Week 1-Lecture 4 : User Centred Helmet Design by Prof. B. K. Chakravarthy Part 2
Summary
TLDRThe script details the innovative design process of a collapsible helmet, emphasizing user-centric features like ease of storage, wearability, and ventilation. It discusses the evolution from initial concepts to the final product, addressing challenges in materials, structural integrity, and user perception. The narrative includes expert feedback, prototyping, and the importance of an ecosystem for successful innovation, ultimately leading to a helmet that meets both functional and aesthetic criteria.
Takeaways
- 🚀 The design process focused on the 'Ease of Storage' and 'Ease of Use' clusters, integrating multiple ideas to create innovative helmet concepts.
- 🏆 A 'receding idea' was chosen as the champion for its slim design, which could be compressed for storage by pressing and pushing the cells inside.
- 🎖️ The 'Ease of Use' concept was selected for its simplicity, allowing the helmet to be worn like a cap and easily fastened.
- 🔍 Initial expert feedback criticized the broken appearance of the helmet, suggesting a redesign to appear stronger and hide the breakage when not in use.
- 🔧 Dr. Dinesh Mohan's input led to a rework of the design to a two-part receding mechanism, improving the structural integrity and user perception.
- 🤔 A student-professor conversation highlighted the counterintuitive nature of a snug-fitting helmet being more protective due to better shock absorption.
- 🛠️ The first working rig was created using existing helmet parts to demonstrate the collapsible functionality, though not aesthetically pleasing.
- 🎨 Aesthetic considerations were addressed with the development of a mockup that showed the final form and style of the helmet, crucial for maintaining design intent.
- 👷♂️ The Shenoy Innovation Studio took the project further with experienced designers and engineers, emphasizing the importance of understanding the user persona for the helmet.
- 🌬️ Ventilation was a key feature, with the design including an adjustable clamping system and vents for effective air circulation.
- 🛡️ The final design incorporated various components like a visor, gasket, and buckles, with considerations for manufacturing techniques and material selection.
Q & A
What is the main concept behind the 'Ease of Storage' idea for the helmet?
-The 'Ease of Storage' concept involves a helmet design that can be compressed to become very slim for easy storage. It was developed by combining the 'receding idea' and the idea of pressing and pushing cells inside to narrow the helmet's profile.
How did the 'Ease of Use' concept evolve in the design process?
-The 'Ease of Use' concept evolved from the initial ideas by focusing on a design that is easy to wear, like a cap, which can be pushed down. The design was further refined to address issues such as large gaps in the net and to improve the overall fit and functionality of the helmet.
What was the initial expert feedback on the helmet design with a break in it?
-The initial expert feedback was negative, with experts describing the helmet as 'horrible' and expressing concerns that a broken design would not be perceived as strong or protective.
How did the design team address the issue of the helmet appearing broken?
-The design team reworked the design to make it a two-part receding helmet, hiding the gap and making the break less visible, thus addressing the perception issue raised by the experts.
What is the significance of the 'working rig' in the development process?
-The 'working rig' is an early prototype made from existing helmet parts to demonstrate the functionality of the collapsing helmet. It is not aesthetically pleasing but serves to show how the helmet works in its collapsed state.
What is the importance of the 'photo realistic rendering' in the final presentation?
-The 'photo realistic rendering' is crucial as it shows the actual shape, form, and style of the helmet. It helps in conveying the design intent clearly and ensures that the final product matches the initial design vision.
Why is the persona of an office-going person significant in the design process?
-The persona of an office-going person is significant because it represents the largest population of two-wheeler users who face the most problems related to helmet usage. Understanding this persona helps in tailoring the helmet design to meet their specific needs.
What are the key features of the helmet that were considered during the detailing phase?
-Key features considered during the detailing phase include an elastic strap with no buckling, vents for ventilation, an adjustable clamping system for a snug fit, and rubber detailing to prevent water ingress while allowing the helmet to collapse.
What challenges did the design team face with the thermocol material in the helmet?
-The design team faced challenges with the thermocol material, such as ensuring it had sufficient strength without straight cuts that could weaken the helmet. They also had to manage the complexity of the overlapping sections to maintain structural integrity.
How did the design team approach the issue of strapping the helmet together?
-The design team explored multiple options for strapping the helmet, considering how the top shell and bottom shell would connect, and how the straps would be attached for a secure fit. This process involved extensive brainstorming and prototyping.
What materials were considered for the final design of the helmet?
-The final design considered materials such as expanded polystyrene (thermocol) for the shells, polycarbonate or ABS for the plastic parts, and EPDM or polyurethane for the gasket. The visor was considered to be made of a transparent material that could be easily integrated with the helmet.
Outlines
🛠️ Concept Development and Selection
The script discusses the development of a helmet design focusing on three key clusters: Ease of Storage, Ease of Use, and Concept C. The students amalgamated various ideas, such as the folding and Greek helmet concepts, to create a slim, collapsible helmet. The Ease of Storage concept was selected for its press-and-push mechanism, while the Ease of Use concept was favored for its simplicity, resembling a cap. The final selection was based on the product brief emphasizing ease of use, storage, and ventilation. However, expert feedback led to a redesign to address the perception of the helmet appearing broken. The redesign process involved making the helmet in two parts, improving the structural integrity, and enhancing user perception of strength.
🎨 Design Refinement and Innovation Studio
This paragraph details the transition of the helmet project from a student initiative to a professional development at the Shenoy Innovation Studio. It emphasizes the importance of a photorealistic rendering and a full-scale mockup to convey the design intent accurately. The studio's experienced designers and engineers worked on the helmet's features, such as an elastic strap without buckles, adjustable clamping, and effective vents for ventilation. The design process involved creating a persona for the target user, understanding their needs, and incorporating those into the helmet's design. The challenges of the thermocol shell, rubber detailing, and ensuring safety without compromising on aesthetics were also discussed.
🔨 Engineering and Material Selection
The focus shifts to the engineering and material selection aspects of the helmet design. The paragraph outlines the challenges of creating a helmet that is both safe and easy to wear, including the decision-making process for the helmet's structure and the materials used. It describes the digital sculpting process, the importance of user perception, and the various iterations made to the design. The paragraph also touches on the complexities of the strapping system, the use of 3D printing for prototyping, and the selection of materials like expanded polystyrene for the thermocol shells and different types of plastics for the shell and visor.
🔧 Final Design Considerations and Prototyping
The final paragraph discusses the final stages of the helmet's design, including the integration of the visor, the consideration for users wearing spectacles, and the snap-on feature for the visor. It highlights the iterative prototyping process, the use of 3D printing for certain components, and the decision to mold others due to cost-effectiveness and functionality. The paragraph also addresses the challenges of creating transparent parts and the material choices for different components of the helmet. The importance of an ecosystem for sourcing components and the learning from other industries, such as luggage manufacturing, is also emphasized.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Ease of Storage
💡Ease of Use
💡Concept Development
💡Structural Integrity
💡Ventilation
💡Product Brief
💡Persona
💡Thermocol
💡Strapping
💡3D Printing
💡Innovation Studio
💡Ecosystem
Highlights
Development of the Ease of Storage concept through the combination of the receding idea and a slim design.
Innovative design of a helmet that collapses for easy storage by pressing and pushing cells inside.
Selection of the Ease of Use concept due to its simple wearability as a cap and push-down mechanism.
Refinement of the helmet design to address issues with large gaps and net size for better safety and functionality.
Concept C's development focusing on Ease of Use, with considerations for ventilation and storage.
Critical evaluation of helmet concepts based on the product brief emphasizing use encouragement, storage, and ventilation.
Expert feedback led to the redesign of the helmet to appear less 'broken' and more robust.
Incorporation of a two-part receding design to hide gaps and improve the helmet's collapsibility.
Discussion on the helmet's structural integrity and its ability to absorb shock in a snug fit.
Use of a working rig made from existing helmet parts to demonstrate the collapsible helmet's functionality.
Importance of creating a photorealistic mockup to maintain the design intent for mass manufacturing.
Innovation Studio's role in advancing the helmet design with experienced designers and engineers.
Persona creation to understand the target user's demographic and routine for helmet feature development.
Design challenges and solutions for the helmet's ventilation, rubber detailing, and adjustable clamping system.
Addressing the thermocol shell's structural integrity with overlap considerations for safety.
The iterative design process involving sketches, doodles, and detailed product development.
Strapping system challenges and the development of a secure and user-friendly helmet fastening method.
Final design details including the use of 3D printing for shell creation and component integration.
Innovative approach to the helmet's collapsed state for easy storage and ventilation design.
Consideration of user preferences for a visor and the design's adaptability for different user needs.
Integration of the visor with the helmet design for ease of wear and functionality.
Material selection for the helmet's components, including engineering plastics and expanded polystyrene.
The importance of an ecosystem for sourcing components to support the innovation and manufacturing process.
Transcripts
So look at the Ease of Storage cluster ideas.
Remember these other ideas, you know, turning idea, the folding idea, the Greek helmet idea.
In this, the students somehow selected , you know; the receding idea.
Amalgamated these two and he did not take one idea together.
He said that I would like to make it very slim so he started with this which is part
of the receding idea.
He choose that as a champion and then took it forward from here.
See, how did the ideas were developed by using other ideas putting together and then came
up with this where you press and you push the both cells inside and it becomes very
narrow.
This is the Ease of Storage idea.
And then, comes the Ease of Use cluster.
Remember the ideas.
These ideas, those ideas, all put together and finally this was taken as a champion.
This idea was taken as a champion because this has with, you just have to wear it as
a cap and push it down.
Right?
It was much more easy to wear so that was considered as the main idea.
So this further developed because the net is too large.
There were a lot of gaps.
It won’t, you know, it won’t be acceptable as a helmet.
So those gaps were reduced and here you can see how the net is becoming smaller and helmet
cells are becoming larger, but still that whole idea is going inside.
And finally you can see the concept building into a Concept C which is the use of Ease
of Use.
So you have 3 concepts.
The competition between the Concepts is a very, very critical thing and from these three
concepts now we need to find out which one will be used for the current product brief.
The product brief was very, very clear.
You would have encouragement of use.
You should have, you know, basically good storage and you should have good ventilation
also.
So, all the three can have, all the three have three different degrees.
Right?
First one is very difficult to store, it is still large.
Whereas this one it is easy to store.
It is ventilatable also.
This one is easy to store, it is ventillatable and easy to wear.
So, automatically the last one got selected as the concept to go forward.
And then we went to experts and asked them.
‘What do you think about this helmet?’
They said ‘It’s horrible’.
Who would want to wear a helmet which is broken from the beginning.
Isn't it an interesting perception?
And this was the first reaction from the scientists and the engineers that it is like a broken
helmet.
You are designers should have the perception to make it look strong and not broken.
So then then, you know, Dr. Dinesh Mohan, again a professor, said ‘This is not going
to work.
At least make it two parts receding then the, you know, we reworked the whole design.
Made it two part receding.
So that gap is also hidden and it only collapses when you need to store and you do not, you
know, see the, you know, break very clearly and different sketches were made.
And this is how the first conception came up about what the helmet should look like.
(Student Professor Conversation Begins: 03:04) Student 1: Sir, so does the break, like, structural
integrity, like, in a collision?
Sir: Very good question!
So just tell me, will the break compromise on the structural integrity of saving a person’s
head?
Student 2: Breaks (in the helmet) will like it will observe more shock.
Sir: It will absorb more shock because you are getting it closer to your head.
This snug fit helmet is the best helmet for saving your life.
And when the, when the hit happens it does not happen, something hitting you all around
you head.
Got it?
Whichever side you hit, it gets closer and the fitting is also much better and you get
much better, much better protection.
And that is very counter intuitive.
Right?
So you have a much bigger task of convincing users.
That it’s better than the other one and you should do, you should do evaluation by
doing testing also.
So here we have one of our Mandar’s friend, wearing the helmet and showing, you know,
how the helmet works and this is called the first working rig.
Working rig will not be aesthetically pleasing.
It will be built by using existing helmet parts.
So he took a large, he took three large helmets, chopped them and created a helmet which will
collapse.
Right?
He does not have the, yoo know, and then showed us how the thing works.
He used the same buckle, he did not even use the elastic buckle.
it is supposed to be elastic.
Right?
That is just a rig.
It is not a mockup.
When you use a mock up what will happen?
It will not work but I can wear (it).
It will not collapse, but I can show.
I will show you a mock up also.
This is a mock up.
When it is full, this is the helmet when it is collapsed, this is the helmet.
It does not work and the volume becomes nearly reduced by two third, one third, sorry.
So your mockups, this is a scaled mock up.
You can have a full scale mockup which I have some in the lab.
We actually have an Innovation Studio.
When the student finished this project we wanted to carry this project forward, and
we took it up with the Shenoy Innovation Studio and we started working on this by now experienced
designers experienced engineers to take this forward.
When the student does their juries during their final presentation they have to show
one photo realistic rendering.
Which is the actual shape of the helmet, the form and style.
Either show a working rig or a mockup model.
Full scale mockup model.
Please make a very good photo realistic mockup also which is as close to the mass manufactured
product because nobody should be able to change your design intent later on.
Now we are back to the Innovation Studio.
So, Innovation Studio is a professional organization.
Right?
It is, it is not a student body anymore.
We got experienced designers with 4-5 years experience.
We got engineers, we use a lot of consultants from outside to work with us whenever we have
problems, you know, any of the materials and manufacturing and tooling.
Remember I was telling you one helmet does not fit all, so we said whom are we working
for, So we came up with a persona: an office going person that has a largest population
of people who are using two wheelers.
And they have, you know, the maximum problems and we chose that persona and this is that
persona and then we found their daily routine, the average distances they travel, the type
of vehicle they use, type of shoes they use, to get whole demographic information about
this persona.
So you are now clear about your segment of the user.
So with that segment of the user comes the very important task of showcasing the features
of your helmet.
So remember we were telling that the helmet will have a very good strap, which is elastic
in nature with no buckling.
It has a duck detailed so that the breeze will go in.
Remember each concept has to have all the features, the breeze goes in and comes out
and it keeps the head cool.
This is an adjustable clamping system so that the elastic is not too hard on your chin.
So, you adjust using the clamps which will take all the details of that.
Then you have these vents which will take care of all the ventilation effectively.
Then you also have this very interesting rubber.
This rubber is very important, right?
Because?
If it is raining, the water should not go in, but it should also collapse and open up.
So, the rubber detailing is very critical.
So these are the initial sketches of the rubber detailing when the, you know, when the helmet
goes in how will the rubber, sort of, becomes straight and helmet goes in and when I push
it out how the rubber block the, you know, block the gap.
So, this is a very large working, and we nearly spent 3 months working on this one detail.
It is that tough when you have any nice concept it is easy to say ‘Ok it will go in and
come out’, but when you have a rubber detail over there, how will the rubber work?
And the biggest challenge was the thermocol.
Can I have a straight cut of thermocol?
I cannot because that area will be weak.
If there is an accident in that corner, the person will die.
So we need to have an overlap and at the overlap the distance minimum 22 millimeter at all
the length of the overlap.
So once we did the overlap the helmet was becoming very large.
So, multiple problems and these are all the features which we, you know, the helmet had
to carry.
So then came all the product detailing aspects, how you detail out, how will you revit, how
the shell will go in and out, the head dimensions, the control dimensions or how will the dimensions
work.
What are the other critical things?
And these are generally, designer’s doodles are very important for you to, you know, articulate,
to come out of your thought process.
So this is called externalizing your thought process.
When you sketch, for example when you sketch, you know, he is looking down, but when you
sketch you externalize your thought process and then when you resketch again you see the
number of lines, when you resketch again what happens, your internalizing and externalizing
again.
So the doodles are a very important creative journey in any design journey.
So, then we did all the detailing of how the thermocol shell works, what type of shape,
what type of plastic, you know, covering should come on it and how will the plastic break
and lock into each other.
Remember this plastic shell has to lock into this plastic shell.
Right?
So how will that locking happen?
Will it be very wobbling or lose.
Remember, one of you were saying it can be more dangerous if it is not good enough, that
will go and pierce your head.
If your helmet is not, if I have too many ribs that can go and hurt the user.
You’re not, as per IS standards you can't have any, you know, projections inside.
So, you have to be careful in all your detailing of how your detailing will be done, all these,
you know, sketches are all about detailing and taking the markup model, remember, we
had the designing solution, to the next level of product development.
And then the biggest challenge was, you know, how will your top be buckled to your bottom?
See you have the top shell and that has to be buckled to the bottom shell.
This aspect was, you know, thought of multiple times.
Should this shall be connected to this and then this should be connected to the chin?
That was one option.
The second option is the top one should be connected to the strap and this should be
connected to the top.
You got it?
Because the top should be tightest so this is connected to my chin, and this fellow is
just hanging over there with the top.
That is one option.
So you have multiple options of thoughts is that, this is a very very big challenge of
strapping.
How will you strap the helmet was also very, very challenging task.
This also took a lot of time.
Nearly how many years, took nearly 2 years to come up with, to sort out all this.
And then came the final design details.
You can see how the thermocol has slots of this strapping.
So, finally what we decided, we are strapping from the top, right?
We are strapping from the top through that thermocol that is coming.
Then it is strapping from the bottom, the bottom is hanging there and hence , you know,
buckle is there.
So this is one stage, there are multiple stages of development.
This is one stage of development.
And after this stage of development, like a, you know, Mr. Chari was our own aluminou
with a lot of experience in the industry, you know, again, you know, went out and joined
another company and then, we had another designer join this called Ashish.
Ashish is now, you know, a M.Des from Indian Institute of Science (IISc), was sitting continuously
with this product for another one and a half years.
So, remember I was telling you, every idea which is creative and which is good for the
user can be detailed out to become a good concept.
So, that was a very strong belief in me, I said I am not going to leave this.
If collapsing is going to solve my problem for both ventilation and ease of storage and
ease of wearing, I am going to leave no stone unturned to see to it that this is implemented
from multiple levels, the materials used, the technology used in the manufacturing technology.
We will do everything to take it forward.
So we then did the digital sculpting to get all the shapes in.
Now the very important aspects started happening.
Remember when you see this helmet more on head, you will not see the break because it
is on the top right, so we had to take this cut inside, it is longer out, remember the
earlier helmet the cut was outside which you can see, so user perception was also a very
very important aspect for us.
We took that and then we, you know, got all the detailing done, we went back and did the
strapping to the bottom section.
So it is strapping to this one and attached this to this one, that was a much better idea,
because when you pull this will automatically sits.
And finally, you know, this is one of the stylized versions which we couldn’t fabricate
because the thermocol was not fitting in this also had to be rejected.
And then, you know, we build the final option where with the steps coming in and with that
step we used 3D printing machine very creative, to vertically, to make both the shells of
the product.
And with this we came up with the option of the rib and the support structure and how,
you know, for example, the volume of travel which will happen inside and you also check
the thermocol how it will go in.
So this is the final redesign option with the visor of the total design which had all
the components of the collapsing, the ventilation and the visor is a very important component
in every way.
And this is the final detailing of how your whole product was made with all the clamp,
buckles, rivets to put all the, all the parts together.
And from the CAD model we did, we did multiple 3D prints, you know, they would be an error
over here so we would print again join that.
So, in this case is the bottom shell and then we also have the gasket 3D printed.
Unfortunately the 3D printed gasket was not very, you know, was not very good.
It became very tight when we assembled it.
Some other components are very difficult to 3D print because the hard components are very
easy.
The flexible components are generally it is good to mould them.
They are available in the market and we mold them because the molding costs is not very
high.
For example, the tool cost for this part could be as high as 8 lakhs.
Whereas the gasket tool would be just about 2000 bucks.
So it is good to, you know, do the gasket in real and do this in 3D print for your trial
purposes and after that, you know, can, you know, take things to go forward.
And then, you know, we came up with the final version of how the collapsed state, what type
of volume it will occupy and you will also see that it forms like a little small rectangular
space so it is easy to put in a bag.
So it can go into a bag which is like a slot or we can put on a rack, so multiple, you
know, advantages come in.
And we also want to have ventilation on the top so if you lift the gasket ventilation
ports are available for air breathing in.
So these are the, you know, designs which came up as the final design.
I think, as of now in this design, we kept the visor fixed and it can be, you know, it
can be actually swivelled up.
But actually, you know, if you remove the skewes it is removable.
So if somebody wants to buy a helmet without a visor they can buy it.
So it’s that kind of option that is currently available.
But we thought when we did the survey, with the mock up models, everybody said that they
needed it with the visor.
Also, did you consider space for spectacles?
Sir: Yes, so that was a very important component.
So here you can see the type of visor just coming out so much.
So if you see the model, enough room is there, the visor comes out like that.
So this is the, you know, first prototype we made and we tested by wearing.
Look at the distance, pretty large the visor.
So then what happened, then we integrated the little cap type design with the visor.
So this is the visor, you know, where, you know, the cap was integrated.
It is still under progress.
Making the transparent 3D printed parts are very difficult, so we are not able to get
in a single component.
So we actually did this 3D printing and kept using a transparent gasket over here but it
still does not exactly mimic what you want.
So we plan to mould this, you know, finally to get the visor right.
Our another idea was can I just snap on the visor and whenever I want I snap it on and
I take it out.
So, this also has this elastic for wearability so it is easy to wear.
But it has a special purpose to, you know, in the way you have to be trained to wear
it.
So this is very critical.
So we were just wondering how, because if you wear it with and elastic it has to be
coming from the front, you know.
So we were trying to see how we can, you know, integrate that as a convenience of wear and,
you know, opening also has to happen like this.
So we were trying to block it and, you know, see to it that it is always blocked over here,
so when you are wearing you have to put your fingers in and wear.
So, it always lock like this, you know, locked like this.
So that we are still working out.
So that this one, you know, collapses inside and becomes like this much.
If the visor should have been there, the visor is there, the visor would open up a little
bit and it also, because the visor is from here to here and now this has been, gone into
the visor and it will open up and become this close.
The gasket is made of either EPDM or we can use Polyurethane and this is also injection
molded.
You can use engineering plastics which is like polycarbonate, APS for motorcycle racing,
but if you are doing a regular to, you know, regular work, which is here, it can be, you
know, in a simple blend of ABS, which is much stronger.
So these are all two, injection molded parts.
The thermocol shells are made of expanded polystyrene you have.
So here my challenge is, you remember, the earlier helmet had only 2 dyes.
Here I have four.
Two plastic dyes, two thermocol dyes, one visor dye and then the elastic strap.
Infact I must give you a good example over here.
Did I tell you the example of the VIP Luggage Company, the VIP luggage company, there is
my senior from IDC, who is the head of the, he is the vice president now, and he is based
in Hong Kong to source all the components, because if you are not, if you are in the
world market in luggage, you must have the components of ecosystem at level which is
common in the world.
The zippers, the plastic trims, the luggage or the polycarbonate shells, it has to be
at that level.
That is a very important understanding for us that to innovate, you also have an ecosystem
around you which will work very effectively to take this forward.
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