Design Summary & Analysis (Edited)

Subject: Design Summary & Analysis (Edited)

In the article “It's 2019 - Where’s My Super Suit”, Zelik (2019) addresses the significant and unique features of the exoskeleton made by his team as well as brief descriptions of current commercial versions of exoskeletons. The main function of an exoskeleton is to reduce the risk of muscular injuries. However, modern designs do not appeal to the public because they are cumbersome and costly. Zelik endeavours to improve upon the modern designs with a few distinct features. To begin with, his exoskeleton design has a “clothing-like” appearance that consist of a vest, short, elastic bands and a switch. The design also allows the user to move “freely and fully’ by turning off the suit using the outfitted switch. On top of that, the absence of batteries, motors and protruding parts provides a lightweight and seamless design. The writer asserts that laboratory tests have verified turning on the suit will reduce substantial loading on the lower back. Lastly, Zelik (2019) has a dream that one day exoskeletons will be as commonplace and irreplaceable as smartphones today. It is evident that the writer’s strategy of employing simple designs conforming to the public standards and convenience is an extremely effective approach for any product to be popular.

Simplicity and conformity in designs are very important factors for the popularity of any technology. The current public impressions of exoskeletons are bulky, heavy, difficult to wear and cause discomfort. Simple designs that conform to usual clothing standards will change this impression. The exoskeleton suit “Spexor” created by an EU research project from Slovenia will emphasize the undesirable situation due to the current designs of exoskeletons (Wilks, 2019). The “Spexor” is a 6.3 kilo suit that is designed to arrest any lower back pain and assist those with ongoing lower back issues. Developers have commented that testing with the “Spexor” indicates that it is “too wide and bulky” and that the leading issue would be persuading workers without any health issues to use it. Updating the “Spexor” design to be simpler and conforming would encourage workers to use it regularly and this concept can be adapted to different exoskeletons as well.

The exoskeleton is not the first product to be unpopular due to its heavy and bulky design. Early version of the cell phone was unpopular as well due to its heavy and bulky design which was described to be “as large as modern day computers and just as heavy” (Ray, 2015). As the cell phone’s design was improved to be lightweight enough to carry, it became a “pop culture symbol” and rose to popularity. Currently, everyone has a smart phone which is the successor of the cell phone. With the great benefits an exoskeleton can offer, it can be just as popular and irreplaceable if it continues on its direction to shed its bulky and heavy design.

Even though improving the design of the exoskeleton to be simpler and conforming to public standards and convenience is the priority, there must still be a balance between design and actual performance. Laptops are irreplaceable in the world and the current trend of laptop designs are to make it sleeker, thinner and lighter. These decisions may come at the cost of actual performance as there have been allegations that Apple laptop’s stated performance can only be reached if there is a sufficient cooling environment like a refrigerator (Owen, 2018). Exoskeletons are liable to be affected by this complication as well since its performance is often based on its size and mechanisms. 

In conclusion, the future of exoskeleton designs should conform to public desires which will drive the product to be popular and commonplace. However, there must be a good balance between design and performance as the main benefits and functions of an exoskeleton should not be excessively diminished for the sake of popularity and sales. 


References
Ray, A. (2015). The History and Evolution of Cell Phones.  https://www.artinstitutes.edu/about/blog/the-history-and-evolution-of-cell-phones

Owen, W. (2018). Thinner and lighter laptops have screwed us all. https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/9kmkve/thinner-and-lighter-laptops-have-screwed-us-all

Wilks, J. (2019). New exoskeleton to beat low back pain. https://www.euronews.com/2019/09/30/new-exoskeleton-to-beat-low-back-pain

Zelik, K. (2019). It's 2019 - where’s my super suit.
https://theconversation.com/its-2019-wheres-my-supersuit-115679

Formal Letter (Descriptive Reflection) (Edited)

Subject: Self-Introduction (Edited)

Dear Professor Brad,

My name is Brandon Koh, and I hope this introduction letter will give you a glimpse of my life’s journey so far. I graduated from Singapore Polytechnic in 2013 with a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering. I signed on as an air force engineer in the Republic of Singapore Air Force in 2013 and left the force in 2019 in order to commence my degree in mechanical engineering at the Singapore Institute of Technology.

My interest in mechanical engineering started at a young age where I loved building Lego structures that could emulate human movement. My time in the air force dismantling and assembling helicopters daily deepened my interest further. Although work was grueling at times being able to tinker with complex mechanical parts was a dream come true.

I believe that one of my strengths regarding communication is that I am a confident speaker. While I was in the air force, clear communication was required to describe problems or defects to high ranking superiors which helped developed my confidence when speaking. My most significant communication weakness is that I reiterate myself often. I feel that I tend to reiterate often because I am afraid the important points of my message were not emphasized enough. Many of my peers have repeatedly informed me about this weakness and I really hope to fix this bad habit during this module.

Throughout my life, communications have always been a key component to success in many situations and being able to effectively communicate will always be a skill that is continuously evolving as there will always be room for improvement. My goals for this module are to rectify my weakness of reiterating often, further improve and refine my speaking skills and also to improve my vocabulary and grammar. I look forward to your guidance during the upcoming sessions.


Best Regards,
Brandon Koh

Critical Reflection

Subject: Critical Reflection

At the start of the trimester, I had two objectives in mind for this module. Firstly, to rectify my weakness of frequent reiteration and secondly to further improve and refine my speaking skills. In order to concurrently achieve both objectives, I have frequently volunteered to answer questions in class as well as volunteering as team leader for all assignments. Having to frequently answer questions placed a certain amount of stress on myself which has helped me to communicate thoughts and ideas in a more clear and concise manner. On top of that I made a conscious effect to not reiterate my thoughts while communicating as team leader for class exercises and graded assignments. I placed more emphasize in effective communication with my group members, ensuring that my message is always clear, concise and impactful. Improving the method of communicating with group members has significantly reduced the necessity and frequency of reiterating my points and also improved and honed my speaking skills. In order to further improve my communication skills, I believe I will need to join some events that require pitching of ideas such as the Mapletree challenge. Frequently pitching ideas to a large crowd will definitely improve my communication skills even further.

I took up the role of group leader in my research project and during this short period of time, I was surprised that I had weak teamwork skills. As the group leader, I felt that I had to put more time and effort into the project than anyone else. Observing the high level of cooperation and enthusiasm from group members during project discussions made me realize that I should depend more on my group members. After this realization I strived to put more trust in my group members and approached them more often when I had problems instead of struggling to solve them by myself. It was apparent that the project felt more enjoyable and relaxing when I shared the work load with the rest of my team. At the start of the project I believed that a leader with good teamwork skills should do more work and more planning while assigning less work to other members. After this project I learned that a leader with good teamwork skills will develop a group that is able to trust, cooperate and cover each other’s weaknesses naturally and seamlessly. Overall, I can say with great certainty that I will be a better leader for subsequent projects due to my experiences from this research project.

Annotated Summary

SummitOrthopedics. (2019). Proper lifting techniques to protect your spine. Retrieved March 10, 2020 from https://www.summitortho.com/2015/12/16/proper-lifting-techniques-protect-your-spine/

In the article “Proper lifting techniques to protect your spine”, Summitorthopedics (2019) proposes many applicable lifting techniques to avoid back injury. Back pain is a common occurrence and back injuries usually come from lifting. The writer emphasizes the high number of back injuries due to lifting with information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that “more than one million workers” suffer from back injuries annually because of lifting. It is common knowledge to bend the knees for safe lifting, however few know that additional postures and planning will greatly ensure success. Estimating the weight of the object and understanding your own limits before doing any lifting is crucial to deciding whether additional help is needed for lifting the object. During lifting, in addition to bending the knees, pushing your chest forward will ensure the back is straight and no over loading is on it during lifting. While lifting the object, do not twist your body as that leads to a “dangerously” higher chance of a back injury. Lastly the writer advises to always hold lifted objects as close to your body as possible because lifting objects that are further from your center of gravity will cause more loading to your lower back.

This article is extremely helpful to my project in supporting the claim that elderly people are not able to properly lift a loaded laundry basket. Describing the technique advised by the writer to properly lift objects which is to bend the knees and keep the back straight allowed the team to emphasize that the elderly have weak knees and lack core strength to keep their back straight during lifting. Therefore, leading to higher chances of back injuries for the elderly when they attempt to lift a typical loaded laundry basket.

Technical Report (Draft 1)

Background:
Laundry baskets are a common household item used daily by people around the world. Doing laundry is a daily chore and almost everyone has done it at least once in their lives.

Ng and Fadhilah (2018) stated that the number of elderly living alone in Singapore aged 65 and above is about “47,000” in 2016 and the numbers are estimated to increase to “83,000” by 2030. A group of users who may develop lower back problems due to the current designs of the laundry baskets is the elderly. In the case of the United States of America, about 80 percent of adults will encounter lower back strain in their lives and one of the risk factors is advancing age (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 2019). To avoid lower back strain, a proper technique of lifting must be followed. According to Goins (2010), the proper technique for lifting heavy loads is for the users to bend their knees while keeping a straight back, lift the load by engaging their core instead of their lower back. However, most elderly have weak joints and do not have enough core strength to do a proper lift, leading to a much higher risk of lower back strain.

With the increasing number of elderly living alone, they struggle to do basic tasks at home such as laundry. Lifting and carrying loads of laundry is a daunting task for the elderly as they are prone to injuries such as lower back strain. Rabideau (2019) discusses the seven best laundry baskets that are currently in the market. The most common and popular baskets are made out of plastic due to it being “durable, lightweight and often cheaper than woven alternatives”. The typical laundry basket designs are very similar, being handheld and having a height of around 35 cm. This requires the user to bend down to pick up clothes inside the basket. Moving the laundry basket can also prove to be a challenge as a laundry basket filled with dry clothes can weigh up to 8kg, and wet clothes may weigh up to twice as much (RepairAid, 2017).

The current laundry basket designs are not optimal for the elderly and must be changed to reduce the risk of lower back strain. In light of this situation, an ideal home laundry basket will have a lifting mechanism for adjustment of height and also wheels for maneuverability.

Problem Statement:
The current problem for a typical laundry basket is its height and lack of maneuverability. When doing laundry, users will have to bend down to pick up clothes and lift the full weight of the basket if they want to move it to a higher position. The new laundry basket design includes a pneumatic lifting system that allows users to adjust its height and a base plate with 5 wheels attached at the bottom for easy maneuverability.

Purpose statement:
This report proposes that IKEA incorporates our improved laundry basket design that has a pneumatic lifting system and roller wheels attached at the base which allows adjustment of height and ease of movement into their current catalogue.

Proposed design:
The typical laundry basket designs have a height of around 35 cm and lack wheels.
Implementing a pneumatic lifting mechanism on a base plate and attaching wheels at the bottom of the plate will produce an ideal basket for the elderly with its two new features of adjustable height and easy maneuverability.

Base Plate and Legs:

The basket will be fixed onto the top of the base plate and a gas cylinder will be attached to the middle of the bottom of the base plate.


The bottom of the gas cylinder will be inserted into the hole in the middle of the legs and the wheels will be attached on each end of the legs. The shape of the legs is for balance of the whole basket as the 5 legs equally take up the load of the laundry.


Pneumatic Lifting Mechanism:

The first proposed improvement to the basket is a pneumatic lifting mechanism, which allows the height to be adjustable. With the pneumatic lifting mechanism installed, the elderly will only need to tap a lever to increase the height of the basket which allows them to comfortably remove clothes.



The pneumatic lifting mechanism consists of a base for the basket to be placed upon and a gas cylinder that is able to extend or retract due to pneumatic principles and also a lever that controls the locking of the piston. The main components that contribute to the function of a gas cylinder are the piston, cylinder and gas seals.




Pneumatic cylinders or sometimes referred to as a gas spring is a cylinder filled with air and enclosed with a piston within. A lever will then control the locking of the piston. When the lever is activated, pushing the piston will cause the air within to be compressed, raising the internal pressure within the enclosed cylinder. When the lever is activated again and there is no force acting on the piston, the internal pressure within the cylinder will push the piston outwards of the cylinder. This movement of the piston allows the basket to adjust its height according to the users actions.

Wheels: 

The second proposed improvement to the laundry basket is to install 5 wheels that would be screwed into the legs via screws. The wheel is attached to a swivel caster which ensures rotation of 360 degrees while under load. Each wheel has an allowable load of 40kgf, and combined they have a total allowable load of 200kgf. A braking mechanism can also be found on the wheel which restricts all movement and stops the product from moving freely. This will keep the load evenly distributed between the wheels preventing the load from tipping over. With the wheels mounted, the elderly would be able to move the laundry basket from point to point with ease.

Wheel Diameter: 40mm
Mass: 60g
Type: Screw in type
Wheel width: 41.5mm
Allowable load: 40kgf     


Benefits:
The additional features added onto the laundry basket will greatly decrease the risk of elderly injuring themselves when doing laundry. The pneumatic lifting mechanism allows the user to adjust the basket's height and roller wheels will provide ease of movement when doing laundry.

Evaluation:
The features in the new laundry basket design have many benefits due to its adjustable height and easy maneuverability. However, there are two limitations due to the design.

The first limitation is the cost, the components of the new laundry basket design greatly increase the price of the basket. The new laundry basket will require a basket, base plate, pneumatic cylinder, legs, and wheels. Most of these components can actually be obtained from computer chairs. The price of a typical computer chair is around $34 (Lazada, 2020). Estimating the components from the chair needed, the price of the required components will be around three-quarters of the full computer chair price which is $25.50. Adding on a good quality basket from IKEA which is around $10 (Ikea, 2020), the total estimated price of the new laundry basket will be $35.50. A typical laundry basket from Ikea is around $10 to $30 and comparing this price to the new laundry basket, the difference is $5.50 to $25.50.

The second limitation is that most elderly in Singapore have a stubborn mindset when it comes to their belongings. Usually, they will not be willing to try new designed products and also will not throw away their old products easily. Convincing the elderly to purchase the new laundry basket will be challenging as they have a usable one at home. The elderly that are living alone will not have anyone to discuss whether the new laundry basket will be useful and worth buying.

With the increasing rate of elderly living alone in Singapore, it is very important to ensure that they do not injure themselves while doing simple tasks at home as there is no one there to aid them.

Methodology:
Both Primary and Secondary research sources were used to reference information related to our report for its completion.

Primary Research
The team measured the weight of the typical laundry basket at maximum capacity. Primary research was done on the price of the laundry basket, and the price of the computer chair which gave us an estimate of how much the new laundry basket design will cost. 

Secondary Research
To come out with possible modifications to improve the existing product, the team did research on the targeted audience, weaknesses of the product. Secondary resources were used to provide evidence for our statements, such as information regarding existing laundry baskets, problems with the existing designs and features in other products that can help solve these issues. References to these sites also provided us with ideas to add to the design proposal.

Concluding Statement:
In conclusion, the new laundry basket will reduce the risk of lower back strain of the elderly by incorporating a pneumatic lifting mechanism and wheels. The pneumatic lifting mechanism will consist of a gas cylinder which allows the height of the laundry basket to be adjusted freely by the user. The wheels attached to the leg of the laundry baskets will allow the users to push the basket with little effort, bringing about easy and free maneuverability. These two features will ensure that the elderly using the basket do not have to bend down to pick up clothes or lift the laundry basket to move it, thereby reducing the likelihood of lower back strain. This new laundry basket design will ensure that the elderly are able to do laundry at home safely and without much effort.

References:

Chang, L. (2010). How to Wreck Your Back. Retrieved and adapted from

https://www.webmd.com/back-pain/features/how-to-wreck-your-back#2

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (2014) - Lower Back Pain Fact Sheet. Retrieved and adapted from https://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/patient-caregiver-education/fact-sheets/low-back-pain-fact-sheet

Ng, D. (2018). The loneliness of old age - and an experiment to see if Instagram can be a cure. Retrieved and adapted from https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/cnainsider/the-loneliness-of-old-age-and-an-experiment-to-see-if-instagram-10675658

Repair Ad (2017). Washing Machine Capacity Explained. Retrieved and adapted from

https://www.repairaid.co.uk/help/washing-machines/washing-machine-capacity-explained/

Rabideau, C. (2019). The 7 Best Laundry Baskets of 2020. Retrieved and adapted from

https://www.thespruce.com/best-laundry-baskets-4154604

Gas cylinder Concept

https://www.explainthatstuff.com/gassprings.html

Wheel specifications

https://www.monotaro.sg/p/49024071?gclid=Cj0KCQiAwP3yBRCkARIsAABGiPqrFRbYGnHcc4bALeiKQYKHXQmZHMsmrH_qu3EqGKBJTs8HYQkdgQsaAp7pEALw_wcB&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=googleps&ef_id=Cj0KCQiAwP3yBRCkARIsAABGiPqrFRbYGnHcc4bALeiKQYKHXQmZHMsmrH_qu3EqGKBJTs8HYQkdgQsaAp7pEALw_wcB:G:s#

Concept of caster wheels

https://www.douglasequipment.com/casters-1/difference-casters-wheels/

Pneumatic cylinder price

https://www.chairpartsonline.com/gas-lift-cylinders/

Lazada computer chair

https://www.lazada.sg/products/office-chair-i350708811-s814280034.html?spm=a2o42.searchlist.list.113.782c7e7fs1pQYW&search=1

Ikea quality laundry basket

https://www.ikea.com/sg/en/p/torkis-flexi-laundry-basket-in-outdoor-blue-30339226/

Design Summary & Analysis (Final Draft)

Subject: Design Summary & Analysis Final Draft

In the article “It's 2019 - Where’s My Super Suit”, Zelik (2019) writes about the significant and unique features of the exoskeleton made by his team as well as brief descriptions of current commercial versions of exoskeletons. The main function of an exoskeleton is to reduce the risk of muscular injuries. However, modern designs do not appeal to the public because they are cumbersome and costly. The writer endeavours to improve upon the modern designs with a few distinct features. To begin with, the new design has a “clothing-like” appearance that consist of a vest, short, elastic bands and a switch. The design also allows the user to move “freely and fully’ by turning off the suit using the outfitted switch. On top of that, the absence of batteries, motors and protruding parts provides a lightweight and seamless design. The writer asserts that laboratory tests have verified turning on the suit will reduce substantial loading on the lower back. Lastly, Zelik (2019) has a dream that one day exoskeletons will be as commonplace and irreplaceable as smartphones today. The writer’s direction of simple designs that conform to public clothing standards will be crucial for exoskeletons to be popular and commonplace.

Simplicity and conformity in designs are very important factors for the popularity of any technology. The current public impressions of exoskeletons are bulky, heavy, difficult to wear and cause discomfort. Simple designs that conform to usual clothing standards will change this impression. The exoskeleton suit “Spexor” created by an EU research project from Slovenia will emphasize the undesirable situation due to the current designs of exoskeletons. The “Spexor” is a 6.3 kilo suit that is designed to arrest any lower back pain and assist those with ongoing lower back issues (Wilks, 2019). Developers have commented that testing with the “Spexor” indicates that it is “too wide and bulky” and that the leading issue would be persuading workers without any health issues to use it. Updating the “Spexor” design to be simpler and conforming would encourage workers to use it regularly and this concept can be adapted to different exoskeletons as well.

The exoskeleton is not the first product to be unpopular due to its heavy and bulky design. Early version of the cell phone was unpopular as well due to its heavy and bulky design which was described to be “as large as modern day computers and just as heavy” (Ray, 2015). As the cell phone’s design was improved to be lightweight enough to carry, it became a “pop culture symbol” and rose to popularity. Currently, everyone has a smart phone which is the successor of the cell phone. With the great benefits an exoskeleton can offer, it can be just as popular and irreplaceable if it continues on its direction to shed its bulky and heavy design.

Even though improving the design of the exoskeleton to be simpler and conforming is a priority, there must still be a balance between design and actual performance. Laptops are irreplaceable in the world and the current trend of laptop designs are to make it sleeker, thinner and lighter. These decisions may come at the cost of actual performance as there have been allegations that Apple laptop’s stated performance can only be reached if there is a sufficient cooling environment like a refrigerator (Owen, 2018). Exoskeletons are liable to be affected by this complication as well since its performance is often based on its size and mechanisms.

In conclusion, the future of exoskeleton designs should be simple and conforming which will drive the product to be popular and commonplace. However, there must be a good balance between design and performance as the main benefits and functions of an exoskeleton should not be excessively diminished for the sake of popularity and sales.

References
Ray, A. (2015). The History and Evolution of Cell Phones. Retrieved and adapted from https://www.artinstitutes.edu/about/blog/the-history-and-evolution-of-cell-phones

Owen, W. (2018). Thinner and lighter laptops have screwed us all. Retrieved and adapted from https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/9kmkve/thinner-and-lighter-laptops-have-screwed-us-all

Wilks, J. (2019). New exoskeleton to beat low back pain. Retrieved and adapted from https://www.euronews.com/2019/09/30/new-exoskeleton-to-beat-low-back-pain

Zelik, K. (2019). It's 2019 - where’s my super suit. Retrieved and adapted from https://theconversation.com/its-2019-wheres-my-supersuit-115679

Design Summary & Analysis (Draft 2)

Subject: Design Summary & Analysis Draft 2

In the article “It's 2019 - Where’s My Super Suit”, Zelik (2019) writes about the significant and unique features of the exoskeleton made by his team as well as brief descriptions of current commercial versions of exoskeletons. The main function of an exoskeleton is to reduce the risk of muscular injuries. However, modern designs do not appeal to the public because they are cumbersome and costly. The writer endeavors to improve upon the modern designs with a few distinct features. To begin with, the new design has a “clothing-like” appearance that consist of a vest, short, elastic bands and a switch. Furthermore, the design allows the user to move “freely and fully’ by turning off the suit using the outfitted switch. On top of that, the absence of batteries, motors and protruding parts provides a lightweight and seamless design. Lastly, Zelik (2019) asserts that laboratory tests have verified that turning on the suit will reduce substantial loading on the lower back. The idea of simple and discreet designs will be the crucial element for exoskeletons to be popular and commonplace.

Design is a very important factor for new technology to start trending. The current image of exoskeletons when anyone mentions it is a bulky and heavy contraption that will be uncomfortable and a hassle to wear. No one would be willing to wear an exoskeleton with that image in mind every day even with all of its benefits. The exoskeleton suit “Spexor” created by an EU research project from Slovenia will highlight this issue. The “Spexor” is a 6.3 kilo suit that is designed to arrest any lower back pain and assist those with ongoing lower back issues (Wilks, 2019). Developers have commented that testing with the “Spexor” indicates that it is “too wide and bulky” and that the leading issue would be persuading workers without any health issue to use it. This indirectly implies that the commercial designs of exoskeletons must change for anyone to desire wearing it.

A great example of how improving a new product’s design will also greatly improve its popularity is the success of the television. Television sets used only be available to the rich as “fancy toys” (Dunne, 2014). Designers noticed the hidden potential of the television and looking at the evolution of television design, it is clear that the design direction was to make it slimmer and sleeker. Televisions are now a commonplace item in any household and the exoskeleton should also follow the process of improving upon its design to ensure increasing popularity.

Even though improving the design of the exoskeleton to be sleeker and lighter is a priority, there must still be a balance between design and actual performance. Laptops are irreplaceable in the current world and the current trend of laptop design are to make it sleeker, thinner and lighter. These decisions may come at the cost of actual performance as there have been allegations that Apple laptop’s stated performance can only be reached if there is a sufficient cooling environment like a refrigerator (Owen, 2018). Exoskeletons are liable to be affected by this problem as its performance is often based on its size and mechanisms.

In conclusion, the future of exoskeleton designs should be simple and discreet which will lead the product to be popular and commonplace. However, there must be a good balance between design and performance as the main benefits and functions of an exoskeleton should not be excessively diminished for the sake of popularity and sales.

Reference
Dunne, C. (2014). How the television has evolved. Retrieved and adapted from https://www.fastcompany.com/3033336/how-the-television-has-evolved

Owen, W. (2018). Thinner and lighter laptops have screwed us all. Retrieved and adapted from https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/9kmkve/thinner-and-lighter-laptops-have-screwed-us-all

Wilks, J. (2019). New exoskeleton to beat low back pain. Retrieved and adapted from https://www.euronews.com/2019/09/30/new-exoskeleton-to-beat-low-back-pain

Zelik, K. (2019). It's 2019 - where’s my super suit. Retrieved and adapted from https://theconversation.com/its-2019-wheres-my-supersuit-115679

Design Summary & Analysis (Draft 1)

Subject: Design Summary & Analysis Draft 1

In the article “It's 2019 - Where’s My Super Suit”, Zelik (2019) writes about the significant and unique features of the exoskeleton made by his team as well as brief descriptions of current commercial versions of exoskeletons. The main function of an exoskeleton is to reduce the risk of muscular injuries. However, modern designs do not appeal to the public because they are cumbersome and costly. The writer endeavours to improve upon the modern designs with a few distinct features. To begin with, the new design has a “clothing-like” appearance that consist of a vest, short, elastic bands and a switch. Furthermore, the design allows the user to move “freely and fully’ by turning off the suit using the outfitted switch. On top of that, the absence of batteries, motors and protruding parts provides a lightweight and seamless design. Lastly, Zelik (2019) asserts that laboratory tests have verified that turning on the suit will reduce substantial loading on the lower back. This path of simple and discreet designs will be the deciding factor for exoskeletons to be popular and commonplace but there must be a balance between design and performance.

In order for new technology to start trending, one of the most important factors is image. When someone mentions the word exoskeleton, the first image to pop up would be a bulky and heavy contraption that will be uncomfortable and a hassle to wear. Even with all of its benefits, no one would willingly adorn an exoskeleton suit every day.
Comparing the writer’s exoskeleton and the exoskeleton suit “Spexor” created by an EU research project from Slovenia will highlight this issue (Wilks, 2019). The “Spexor” is a 6.3 kilo suit that is designed to arrest any lower back pain and assist those with ongoing lower back issues. Developers have commented that testing with the “Spexor” indicates that it is “too wide and bulky” and that the leading issue would be persuading workers without any health issue to use it.

One of the most famous technology that was only used by the rich in the past has now become a commonplace item in any home and this technology is the television.
Designers noticed the hidden potential of the television and changed the image of the television from big and bulky to slim and thin (Dunne, 2014). There is no reason why the exoskeleton cannot follow the successful path of the television by changing its image with sleeker and lighter designs.

Even though getting the design of the exoskeleton to be sleeker and lighter is a priority, there must still be a balance between design and actual performance. Laptop are irreplaceable in the current world and the current trend of laptop design are to make it sleeker, thinner and lighter. These decisions may come at the cost of actual performance as there have been allegations that Apple laptop’s stated performance can only be reached if there is a sufficient cooling environment like a refrigerator (Owen, 2018). Exoskeletons may also be liable to be affected by this problem as its performance will be based on its size and mechanical design.

In conclusion, the way to get exoskeletons to become popular and commonplace is definitely to design it to be simpler and more discreet. This will change its image in the world and make it more desirable. However, there must be a good balance between design and performance as the main benefits and function of an exoskeleton should not be diminished for the sake of popularity and sales.

Reference
Zelik, K. (2019). It's 2019 - where’s my super suit. Retrieved and adapted from https://theconversation.com/its-2019-wheres-my-supersuit-115679

Wilks, J. (2019). New exoskeleton to beat low back pain. Retrieved and adapted from https://www.euronews.com/2019/09/30/new-exoskeleton-to-beat-low-back-pain

Dunne, C. (2014). How the television has evolved. Retrieved and adapted from https://www.fastcompany.com/90460346/philips-hue-security-risk

Owen, W. (2018). Thinner and lighter laptops have screwed us all. Retrieved and adapted from https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/9kmkve/thinner-and-lighter-laptops-have-screwed-us-all

Design Summary (Draft 2)

Subject: Design Summary Draft 2

In the article “It's 2019 - Where’s My Super Suit”, Zelik (2019) writes about the significant and unique features of the exoskeleton made by his team as well as brief descriptions of current commercial versions of exoskeletons. The main function of an exoskeleton is to reduce the risk of muscular injuries. However, modern designs do not appeal to the public because they are cumbersome and costly. The writer endeavors to improve upon the modern designs with a few distinct features. To begin with, the new design has a “clothing-like” appearance that consist of a vest, short, elastic bands and a switch. Furthermore, the design allows the user to move “freely and fully’ by turning off the suit using the outfitted switch. On top of that, the absence of batteries, motors and protruding parts provides a lightweight and seamless design. Lastly, Zelik (2019) assert laboratory tests have verified that turning on the suit will reduce substantial loading on the lower back.

Reference

Zelik, K. (2019). It's 2019 - where’s my super suit. Retrieved and adapted from https://theconversation.com/its-2019-wheres-my-supersuit-115679

Design Summary (Draft 1)

Subject: Design Summary Draft 1

In the article “It's 2019 - where’s my super suit”, Zelik (2019) writes about the significant and unique features of the exoskeleton made by his team as well as briefly describing current commercial versions of exoskeletons. The main function of an exoskeleton is to reduce the risk of muscular injuries however modern designs are cumbersome and costly which do not appeal to the public. The writer Zelik endeavors to improve upon the modern designs with a few distinct features. To begin with, the new design has a “clothing-like” appearance that consist of a vest, short, elastic bands and a switch. Furthermore, the design allows the user to move “freely and fully’ by turning off the suit using the outfitted switch. On top of that, the absence of batteries, motors and protruding parts provides a lightweight and seamless design. Last but not least, the writer Zelik (2019) asserts that laboratory tests have verified turning on the suit will reduce substantial loading on the lower back. 

Reference

Karl Zelik. (2019). It's 2019 - where’s my super suit. Retrieved and adapted from https://theconversation.com/its-2019-wheres-my-supersuit-115679

Formal Letter (Descriptive Reflection)

Subject: Self-Introduction

Dear Professor Brad,

My name is Brandon Koh, and I hope this introduction letter will give you a glimpse of my life’s journey so far. I graduated from Singapore Polytechnic in 2013 with a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering. I signed on as an air force engineer in the Republic of Singapore Air Force in 2013 and left the force in 2019 in order to commence my degree in mechanical engineering at the Singapore Institute of Technology.

My interest in mechanical engineering started from a young age where I loved building Lego structures that could emulate human movement. My time in the air force dismantling and assembling helicopters daily, deepened my interest further. Although work was grueling at times but being able to tinker with complex mechanical parts was a dream come true.

I believe that one of my strengths on communications is that I am a confident speaker, there have been many situations in the air force where I have to clearly communicate problems or defects to high ranking superiors which have helped to build up my confidence when speaking. One of my weaknesses, which my peers have complain to me about during group projects is that I tend to reiterate myself often, I feel that this is because I am afraid that the important points of my message are not emphasized enough.

Throughout my life, communications have always been a key component to success in many situations and being able to effectively communicate will always be a skill that is continuously evolving as there will always be room for improvement. My goals for this module are to rectify my weakness of reiterating often, further improve and refine my speaking skills and also to improve my vocabulary and grammar. I look forward to your guidance during the upcoming sessions.

Best Regards,

Brandon Koh

(Commented on Benedict's and Jarl's Introduction letter)