Evaluation of 

Alternative Concepts 
 
 Alternative Concepts

Subfunction Concept A Concept B Concept C

Brakes Regenerative, Bike Bike Shoes

Casters (Material) HDPE Aluminum Roller Blade

Wheel

Casters (Shape) Semi-Circle Triangle Roller Blade

Wheel

Outer Wheel Rivets Through-Bolts Glue

Throttle ATV ATV ATV

Inner Frame Circular Pizza Triangle

Seat Motorcycle Chair Chair

Decision Matrix

Criteria Wt. Concept A Concept B Concept C

Val​A Val​A​*W Val​B Val​B​*W Val​C Val​C​*W

t t t

Price 0.30 2 0.60 5 1.50 7 2.10

Ease of 0.20 4 0.80 6 1.20 8 1.60

Manufacture

Battery Life 0.10 8 0.80 4 0.40 4 0.40

Back 0.05 3 0.15 6 0.30 6 0.30

Support

Durability 0.15 6 0.90 7 1.05 3 0.45

Safety 0.20 6 1.20 5 1.00 2 0.40

Total 1.00 4.45 5.45 5.25

Price
Concept A is expensive due to the electronic requirements of the regenerative brakes.
Concept C is the cheapest because it requires the least manufactured parts.

-1-
Ease of Manufacture
The circular frame and regenerative brakes make Concept A the most difficult to
manufacture. Concept C is the easiest to manufacture, as it uses almost exclusively
straight pieces, and we wouldn't need to manufacture casters.

Battery Life
The regenerative brakes give Concept A a significantly longer battery life than the other
concepts.

Back Support
Concepts B and C utilise a chair for the seat, which provides a decent amount of back
support compared to the motorcycle seat of Concept A.

Durability
Concepts A and B have similar construction, but the delicate electronics on Concept A
make it slightly less durable. Concept C is not very durable due to the use of glue and
rubber casters.

Safety
Concept A is slightly safer than Concept B because the regenerative brakes cannot cause
the wheel to lock up, unlike the mechanical brakes. The use of shoes for braking in
Concept C makes it less safe than the other designs.

Conclusion
Based on our decision matrix, we should focus on building Concept B. Concept A would
make the best product, but the price and complexity are prohibitive. Concept C is cheaper
and simpler than Concept B, but it is less safe and less durable. Concept B provides a
good compromise on all of our evaluation criteria, giving us an effective design within
our price range..

-2-