FSE 100

DeVILS Proposal

Ian Johnson
Stakeholders

Many people are in need of a way to automatically feed their pets. This could be when going on
trips or just an easy way to ensure that someone’s pet is getting fed when they need to be. I
identified my mom and my uncle as my potential customers.

My mom has a cat and spends much of her day at work. She needs a way to ensure that her cat is
fed when she is away

My uncle has a dog and will go on quick camping trips often. Sometimes his dog comes with but
sometimes he cannot bring her. My uncle needs to be able to feed his dog when he is not home.
Research

When doing market research I found different types of automated pet feeders for both cats and
dogs. In [1] there are many different price points for different food dispensers. They can be $60
dollars but can cost up to $300 dollars. I need to find a way of making a cheaper way of
automatically dispensing food.

People Magazine [2] lists different pet feeders with how much food they hold and other aspects
such as ease of use and performance. My design should be able to hold 20 ounces of food as well
as being easy to assemble and understand. There should be a small amount of parts as to make it
easy and simple.
Customer Archetype

My mother needs a way to automatically feed her cat. She works as a manager and spends a
large amount of time at the office. Since not much time is spent at home, she would like a way of
making sure that the food for her cat can be automatically refilled. She is willing to spend up to
one hundred dollars on a device that will do that for her. This would allow her not to worry as
much about constantly refilling the cat food bowl.
Problem Statement

The two people that I interviewed need a way to ensure that their pets can get their food even if
the customers are not there to feed them. The customers also want to be careful with how much
food is given, as too much can be a problem. The customers need an easy way to make sure that
when they leave for a short period of time, their pets are given the food that they need.
What are the requirements?

Requirements:

1. Should weigh no more than 15 pounds

2. Can automatically give food out
3. Can regulate how much food is given out
4. Must cost less than 90 dollars
5. Must hold at least 20 ounces of food

The requirements listed restrict the weight and price. They also indicate the minimum amount
of food that must be held and the ability to automatically give out food in specified amounts.
What are the Criteria?

Criteria:

1. Large Food Capacity

2. Low Weight
3. Small Amount of Parts
4. Quiet

The criteria listed above, shows that it is best if the design is able to store a large amount of food
while being low weight as well as having a small amount of parts. It is also best if the design does
not make much noise.
 Project AHP
Table 1: Finds the importance of each criteria in the design

I used the Analytic Hierarchy Process

(AHP) to find the importance of each
criteria. In Table 1 I found that among
the four criteria, having a low weight
was most important and having a
small amount of parts was close
behind
Design #1

Figure 1: Shows the first design

Figure 1 shows a device that holds the food in the center with the lower area being where the
food drops when it is dispensed.
Design #2

Figure 2: Shows the second design

In the design from Figure 2, there is a bucket that can hold a large amount of food above the
bowl that holds the food. When it is time, the device will release food, and it will slide down a
ramp and into the bowl underneath.
Design #3

Figure 3: Shows the third design

In the design from Figure 3, the bucket of food is placed over a bowl that spins to collect more
food. With this design, the amount of food dispensed every time will be more exact.
 Decision Matrix

Table 2: Determines the best design based on how well it fits the criteria
Using the decision matrix in Table 2, I have
decided that design 2, is the best fit for
what my customers need. My customers
wanted something that could hold a large
enough amount of food, not be too heavy,
and to be easy to build. Design 3 had too
many moving parts and design 1 wasn't
very quiet and couldn't hold a large
amount of food. This makes design 2 the
best for my customers, it doesn't have too
many parts and is able to hold enough
food.
3D CAD rendering

The design from Figure 4 is made to hold and automatically dispense pet food when needed. The
design consists of a bowl for the food to fall into, a ramp to guide the food down and an area for
food above. The users can remove the lid to add more food when needed.

Figure 4: Cad model of chosen design

What is the function and how is it used?

With the design that was chosen, the bucket that is above the base can be filled with different
pet foods. The machine will then automatically dispense a given amount of at certain intervals.
All the user has to do is fill the bucket with a given pet food. This makes it easier for pet owners
to regulate the amount of food that their pet is getting.
How does the final design fulfill the
requirements?

The design fulfills the requirements by:

● Not being over 15 pounds by using light materials such as plastic

● Food is automatically dispensed at certain times
● The machine can regulate the amount of food that is dispensed
● The cost would be close to $40 dollars which is much less than the $90 dollars in the
requirements
● The design is big enough to hold 20 ounces of food
How well does the design fulfill the criteria?

The final design:

● Can hold a large amount of food

● Uses low weight components
● Does not have many moving parts and uses simple mechanics
● Is quieter than other designs

The design can hold a large enough amount of food for users and is also low weight without
using too many different parts. The design could be quieter but it is quiet enough for the
customers.
Summary

Throughout this project I learned the different steps in the engineering process. I first learned
how to find a problem and understand how I can help my customers. I also learned how to find
what criteria was most important to my design and used it to pick the best solution to the
problem.

I learned how to bring my designs to life using CAD software. This helped me visualise the
product that I was trying to build. Overall, this project has helped to understand how to find a
problem and use my knowledge to find a solution that helps my customers.
Works Cited

Magazine Article From Internet

[1] C. Rabideau, “The Best Automatic Cat Feeders To Keep Your Pet Healthy And Happy,”
Forbes. Jun. 1, 2023
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbes-personal-shopper/article/best-automatic-cat-feeders/?sh
=6617e5924103 (accessed Sep. 19, 2023).

Magazine Article From Internet

[2] “The 5 Best Automatic Pet Feeders of 2023, Tested and Reviewed,” people.com, Jul. 12,
2023. https://people.com/best-automatic-pet-feeders-7558626 (accessed Sep. 18, 2023).