Opportunity ID 1 Example

Example of of 1st iteration of identifying a product need area. See evolution of concept in Opportunity ID 2 (will be revealed later).

NOTE. There are flaws in this example. It is completely fine for your first set of product ideas to have flaws. In class we will cover how to pivot from an idea with flaws to a compelling idea.

See if you can find the flaws in the product proposal; the flaws can be technical, regulatory, and/or financial.

Short Bio

 Instructor of MAE154. Interests include machine design, snowboarding, and backpacking.

Contact info: ndelson@ucsd.edu

Title for Project Area 1: Garbage Can Cleaning with UV Radiation

Unmet Need Statement

I hate flies. I am pretty good at catching them, but I still hate them buzzing around in my house. The problem is that the outside garbage can in my house is just around the corner from my kitchen. Every so often a garbage bag leaks leaving a smelly mess at the bottom of the garbage can that attracts flies. When I go in and out of the kitchen door, some of the flies sneak into the house. To address this problem, I clean out the garbage can with hot water and soap every few months, but this is a pain. 

The unmet need is how to prevent flies from getting into my house.

Proposed Solution: 

The concept is to automatically clean garbage cans with Ultraviolet (UV) radiation so that flies will not breed there and kill the bacteria making the garbage smelly. UV radiation has become popular for sterilizing water and even killing germs on toothbrushes. The garbage cans at my house are regulated by the city of San Diego for use with their automated garbage truck loaders, as shown below:

The idea is to mount a UV light under the lid of the garbage can. A solar panel and battery will be mounted on top of the garbage can. During the week the battery will be charged up. When the garbage is emptied into the garbage truck, a tilt sensor will detect the event and the UV light will be activated once the lid is closed on the empty garbage can. The idea is that the UV light will kill any fly larvae and bacteria in garbage thereby reducing the smell and breeding of flies. See figure below:

Figure of Residential Garbage UV Cleaner Design Solution