Note: Project 3 (P3) is a project that combines all the technical and applied knowledge skills of first year engineering into an impactful and tangible project for the community.

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Timeline: February 14th, 2024 - April 4th, 2025

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Header Photo Via: McMaster Engineering 1P13 Showcase 2025

Project Narrative: Introducing the HocusFocus! ✨🔎🪄

Figure 1, Front View of Completed Prototype of the HocusFocus.

Figure 1.1, Front View of Completed Prototype of the HocusFocus.

Finalized Sketch and Engineering Drawings

Figure 2, Finalized Sketch of the HocusFocus

Figure 2.1, Engineering Part Drawing of Front Plate

Figure 2.2, Engineering Assembly Drawing of Completed Prototype

Project Summary

Initial problem statement:

“Design a product that will make our client, who has Usher’s syndrome, everyday life safer and more convenient, in either inside or outside her home while prioritizing simplicity and independence.”

• “Our client has highlighted the difficulties she has when identifying and sorting through certain features around her home.
  • Design shall be single-user, aesthetically high in contrast, and safe to use. Furthermore, the design must remain be lightweight and within a $100 budget.” (Milestone 2.2)
• As project manager, I led discussions to assess the quality of our final prototype, delegated responsibilities, coordinated fabrication schedules, and oversaw the successful assembly of the final HocusFocus model.
• The outcome of this project motivates the usage of engineering to design and fabricate a product that will help increase visibility of small kitchen applicances, including small buttons and labels.

Proposed Model

Our proposed model consists of:

• PLA frame body with a sliding magnifying tab.
• Loop located at the top of the main body for a detatchable lanyard and carbiner (whichever our client may prefer!)
• Silicon suction cup backing, allowing for a mess-free adhesive to be stuck onto the back of a phone or other surfaces [Figure 1.1].
• Luminous polyethene tape for high constrast in dark environments [refer to Design Process: Final Product, Figure 9].

This model is based on our respective skillsets, which opted for a physical approach using Autodesk Inventor (CAD) and 3D Printing, as we had the most experience with it and agreed that it would allow us to create a tangible and simple (yet functional) solution for our client.

Objectives:

• Hands-free
• Easy to use for convience
• Single-user so Kimberly can use it independently with no external help
• Lightweight ****
• Visible under different lighting conditions; high in colour contrasting

Functions:

• Magnifies small text
• Can be worn on different articles of clothing or accessories (e.g bags, belt loops, etc)
• Adhesive to a variety of surfaces, including on the back side of a phone or phone case ****

Constraints:

• Design cannot exceed budget limit of $100
• Deisign much be less than 200 grams (average weight of a phone)
• 3D printing and laser cutting are the only avaliable fabricating options provided by the 1P13 design studio/Makerspace.
• Novelist-level knowledge/toolkits in Autodesk Inventor

Skills

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Skill Development

In this project, I not only learned how to connect all my knowledge and abilities from prevous projects to approach a practical project, but I learned to further enhance my critical and creative thinking skills in order to drive our team forward.

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Applied Skills:

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Creative & Critical Thinking

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Written and Oral Communication

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Collaboration

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Leadership

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Adaptability

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Time Management

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Technical Skills:

Design Process

Team’s Work

Personal Contributions

Project Reflection

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