Design optimisation of a smart therapeutic device housing produced by injection moulding

Abstract

The global smart toys industry is growing significantly, owing to the fact that such artefacts are being used as an education medium for developing the physical, mental, and intellectual skills of children. Olly Speaks is a smart toy that has been developed to be utilize in therapy sessions, which conducted by Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) for children aged from three to six years old. The main objective of this project is to optimise the design of the Olly Speaks such that the current integrated screen is replaced by a portable computing device i.e. smart phones or tablets. More specifically, the main aim of this project is to design a device by which a smartphone or tablet can be attached to Olly Speaks. This will result in reducing the overall cost of the therapeutic device, hence making it more competitive in the market. The basic design cycle methodology was adopted to develop the design of the attachment device. To better understand the required and needed functions of an attachment device a literature review was conducted covering a patent search, similar devices on the market, ergonomics related to screen use, and specifications of the most used tablet by children. Following, a problem analysis was carried out in order to understand the customer requirements and to translate those requirements into product specifications. To accomplish this, a survey, QFD and PDS were employed. Using a range of design synthesis tools, such as brainstorming, SCAMPER and morphological chart, four concepts were generated. Then a decision matrix was formed to select the most suitable design. The conceptual design was then modelled virtually, and a physical prototype was generated. After attaining a successful prototype, a material selection exercise, DFM, DFA and finally the FMEA were employed. Following, a costing exercise was conducting to estimate the overall cost of the designed product. To ensure that the designed attachment device has met customer satisfaction an evaluation survey was conducted. The evaluation survey showed that SLPs and parents had chosen the new design of the Olly Speaks over the fixed screen design. This is due to the flexibility that the new design solution offers in tilting and positioning of the tablet. Then, the SWOT tool was used to analysis the new design solution. Finally, possible improvements are suggested as future work.