Rami Ayari & Ryu Fujii

Mrs. Conlin

Engineering Applications - 2nd

Project 3.2.2 - Consequences of the Solution

1. Our team has acquired the necessary math, science, and engineering knowledge

necessary to design our product through research and through schoolwork. We have

contacted experts not only to gain feedback on our design, but also to help assist us with

any questions we have about building the design.

Materials - The materials we will be using are pinewood, aluminum, ULine Soft

Foam, and synthetic rubber. The only material that will be significantly and

noticeably affected by time is aluminum through corrosion. The density/weight of

the materials do affect our design as we do not want our product to be too heavy

for the consumer. The materials will not be affected by the range of temperatures

that the product will be subjected to, which is room temperature.

Energy - The product requires an input of energy when the cane is lifted up to

the next step. This energy is supplied in the form of the users arm/shoulder.

Construction - The handle of the Stair Cane will be pinewood. This handle will be

cut out of a long and thick sheet of plywood using a jigsaw and then sanded down

using a sander machine to produce curves. The cane portion will be made out of

aluminum. The aluminum will be bought already in cylindrical form with the
 correct diameter, and will be cut down using a jigsaw on each ends to meet our

exact proportions. The block will be made out of synthetic rubber on the outside

and soft foam on the inside. The rubber on the outside will be bought with the

correct thickness, but will be cut down on length and width using a jigsaw to meet

our requirements. The soft foam will be cut down on thickness, length, and width

to meet our proportions using a jigsaw. The construction will be done by Rami,

who has previously taken a construction class and received a safety certification.

All safety rules will be followed when constructing and building the product.

2. Our team has researched laws, codes, and regulations pertaining to stairs in homes and

apartments. The specific parts we researched were how stairs may be used, and what size

they must be. We feel that our team has met all engineering ethics responsibilities

through extensive research and thorough design of all parts of our product to ensure

safety and conformity to regulations and codes pertaining to the environment and stairs.

The size of our stair block is within the regulations of stairs, and the materials we used

are all environmentally friendly.

3.

4. With the base construction of our product we can determine a couple of the consequences

that may develop during the product lifecycle. In the product design phase there is no

possibility for any consequences. In the extraction of the raw materials, there may be

possible consequences to the environment due to the pine wood that is needed to the

handle. Although pine wood is needed, it is such a small component and is able to be

substituted for any other material, it is not a major consequence. In the product

manufacturing stage, there may be human errors in the assembly line that may cause

problems. Due to the severe cost reduction compared to factory manufacturing, it is a

great reduction in cost. In the packaging and distribution phase, there are no apparent

consequences since the packaging process will most likely be factory produced. In the

product use and consumption phase, if the consumer follows the guidelines for safe usage
 of the product, there should be no major consequences. The recycling phase is essential to

avoid consequences such as environmental damage.

5. While there are a few negative impacts to our product, including the use of rubber and

aluminum materials, these are completely outweighed and justified by the benefit to

society and those in need that our product provides. Our product lessens the impact force

that walking up and down stairs puts on the joints and bones of elderly people and other

weak individuals. This, in turn, prevents harmful and potentially fatal falls, allowing

loved ones to be safe. Furthermore, the negative impacts of our product, which are the

potentially environmentally harmful materials used, can be alleviated if the product is

disposed of properly.
Conclusion

What are some potential ways in which your product could fail? What design features have you

included to minimize the chance of failure?

Our product could fail in a few ways. If the aluminum in the cane is not sturdy enough, the

whole purpose of the product will fall through and the idea will be meaningless. If the foam in

the block is not soft enough, there will be no point in using the stair cane over using regular

stairs. Moreover, if the handle is not comfortable, consumers will not want to use the product and

it will fail. We have included mostly sturdy, reliable, and tested materials to minimize the chance

of a failure in our product.

Is development of a product that knowingly causes harm to people ever ethically justifiable? Why

or why not? Give examples to support your position.

No, this is never justifiable. The goal of an engineering is to make products pertinent to the well

being of consumers. As engineers, we must design product with the goal of the betterment of

society. Thus, a product that knowingly causes harm to people is never justifiable to develop. For

example, the crane that was used in the Milwaukee baseball stadium was knowingly put up with

the knowledge that it could topple and harm people. It was put up nonetheless, and killed
multiple people. This shows that developing a product that could harm people is never ethically

justifiable.