 

Solution: We took off some of the syringes we had already put on our arm and moved them to the places we needed them, putting the smaller ones in their place.

 

Construction (Tools): – Problem: Sometimes, when the glue was drying it would move slightly and would not stick well, forcing us to use an excessive amount of glue on some areas of our projects, specifically where the Robotic arm connected to the base of the build.

 

Solution: In cases where this would create a problem with the machine we were making, Stefano (my partner) or I would just hold the pieces together as the glue dried, it would mean it might be a bit slower to manufacture other pieces of the project, it’s much better than the alternative of having to glue everything again after it finished drying.

 

Construction (Design): – Problem: We overcomplicated the rube Goldberg assignment into many small pieces and that made it all take a long time to construct. It was not like we did not have enough simple machines in there either, we had more than enough, and it made some things a little wonky.

 

Solution: We decided to test and build at the same time, so we could catch anything wrong immediately, and doing that made a lot of the pieces work a lot better than they otherwise would have.

PART B:

1. I learned how much a light line weight can help my drawing become significantly more accurate and it really helped me with being able to draw things a lot faster and not having to leave pencil marks or restart whenever I made a mistake
2. I learned how important and valuable making a good plan can be, before this, I usually just winged most things and I feel like this will improve the quality of my assignments a lot.
3. I learned how hydraulics work, before I didn’t know anything about what they are and now I’d say I have a basic understanding of how hydraulics might work in the real world and have a better idea of what they might be used for.
4. I learned how to use the cordless drills by and how to change the bits out. Our robotic arm project used it on the claw to help keep it flat so it would be easier to pick up more candy bars during the testing.
5. Cutting sting, I did not know before that there was a way to cut string where the ends would not instantly fray apart. When we were using string for our pulleys this was very helpful.

PART C:

 

I think that a letter grade around an A or more likely B would probably we fair based on what I have done throughout the course. I think I have come in ready to work every day and have not been late once. I was able to work with the other person in my group as well as the people working at our table well. I was able to solve my own problems and was able to plan out in my mind what I wanted to get done for one day and what I should do the next. I am basically turning this in as late as possible so I don’t know if an A should be awarded.

 

I believe that my partner Stefano deserves an A. He’s been on time every day and has always been ready to get to work. He has been able to solve any problems he’s faced and has been very easy to work with. Stefano has also been able to plan out future events very well and is very deserving of a high grade.