Qatar University
College of Engineering
Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department
[Improved toothbrush]
Fall/2023
i
Qatar University
College of Engineering
Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department
[Improved toothbrush]
By:
1- [Manayer Alyaarabi 202102663]
2- [Maryam Elkahlout 202102565]
Supervisor(s)
1- [Dr.Galal Abdella ]
Fall/2023
Qatar University
ii
College of Engineering
Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department
Fall/2023
DECLARATION
We hereby declare that this project report is based on our original work except for citations and
quotations, which have been duly acknowledged. We also declare that it has not been previously
and concurrently submitted for any other degree or award at Qatar University or other institutions.
Signature: [Manayer]
Name : [Manayer Alyaarabi]
ID No. : [202102663]
Date : [5/12/2023]
Signature: [Maryam]
Name : [Maryam Elkahlout]
ID No. : [202102565]
Date : [5/12/2023]
iii
DEDICATION
This project is dedicated to our instructors, and each individual group member. Our instructors,
help us to face a variety of difficulties and achieve. Last but not least group members, who
support us a lot and contribute their full effort to make this project possible.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to express my sincere appreciation to Dr. Galal Abdella and Eng. Rania Ibrahim
for their exceptional guidance and support during the completion of this project. Their collective
expertise, insightful feedback, and encouragement were crucial in shaping the direction and
enhancing the quality of our work. We are grateful for the time and effort they invested in
nurturing my academic growth and for their commitment to fostering a rich learning
environment. Their mentorship has been invaluable, and we are fortunate to have had the
opportunity to learn from such dedicated educators. Thank you for your unwavering support.
v
ABSTRACT
[Improved toothbrush]
[Manayer Alyaarabi 202102663]
[Maryam Elkahlout 202102565]
Qatar University, 2023
Supervisor(s)
1- [Dr. Galal Abdella ]
2- [Eng. Rania Ibrahim]
This report details the application of TRIZ, the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving, to
improve the design and functionality of a traditional toothbrush. The project identified key
customer concerns regarding ease of use, waste of time and material, environmental impact, cost,
and durability. TRIZ principles were employed to address technical and physical contradictions
associated with these concerns. Notably, the "intermediary" principle guided the design of a
dedicated space for toothpaste within the toothbrush itself, with a twisting base mechanism
chosen for its user-friendliness and efficient toothpaste delivery. Additionally, the project
championed a disassemblable and reassemblable design, allowing for head replacement and
enhancing overall functionality, convenience, and maintenance. Customer feedback confirmed
the effectiveness of the TRIZ-driven design in addressing their initial concerns, highlighting the
success of this innovative approach in tackling complex design challenges and aligning with user
needs.
vi
اﻟﺨﻼﺻﺔ
ﯾﻌﺮض ھﺬا اﻟﺘﻘﺮﯾﺮ ﺗﻔﺎﺻﯿﻞ ﺗﻄﺒﯿﻖ ،TRIZﻧﻈﺮﯾﺔ اﻟﺤﻞ اﻻﺑﺘﻜﺎري ﻟﻠﻤﺸﻜﻼت ،ﻟﺘﺤﺴﯿﻦ ﺗﺼﻤﯿﻢ ﻓﺮﺷﺎة اﻷﺳﻨﺎن اﻟﺘﻘﻠﯿﺪﯾﺔ
ووظﺎﺋﻔﮭﺎ .ﺣﺪد اﻟﻤﺸﺮوع اھﺘﻤﺎﻣﺎت اﻟﻌﻤﻼء اﻟﺮﺋﯿﺴﯿﺔ ﻓﯿﻤﺎ ﯾﺘﻌﻠﻖ ﺑﺴﮭﻮﻟﺔ اﻻﺳﺘﺨﺪام ،وإھﺪار اﻟﻮﻗﺖ واﻟﻤﻮاد ،واﻷﺛﺮ اﻟﺒﯿﺌﻲ،
واﻟﺘﻜﻠﻔﺔ ،واﻟﻤﺘﺎﻧﺔ .ﺗﻢ اﺳﺘﺨﺪام ﻣﺒﺎدئ TRIZﻟﻤﻌﺎﻟﺠﺔ اﻟﺘﻨﺎﻗﻀﺎت اﻟﻔﻨﯿﺔ واﻟﻤﺎدﯾﺔ اﻟﻤﺮﺗﺒﻄﺔ ﺑﮭﺬه اﻟﻤﺨﺎوف .وﻣﻦ اﻟﺠﺪﯾﺮ ﺑﺎﻟﺬﻛﺮ أن
ﻣﺒﺪأ "اﻟﻮﺳﯿﻂ" ھﻮ اﻟﺬي أرﺷﺪ ﺗﺼﻤﯿﻢ ﻣﺴﺎﺣﺔ ﻣﺨﺼﺼﺔ ﻟﻤﻌﺠﻮن اﻷﺳﻨﺎن داﺧﻞ ﻓﺮﺷﺎة اﻷﺳﻨﺎن ﻧﻔﺴﮭﺎ ،ﻣﻊ آﻟﯿﺔ ﻗﺎﻋﺪة ﻣﻠﺘﻮﯾﺔ ﺗﻢ
اﺧﺘﯿﺎرھﺎ ﻟﺴﮭﻮﻟﺔ اﻻﺳﺘﺨﺪام وﺗﻮﺻﯿﻞ ﻣﻌﺠﻮن اﻷﺳﻨﺎن ﺑﻜﻔﺎءة .ﺑﺎﻹﺿﺎﻓﺔ إﻟﻰ ذﻟﻚ ،داﻓﻊ اﻟﻤﺸﺮوع ﻋﻦ ﺗﺼﻤﯿﻢ ﻗﺎﺑﻞ ﻟﻠﺘﻔﻜﯿﻚ وإﻋﺎدة
اﻟﺘﺠﻤﯿﻊ ،ﻣﻤﺎ ﯾﺴﻤﺢ ﺑﺎﺳﺘﺒﺪال اﻟﺮأس وﺗﻌﺰﯾﺰ اﻷداء اﻟﻌﺎم واﻟﺮاﺣﺔ واﻟﺼﯿﺎﻧﺔ .أﻛﺪت ﺗﻌﻠﯿﻘﺎت اﻟﻌﻤﻼء ﻓﻌﺎﻟﯿﺔ اﻟﺘﺼﻤﯿﻢ اﻟﻘﺎﺋﻢ ﻋﻠﻰ
TRIZﻓﻲ ﻣﻌﺎﻟﺠﺔ ﻣﺨﺎوﻓﮭﻢ اﻷوﻟﯿﺔ ،وﺗﺴﻠﯿﻂ اﻟﻀﻮء ﻋﻠﻰ ﻧﺠﺎح ھﺬا اﻟﻨﮭﺞ اﻟﻤﺒﺘﻜﺮ ﻓﻲ ﻣﻌﺎﻟﺠﺔ ﺗﺤﺪﯾﺎت اﻟﺘﺼﻤﯿﻢ اﻟﻤﻌﻘﺪة
واﻟﻤﻮاءﻣﺔ ﻣﻊ اﺣﺘﯿﺎﺟﺎت اﻟﻤﺴﺘﺨﺪم.
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LIST OF TABLES
Table 1:customer voice about the original toothbrush .................................................................. 16
Table 2:customers rate .................................................................................................................. 16
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1:Traditional toothbrush .................................................................................................... 13
Figure 2:initial sketch of our design ............................................................................................. 14
Figure 3:lower part of our toothbrush ........................................................................................... 14
Figure 4:the brush in solid works.................................................................................................. 14
Figure 5:3:Our toothbrush in Solidworks ..................................................................................... 14
Figure 6:outer unit brush part ....................................................................................................... 14
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Content Page
Dedication
Acknowledgment
Abstract
Table of Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
1. Introduction
1.1 Introduction to TRIZ
1.2 Importance of TRIZ
1.3 Project Objectives
2. Product Descriptions
3. Contradiction Descriptions
4. Result Discussion
5. Conclusions
References
Appendices
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1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction to TRIZ
The methodical and imaginative approach to problem-solving known as TRIZ, or Theory
of Inventive Problem Solving, was created in Russia in the 1940s. TRIZ offers a full
toolbox of approaches to detect and resolve conflicts, eventually leading to creative and
practical solutions. It draws insights from analyzing millions of ideas. The three main tenets
of TRIZ are identifying patterns in successful innovations, addressing contradictions, and
aiming for ideality to direct the process of problem-solving. Individuals and groups may
increase their capacity to take on difficult problems and come up with innovative solutions
in a variety of domains, including innovation management, process optimization, and
product creation, by utilizing TRIZ's tools and approaches.
1.2 Importance of TRIZ
In the industry of innovation and problem-solving, TRIZ, or the Theory of Inventive
Problem Solving, is extremely important. Its methodical methodology and extensive
database of patent-winning ideas offer a potent foundation for taking on challenging
problems and coming up with ground-breaking solutions. By emphasizing ideality,
contradiction resolution, and pattern detection, TRIZ reduces time, expense, and effort
while guiding people and teams toward creative solutions. Organizations may improve
their capacity to overcome technological obstacles, create superior products, streamline
procedures, and quicken innovation cycles by adopting TRIZ concepts and utilizing its
tools. Because of TRIZ's adaptability to a variety of sectors, it is a priceless tool for
encouraging innovation and advancing a wide variety of problems.
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1.3 Project Objectives
The objective of this project is to enhance the usability and functionality of the toothbrush
by addressing both technical and physical contradictions associated with ease of operation
versus complexity and the need for interchangeable brush heads. Employing TRIZ, we
identified the technical contradiction and applied principles to generate general solutions.
This led to the specific idea of modifying the toothbrush design by adding a dedicated space
for toothpaste. To address the physical contradiction of interchangeable heads, the project
advocates for a toothbrush design that can be disassembled and reassembled, allowing for
head replacement over time. This approach seeks to improve overall functionality,
convenience, and maintenance of the toothbrush, demonstrating a systematic use of TRIZ
to resolve complex design challenges.
2. Identify the problem
The traditional way of using toothpaste and a toothbrush has several problems. The fact
that it requires time for the user to open the paste and apply it on the toothbrush is one
problem. Additionally, toothpaste sometimes slides from the brush and does not apply or
stick well. Another negative aspect of traditional use is that users occasionally forget or do
not close the toothpaste container properly after using it, which causes the toothpaste
material to dry and makes it more difficult to apply to the brush in next uses. Moreover,
wastage due to difficulty in extracting the last remnants of toothpaste. Uneven distribution,
traditional toothpaste application can lead to an uneven distribution of toothpaste on the
brush, which might not effectively clean all areas of the teeth. Furthermore, cross-
contamination when multiple people share the same toothpaste tube and apply it directly
to their brushes, there's a risk of cross-contamination, where germs from one person can be
transferred to the toothpaste, leading to potential health concerns. What is more When the
user uses the brush frequently, the upper head of the brush that contains the brush hair will
be damaged. Lastly, as time goes on, the brush needs to be changed periodically. However,
throwing a toothbrush that was made of plastic could pollute the environment.
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Figure 1:Traditional
toothbrush
3. PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS
The way that regular toothbrushe and toothpaste are used will be improved by improving
the design of the toothbrush. The idea of the product is to make the usage of the toothbrush
very easy. So, we designed a toothbrush that will be able to store the toothpaste and make
it able to reach the head of the toothbrush by twisting the base of the brush. The design
contains 3 main parts. The first part is the head of the brush that will include the hair of the
brush, and the neck of the brush. To make sure the toothpaste reaches the top of the
toothbrush, separate the toothbrush hairs into sets, each set being farther away from the
other. The second part is the handle of the brush, and this part will link by two parts. The
head and the neck will be linked from the upper said of the handle brush and this part can
be disassembled and reassembled after a long time of use and when it gets damaged. Also,
the lower part of the handle will have a hole to fill the container of the toothpaste that will
be located inside the handle of the brush with a toothpaste. The third part is the base of the
brush or the lower part of the toothbrush, and this part will be connected with the lower
part of the handle of the brush. The lower part of the toothbrush is able to be twisted by the
customer to allow the toothpaste to move easily to the brush by a tub. The tube will be
between the container that the toothpaste will be storage in and the head of the brush. To
ensure reaching the toothpaste to the top of the toothbrush, the toothbrush had inner
structure with helical rod that extends from the base to the top. When the user twists the
base, the helical rod will rotate.
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Figure 2:initial sketch
of our design
Figure 3:lower part of our Figure 4:the brush in solid Figure 5:3:Our Figure 6:outer unit brush part
toothbrush works toothbrush in
Solidworks
4. CONTRADICTIONS DESCRIPTION
As a first step we started to think about a solution to develop the toothbrush, but we could
not because there is a contradiction. The developed toothbrush has both technical and
physical contradiction. Since there is a technical contradiction, we used 39 technical
parameters of Triz. However, for the physical contradiction we used separation principles.
- Technical contradiction:
Firstly, when we tried to solve the problem, we found that there is a contradiction
between making the improved toothbrush easy to use and complexity of the usage. we
convered the specific problem to general problem by using 39 technical parameters by
using principle 36 (device complexity) as an improving feature and principle 33 (ease
of operation) as a worsening feature.
So, the main idea is improving complexity of using toothpaste and a toothbrush without
ease of use worse. By using TRIZ tool we get four principal that may help our problem
to be improved:
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- 27 cheap short-living objects
- 9 preliminary anti-action
- 26 copying
- 24 intermediary
Note: these principals are 40 inventive principles of TRIZ
Nevertheless, the most applicable TRIZ principle that can guide us toward a solution
is Principle 24, known as " intermediary." The output of TRIZ gave us a general
solution. so, we started to think about a specific solution. The solution entails
modifying the toothbrush design by incorporating a dedicated space on the brush itself
for the toothpaste. So, we end up with two designs. The first design, we designed a
toothbrush with a lower portion and a tube connecting the toothpaste storage area and
the brush. By twisting the lower section or the base of the toothbrush, the toothpaste
will be able to reach the brush through the tube. The second design, we designed a
toothbrush that contains toothpaste container and letting the toothpaste reaches the
brush by pressing the container. We choice the rubber as a material that toothpaste
container will be made of in second design to make sure that the toothpaste will reach
the brush by pressing the container. For both design we divided the toothbrush hairs
into sets, each set farther away from the other, to ensure that the toothpaste reaches the
top of the toothbrush.
- Physical contradiction:
The improved design has a physical contradiction. When it comes to toothbrushes with
interchangeable heads, the concept is that the brush head and body of the toothbrush
can be separated by design, rather than having a fixed, non-replaceable brush head.
This separation in time because the improved toothbrush able to replace the head after
a certain period or when it's damaged. Toothbrush that can be disassembled and
reassembled can contribute to the overall functionality, convenience, and maintenance
of the toothbrush.
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5. RESULT DISCUSSION
Out of the two toothbrush designs we created, we opted for the one featuring a base that
moves by twisting. This choice was made for two primary reasons. Firstly, it's a more user-
friendly option, making it easier to use. Secondly, it provides a higher level of assurance
that the toothpaste will effectively reach the brush. In contrast, the second option, which
involved pressing the base or the paste-containing area, was not selected. This decision was
not acceptable since it could be challenging to guarantee the delivery of the toothpaste, as
it requires a significant amount of force during the pressing action, which can be difficult,
especially for elderly. Also, the best design is option one which it is able to removable and
rebuilt the upper part of the toothbrush that contains hairbrush.
Customer # VOC
1 Waste of time
2 Waste of material (toothpaste)
3 Bad Environmental impact
4 Cost(expensive)
5 Not comfortable and not practical
6 Lack of durability
Table 1:customer voice about the original toothbrush
Importance Rate out of 10 Average
VOC
C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10
1 Waste of time 10 9 9 10 9 8 9 10 9 8 9.1
Waste of
2 material 8.5
(toothpaste) 10 7 9 8 10 7 9 9 10 6
Bad
3 Environmental 5 6.6
impact 6 5 6 7 9 8 6 7 7
4 Cost(expensive) 10 7 8 9 9 8 10 10 8 9 8.8
Not
5 comfortable and 8 9
not practical 10 10 9 9 10 8 10 9 7
Lack of
6 8 8.7
durability 10 8 7 10 10 6 9 9 10
Table 2:customers rate
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Customers express various concerns, with 'Waste of time' (9.1) and 'Cost(expensive)' (8.8)
being major pain points. Environmental impact (6.6) also draws attention, while comfort
and durability are less pressing (9, 8.7). Interestingly, individual ratings vary greatly,
suggesting a diverse customer base with differing priorities.
Our improved toothbrush satisfies customer requirements since we asked the customer
about their requirements and the most important parameters that must be in our product
before starting to improve the toothbrush to reach the target. After asking them we start to
use TRIZ to have a toothbrush that satisfy customer requirements. We reached the target
since the design solved the west of time, the west of toothpaste and not practical by making
the usage of the toothpaste and toothbrush easier and faster without facing difficulties of
getting out the toothpaste when it is dry. Also the improved toothbrush solved the bad
environmental impact , expensive and lack of durability by making toothpaste that be able
to change a part of it instead the whole toothbrush.After designing and producing our
product , we asked the same customers who we already ask them about their requirement’s
before the toothbrush is produced to ensure that our product satisfied and all their
requirements were met.
6. CONCLUSIONS
In conclusion, the application of TRIZ principles has proven to be instrumental in
addressing the challenges associated with traditional toothbrush and toothpaste usage. The
innovative toothbrush design, achieved through systematic problem-solving and
contradiction resolution, offers a user-friendly solution by incorporating a twisting base for
efficient toothpaste application. The chosen design not only meets but exceeds customer
expectations, addressing concerns such as time wastage, material wastage, environmental
impact, cost, and durability. The utilization of TRIZ not only streamlined the design
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process but also ensured that the final product aligns with customer preferences and
industry needs, marking a significant advancement in oral care technology.
REFERENCES
https://www.triz40.com/TRIZ_GB.php
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