vrijdag 28 februari 2014

Wish #3

Electrical launching is possible, but then, it has to be easy to load the batteries in an easy way.

Wish #2

attached to wheelchair (Permobil c500)
    • Not making the wheelchair bigger on the sides!
    • If small, it can be permanent, otherwise, it has to be light weighted so Jana can take it off hersel

Wish #1

Adjust height and furth (not direction, she can turn wheelchair for that.

Demand #4

Jana wants to launch it herself, not by the dogs help. That's because it will be used as a rewarding system, and then the dog would be rewarded for launching the ball, not for the thing he did before.

Demand #3

The product has to be able to work with tennisballs.

She told us that a tennis ball is the best solution for the dog because it fits in its mouth, can be crushed a little bit and quite sturdy when the dog bites in it. A tennis ball is also not too light (like a ping pong ball) so wind doesn't influence it too much

Demand #2

The product has to throw the ball further (20 meter) and higher (now he rolls over the ground).

Demand #1

The product has to throw the ball forwards.

dinsdag 25 februari 2014

PROTOTYPE #2b

On the first test we did, we saw that the force of the elastics wasn't equaly spread onto the tennis ball, therefore we made a tennis ball holder that centers the ball more into the middle of the tube (at the center of the two elastics).

VERSION 2


VIDEO




The ball went a little further but not such a big difference with the previous version.

BENCHMARK #13

Swing



BENCHMARK #12

Spring

BENCHMARK #11

Turning wheels

BENCHMARK #10

Hammer

BENCHMARK #9

Air pressure

zondag 23 februari 2014

PROTOTYPE #2a

Before we went to Jana, we made a quick prototype to test with her dog. We made a launcher out of PVC-pipe (diameter 90mm) with some bike elastics to shoot the tennis ball (diameter 70mm). We attached a PS plate on the rope so the ball doesn't fall in between te tube and the elastics; it keeps the ball in the tube.


VERSION 1


VIDEO




We took our prototype to Jana and her dog to test it.
The first thing we tested was if the dog could pull hard enough to load the launcher.
Remark: we had to make a knot into the rope so the dog could pull better.




CONCLUSION

Expected positive feedback:
/

Unexpected positive feedback: 
Dog can pull very hard!

Expected negative feedback:
Further and higher to excite the dog more.

Unexpected negative feedback:
Jana doesn't really want to let the dog load it = reward for pulling.
Ball needs to be shown to the dog before throwing.

Makeability score: 4 (quite easy to make)





vrijdag 21 februari 2014

INTERVIEW #3 | Other aspects of the product

  • Only for outside, she can throw the ball far enough for inside
  • A launcher for 1 ball is enough, dog brings the ball back every time

Remark: she would like to play 'fetch' with the dog, not like frisbees to take them out of the air because the dog has a weak shoulder so can't jump high; the dog would hurt itself.


SOME TIME LEFT?
It would be cool if you can find a way to play a pulling game with the dog to. 
Rope attached to wheelchair: dog never wins.
Hold the rope yourself: dog wins to easy.
Not with a nod: it should be possible to pull it back and forward while the dog is tugging.

PROTOTYPE #1 | WHAT DOES JANA USE NOW?

A throwing stick. Great way to throw a ball if you can put your arm in the air, it flies really high and far with a small amount of power used. But not for Jana, because it's impossible to put her arm in the air. The ball is immediatly on the ground and can still only be used to throw backwards (see movie). But maybe it's a good system to work with and a starting point for the new product.



INTERVIEW #1 | PROFILE JANA

Jana is in an electric wheelchair (in a few months a new one: Permobil c500) and is looking for a way to reward and play with her guide dog by throwing a ball. This is because the dog is still young and in training to replace her older sheppard as a guiding dog.

Jana can throw a ball backwards, but only a couple of meters far and the ball bounces immediately on the ground. It's not enough for the dog to run and have a lot of fun bringing the ball back.
She can make small movements with her arms and hands, but no big movements due to a form of muscle paralysis on her upper arms and shoulders.Putting an arm in the air is impossible.
Lifting heavy things is hard, a bottle of fanta (1l) is already quite heavy.
It would also be possible to launch the ball with her feet (using a footswitch), but not to pump and create air pressure to launch it, that's to heavy.

dinsdag 18 februari 2014

BENCHMARK #7


Jerry can play alone with this machine. 

BENCHMARK #8

Jai Alai

     

BENCHMARK #6


http://makezine.com/projects/Fetch-O-Matic/#.UFFjZY1lRSk

A box with a funnel to put the ball in. It's a DIY-guide to make the launcher yourself. The mechanism is a motorised wheel. 

BENCHMARK #5



DIY ball launcher made with wood and a wheel with motor. The dog can launch it himself, there is a big area with a funnel to make the ball go in the right direction. A wheel gives the ball it's right speed to be launched in the air. 

BENCHMARK #4


https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/299675463/ifetch-the-ball-launcher-for-dogs

Kickstarter is a small product. You put the ball in the entrance and a couple of seconds later, the ball is launched. Mechanism: motorise wheel.

BENCHMARK #3


http://switchgaming.blogspot.be/2012/02/switch-dog-ball-launcher.html

Ball launcher attached to a wheelchair. The product works with the mechanism of a wheel. The ball has to be put in a tube before launching. With a push on the button, the ball is launched. 

BENCHMARK #2


http://switchgaming.blogspot.be/2012/02/switch-dog-ball-launcher.html

Ball launcher designed to play with dogs. It works with a remote control so it's adapted for users in a wheelchair. The dog fetches and brings the ball back to the shooting unit.