Design is an iterative decision-making process that makes use of engineering, arithmetic, and the fundamental sciences to efficiently transform resources to achieve goals. CAD has made design processes faster and more intelligent than ever before, completely replacing traditional drawing design techniques. CAD engineers design, develop, test, and maintain the tools used for CAD processes. They can collaborate with experts in marketing, business development, and manufacturing to better comprehend the problems that need to be fixed. In light of this, a design engineer needs to be knowledgeable in all fields. These things grabbed my attention and inspired me to pursue a design career. I’m the sort of person who has always desired to create something new or upgrade something already in existence. I was given the chance to pursue a mechanical degree at Kumaraguru College of Technology (KCT), one of the finest private institutions in India.
Here, I came about the opportunity of the Autodesk Fusion 360 Mega Challenge which is organised by the Centre of Excellence in Automobile Technology (CEAT), Anna University in association with the Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation (TNSDC) and Autodesk lnc. This event is a skill development initiative under the aegis of the “Naan Mudhalvan” programme. The event was launched by our Honourable Chief Minister on August 29, 2022. The event is conducted in 5 zones of Tamil Nadu viz., Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tirunelveli, and Trichy. With the assistance of Dr. Sreeharan B. N., Assistant Professor-II of Mechanical Engineering, I created a team with my colleague in the third year of mechanical engineering, Lalitkishore N., and registered for the challenge.
After much deliberation and consideration within the team, we landed on the topic “Design for Health Care” in Level-1 and we have selected the most typical heart and stroke patient afflictions. The reason being that they have abrupt chest discomfort that may feel like pressure, tightness, agony, squeezing, or hurting. In such conditions, the patients may not be able to convey their discomfort. If that is acknowledged prior, they might have got medical assistance which may lead to a better probability of them being recovered. For this, we examined several research publications that suggested improving the current wheelchair with various characteristics that primarily identify the patient’s discomfort and communicate it to the caretaker/spouse. A health monitoring system using texto- electronics is integrated, and both physicians and caregivers may simply access it from a distance using a mobile phone. We intended to use a dual mode driving system that uses a manually operated joystick and wireless control over LoRa WAN. For the benefit of users, the system also incorporates voice assistant functions and a medication time indicator.
Following a tremendous number of iterations during the ideation phase, we move on to the design phase, where concept screening and concept scoring are undertaken for each of the six key processes. We initially made a rough draft of the design calculation for the wheelchair and continued with a paper sketch of the solution model with precise annotations and dimensions, thus starting the manufacturing design of the wheelchair in software (Autodesk Fusion 360). Parts are meticulously designed separately with defined construction, assembled together, and given a completed design for manufacturing. At Atlast, we have completed the design and submitted the presentation that detail our design solution.
We rallied our strength and relied on our effort. Despite our excitement for the outcomes, we knew in our minds that we had succeeded. Atlast, the results have been announced. We are truly overwhelmed by the opportunity to be the winning first runner-up in the Coimbatore Zone. It is an incredible moment for us, and it truly establishes a memorable event for the career, reminding us of the importance of dedication and passion. We are absolutely happy to announce that we have been selected as one of the 280 engineering and diploma students staggering 21,000 participants for the megachallenge (finals) from Tamil Nadu.
As a passionate mechanical design engineering enthusiast, this opportunity has left us beaming with joy! Participating in this competition has been an adventure in every sense of the word. Not only did it give me the chance to put my skills to the test, but it also introduced us to an array of design professionals from top-notch companies like Autodesk, Mahindra Group, Mando Automotive India Limited and more. Through these interactions, We have gained priceless insights into the real-world applications of design and the unique challenges faced by designers in the industry. We are immensely grateful for this experience and look forward to utilizing the skills and knowledge gained from this competition to make us mark in the world of design.
