Viability of the Proposed Solution

Introduction
To develop or not to develop the product – that is the question. Often, the decision not to
develop a product is financial – based on a thorough analysis, it is determined that the
anticipated income from the product cannot support the anticipated cost of development.
However, if a financial analysis indicates that the sales of a new product (when compared to
the cost of development) could potentially produce an acceptable profit, you must ask,
“Should the product be developed?” But this is not always an easy question to answer.
A designer or engineer has an ethical responsibility to his client, his profession, and to
society. In light of these responsibilities, the designer should consider all potential
consequences, good and bad, resulting from development of a product and then compare the
benefits of product development to potential negative impacts. Do the benefits outweigh the
risks? Is continuing with product development the right thing to do?
The design, manufacture, packaging, distribution, and use of any new product will result in
consequences, both positive and negative. These consequences are far reaching and wide
ranging. For example, will the manufacture and distribution of the product consume
nonrenewable natural resources or produce pollution? How will the development of the
product affect the workers that will help produce, transport, and sell the product? What affect
(intended or not) will the use of the product have on the consumer, the environment, and
society? On the other hand, development of the product may create jobs, use abandoned
facilities or discarded waste materials, and improve the lives of people.
The considerations mentioned above assume that the product is well designed and functions
as intended. However, another important ethical responsibility of the designer is to ensure
that the product is well designed and does not suffer unintended failure. What will happen if
your product does not work as intended or suffers a catastrophic failure? Will the failure
cause harm? It is important that the designer has the knowledge and expertise, or seeks out
people with that knowledge and expertise, to properly design the product in order to minimize
the risks of failure.
In this activity you will consider the consequences of your product design, compare the positive
and negative impacts, and assess the ethical implication of continuing to develop your
product.

Procedure
Work together as a team to complete the following.

1. Revisit the Project Proposal that you created and your design specifications. Consider
the technical expertise and knowledge that is required to properly design your product.
Has your team acquired the math, science, and engineering knowledge necessary to
properly design your product? Have you contacted experts in order to gain the
necessary knowledge or obtain assistance with the parts of the design that your team
is not well equipped to perform? It is impossible to include an exhaustive list of math,
science, and engineering principles that you should incorporate into the design of your
product because each product design will require consideration of different concepts.
The following list is intended only to get you thinking about concepts that you may
need to investigate further.
● Loads. How will loads be transferred from the environment to your product, and
how will loads be transferred within your product? Will the loads be static
(unchanging) or dynamic (changing)? How can you calculate the loads? Will the
components of your product be able to withstand the magnitude of these loads?
The load will be transferred from the striking of the ground with your foot.
Because the shoe and sole are attached by a zipper, toe cap, and velcro, these
components will feel the load the most. There will be a static load from just the
attachment of the components, and a dynamic from when the shoe is put into
motion for walking and running. We can calculate these loads by using a force
reader and seeing how much force the components can withstand before
failing. Since the attachment method is similar to modern shoes, the shoe
should be able to withstand the load.
● Materials. Will your choice of materials withstand the test of time? Will the
density/weight of the materials adversely affect your design? Will mechanical
properties of your materials provide sufficient strength, stiffness, and abrasion
resistance? Will the material be able to withstand repetitive loading without
premature failure? Will the material operate well within the range of
temperatures to which the product will be subjected? How will the material react
to sunlight, temperature variations, chemicals to which it will be exposed?
Our shoe uses a wide variety of materials ranging from rubber, polyester,
cotton, and some nylon. These materials, with the exception of cotton, are
known to be resistant to many environmental effects and result in a long lasting
product. Sunlight and chemicals can damage the materials and will result in the
material needing to be replaced eventually. With the repetitive force of walking
and running, the rubbed will wear down and require a replacement.
● Mechanical Engineering. Does your design require an input of heat or
mechanical power? Are there moving parts in your design? What simple
machines are employed in the design? Will all the components of your product
interact effectively? Will the loads be efficiently transferred from part to part? Do
all the parts move at an ideal speed?
The only mechanical power needed is the sewing of the zipper and application
of the adhesive for the velcro and zipper mate to the sole. There are no simple
machines but the components do work together to keep the shoe attached and
secure.
● Energy. Does your product require an input of energy? In what form is the
energy supplied? How is it converted by your product to produce the desired
output?
No energy is required to use this product. The product is made in a factory that
uses energy though. It is supplied electrically and will be transferred
mechanically to assemble the shoe.
● Chemical/Bio Engineering. Does your design involve conversion of raw
materials to another form during manufacture or use? What chemical or
biological transformations are involved in the process(es)?
Our product requires adhesives, rubber, and fabric. The adhesive will be
chemically made in a lab to produce a substance strong enough to keep the
zipper attached for a long time without replacement. The rubber will be
extracted from rubber trees and vulcanized to create the sole of the shoe. The
 fabric is harvested from plants and combined with human made fibers to create
the upper of the shoe.
● Electrical Engineering. Will your design involve electricity, electronics, control
systems, telecommunications, or computers? How will these systems be
integrated into your design?
Our product does not require electronics, however the creation of the shoe does
require mechanical processes which are run by computers,
2. Have you researched laws, codes, and regulations that could potentially impact your
design? Do you feel that your team has met its ethical responsibility for technical
expertise related to the design of your product? If not, perform additional research at
this time. Revise your product design as necessary.
By the United States law, the most important restrictions and requirements are the
flammability tests, choking hazard, and safety hazards. Seeing as how the shoes are
reused from old shoes, the requirements should be met.
3. Create a graphic to document your product’s anticipated lifecycle. Research the efforts
necessary to take your product from raw materials to the end of its lifecycle (and
potentially be reused or recycled into new products). Detail each phase of the cycle
with information specific to your product. For example, in the Raw Material Extraction
phase, indicate the raw materials that must be obtained in order to create your
product. In the Material Processing phase, detail the processes necessary to convert
the raw materials to usable substances in your product. In the Assembly and
Packaging phase, detail the anticipated method of assembly (one-off, hand
assembled, human assembly line in a large manufacturing facility, fully automated
robotic assembly, etc.) and the anticipated type of packaging that will be used.
Your individual summary in for this part should consider the consequences of the
development of your product at each phase in its lifecycle to people (designers, users,
nonusers, employees of the manufacturers, distributors, sellers, etc.), the environment
(including the use of nonrenewable natural resources; the potential release of toxins,
waste, or pollution; the creation of visually unappealing facilities or noise pollution; the
effect on animal and plant species, etc.), and society.