THESIS PROJECT
Role
Time
Type
Team
:
:
:
:
Designer, Engineer
March 2024
Design Engineering
Individual Project
High Productivity Computer Workstation in a Backpack
This project was my thesis for my master's degree. I set out to create a product that helps remote workers turn work from home into work from anywhere. I completed the ideation for this projects in one 10 week quarter, and the prototyping and iteration in my last 10 week quarter.
This project exercised my investigative skillset in design research while narrowing down a solution space, and it also allowed me to exercise my technical skillset prototyping a product in the consumer electronics space. Feel free to view my online "sketchbook" where I documented my progress.
Design Features
The design that I landed on features a monitor with a power bank and port expander hub all connected via a single USB-C. The electronics are tucked within a structural frame and base station which allows the monitor to be tilted and raised to several heights. The frame fits nicely into a large travel sized backpack and is secured in place using snaps to give the backpack a more rigid construction. The screen can be accessed by placing the bag on its side and unzipping the back panel, folding it back. The bag can be used in single screen configuration with a mouse and keyboard, side by side dual screens, or vertically aligned dual screens.
There were several parts to this project: the outer shell made of plywood, the CNC system that controls the marble, and the sweeping mechanism that erases the drawing.
Prototypes
In order to get feedback that would help me arrive to the best solution for the user, I created many prototypes during different stages of the design. These prototypes included cardboard configuration mockups, functional systems of purchased components, wood frames for sizing, and resewn backpacks to test carryability.
There were several parts to this project: the outer shell made of plywood, the CNC system that controls the marble, and the sweeping mechanism that erases the drawing.
Production Consideration
The final design that I was able to reach by the end of my 10 week prototyping quarter was still far from production, however many of the decisions I made in terms of location of electronics and material selection and geometry would stay true if I was to redesign this for production. Critically the metal sliding structure, which was designed to be made from raw bar stock, would be redesigned to be made from several stamped steel structures with ribs to prevent bending forward and back. The electronics would stay in their enclosure at the bottom of the monitor and their housing would be injection molded much in the same way with an inner piece to hold the electronics and attach to the frame and an outer sleeve for a nice clean fit and finish. The electronics would be consolidated to a single board with the power distribution and port bandwidth integrated instead of being separate systems.
There were several parts to this project: the outer shell made of plywood, the CNC system that controls the marble, and the sweeping mechanism that erases the drawing.
High Productivity Computer Workstation in a Backpack
This project was my thesis for my master's degree. I set out to create a product that helps remote workers turn work from home into work from anywhere. I completed the ideation for this projects in one 10 week quarter, and the prototyping and iteration in my last 10 week quarter.
This project exercised my investigative skillset in design research while narrowing down a solution space, and it also allowed me to exercise my technical skillset prototyping a product in the consumer electronics space. Feel free to view my online "sketchbook" where I documented my progress.
Design Features
There were several parts to this project: the outer shell made of plywood, the CNC system that controls the marble, and the sweeping mechanism that erases the drawing.
Prototypes
There were several parts to this project: the outer shell made of plywood, the CNC system that controls the marble, and the sweeping mechanism that erases the drawing.
Production Consideration
There were several parts to this project: the outer shell made of plywood, the CNC system that controls the marble, and the sweeping mechanism that erases the drawing.