HearingDevicesGroup
NOTE: The homeworks on this page are in reverse order of when they are done, i.e. oldest are at the end of the page.
Homework Three:
Final Report
Original Concept
Background Research
Homework Two: Part 1
Collection of Variables for use in Templates
Variables:
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Variable
Real Component
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Internal Category
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Physical
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material
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Polyurethane Foam (in-ear) and Clear Rubber (outside ear)
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shape
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Molded to fit inside / on outside of ear
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size
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Fits mostly in-ear, partially outside ear
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energy consumption
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Low energy consumption / partially powered by Electromagnetic Induction
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strength
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Flexible and foam/rubber outside materials, protected from outside damage
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waterproof
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Enclosed by rubber/foam to protect from moisture
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product life-time
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How long the product is designed to last, whether it is as long as possible, or a finite time
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Functionality
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programmability
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Software written for OmniPhone and the bluetooth device that it transfers data to and from
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wireless control
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Control of parameters/settings via bluetooth devices
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wireless communication
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OmniPhone can send and receive bluetooth from cellphones, mp3 players, etc
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high-resolution
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Excellent quality microphone/speakers used, with advanced DSP technology to ensure the highest quality
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noise-reduction
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Built-in noise reduction (with settings controled by bluetooth device), for a variety of situations
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security
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Bluetooth security ensures that others cannot change your OmniPhone's settings
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Variable
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Description
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External Category
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visibility
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Devices that are not totally hidden within the ear will be seen, only their size and appearance can be controlled, not the visibility of the ear canal
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environmental noise
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Outside noise cannot be controlled, but it can be countered by software written for the OmniPhone
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wireless signals
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Wireless signals other than the ones we use cannot be controlled, so we must choose robust protocols that we can ensure will last and not be confused for/covered up by other signals
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protocol standards
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We cannot (likely) directly affect the changes in protocol standards, but we can choose a good, rubust protocol -- Bluetooth --- to help ensure it lasts a long time
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weather
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We cannot control the outside weather, but we can weather-proof (mostly waterproof) the device so it is protected from the outside world
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temperature
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Temperature becomes an issue if the device is stored in extreme temperatures, but should be fine under conditions that humans can survive within
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Forecasting Matrix
| | Material | Shape | Size | Power Usage | Strength | Waterproof | Product Lifetime |
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| Material | x | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
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| Shape | 0 | x | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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| Size | 0 | 0 | x | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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| Power Usage | 0 | 0 | 0 | x | 0 | 0 | 1 |
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| Strength | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | x | 0 | 1 |
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| Waterproof | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | x | 1 |
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| Product Lifetime | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 1 | 0 | x |
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| Environmental Noise | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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| Wireless Signals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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| Weather | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
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| Temperature | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
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We decided to look at both the power usage/product lifetime and the shape/waterproof and environmental noise intersections for our Attribute Dependency Template. A dependency could be created for power usage and product lifetime if we decided to offer a disposable version of our product, or one that is intended to have a limited trial. If we made the product only last a limited time by having non-rechargeable or changeable power source then it could be disposable or some sort of limited trial offer version of the product.
We also created a dependency between shape and both strength and environmental noise to create a heavy duty version that is designed to block more environmental noise and be more resilient, designed to be used by people doing very demanding physical work, such as on construction sites or in space. Such a product could be a different shape that covers more of the ear in order to provide more protection from noise and physical damage to the device.
Templates
From this set of variables, we were able to create a template diagram of dependencies. To explain all the dependencies, as some are not necessarily apparent, they are as follows:
Waterproof casing is dependent on strong and durable design (to ensure waterproofing), Strong and durable design is dependent on the foam and rubber casing to sure it lasts, Fits mostly inside ear, partially outside is dependent on the foam and rubber casing in order to be comfortable enough to wear on and outside ear, Fits mostly inside ear, partially outside is also dependent on bluetooth because in order to allow advanced processing of signals, we have moved most of the processing out of the ear piece to an external device (such as cellphone or pda) that can do most of the processing (otherwise with current technology, it would be too big to fit mostly inside the ear), Wireless (bluetooth) control & communication are dependent on wireless security because we could not allow others to control our settings or communicate information to us without our approval, Progammable id dependent on bluetooth because that is how it is sent updates and new programs, and is dependent on high-resolution processing to handle the programs sent to it, noise-reduction is dependent on high-resolution processing in order to provide good quality results, and Low energy usage is dependent on bluetooth, otherwise if we used some other protocol, it may require much more power and simply be impossible to make as small and self-contained.
Here is the diagram of our dependencies:
Displacement
One of the things that we noticed, was that if you removed bluetooth (and the security that is part of the bluetooth software on the device) from the equation, you essentially got something that essentially resembled a standard hearing aid.
And that if you removed wireless security, bluetooth control and programmable from the equation, we got what looks like bluetooth, noise-canceling, waterproof headphones/ear buds.
Clearly both of the products created by the removal process are essentially available today (essentially hearing aids and bluetooth headphones), but it shows that our product is not very far from either of these, but with the simple addition of bluetooth communication and security, is able to replace hearing aids, ear protection, headphones and cellphone headsets.
Replacement
By replacing Fits mostly inside ear, partially outside with Fits over eyes (like glasses), we were able to come up with a new product (implying this is a device for eyes rather than ears), that would be a pair of glasses that takes in the images, sends the data via bluetooth to an external device for processing, and sends it back to the eyes. This is exactly the same idea as the OmniPhones, but for the eyes rather than ears -- call it the OmniEyes.
Homework Two: Part 2
VC and Environmental Pitches
VC_Pitch.ppt
Environ_Pitch.ppt
To see a Word Document of the chat we had online about the project see this: HomeworkTwo_SessionLog.doc
Homework One:
Here is the website for the first group homework. From now on, projects will be on this page.
Homework One
