McMaster Cadathon 2025

The McMaster CAD Designathon 2025, organized by the McMaster Design League (MDL), is a comprehensive, day-long event dedicated to advancing skills in computer-aided modeling (CAD), mechanical design, and rapid prototyping. It aims to foster collaboration and enhance problem-solving abilities among participants.

Prompt

The year is 2025. As a team of recently graduated engineers who can’t find jobs, you're ecstatic when a robotic vacuum cleaner company Clean Corp, is so impressed with your LinkedIn, they contact you about a seasonal contract! You are so desperate you take it immediately.

Upon a meeting, Clean Corp reveals that although their robotic vacuum cleaner “Dirt Bot” is great at keeping floors clean, customers think they're just too boring! Clean Corp has asked you to design an attachment that helps with another household task put onto Dirt Bot. Clean Corp doesn’t want to change their production lines, so anything you design/modify must be a realistic adjustment that can be made using a standard Dirt Bot. (complete remodification is not allowed).

What were the requirements?

Mechanical Design

Prioritize modifying or adding mechanical components like motors and fasteners. Software, hardware, or coding components are not mandatory.

Size & Modification Constraints

The attachment must fit within 750x750x500 mm. Only the lid can be modified, with minimal changes to the rest of the bot.

Functionality

The Dirt Bot must still function as a vacuum cleaner after modifications. And the design can not interfere with its primary cleaning ability.

Realism & Feasibility

The design had to be practical, achievable, an manufacturable with current materials and technology.

Design Process

My role on the team was as the team manager. Most of my tasks consistend on issues surrounding problem solving and time management.

Conceptualization

This phase was the most time-intensive. Initially, we reviewed the instructions and requirements. Afterward, each team member developed prototype ideas for our design, which we then assessed for realism.

After reviewing each concept, we identified the features that most closely aligned with the project objectives. Our primary concept involved designing a scooper capable of collecting small objects around the house, thereby eliminating the need for manual cleaning before hand.

Issues arrived

At this stage, we were began sketching and sourcing components to bring the concept to the life. However, we encountered a significant obstacle as our initial design did not function as anticipated. Therefore, I sought guidance from an advisor who recommended generating additional sketches.

Low Fidelity

Now that we had multiple design choices we had difficulty deciding how to forward. To address the issue, I consulted with an on-site volunteer engineer to assist the team in making a conclusive decision, enabling us to progress. The engineer approved our initial concept which prompted us to begin realizing the design using Blender.

High Fidelity

After creating a low fidelity model in Blender, the team transitioned to developing a more realistic model in Inventor. This model was meticulously crafted based on prior research concerning components and measurements, ensuring it accurately reflected considerations of weight and cost.

Final Presentation

For the final presentation, I developed a comprehensive business model that highlighted the product's functionality, aesthetic appeal, technical capabilities, and overall cost. We successfully delivered our presentation to the judges and achieved all our objectives within the designated timeframe.