Decision matrix
List of problems
1. Collapsible Door: in some rooms with limited space such as bathrooms, The swing of a door can eliminate a lot of potential space. By using a door that can collapse vertically or horizontally like a telescope, we can save space.
http://freshome.com/2011/06/03/ingenious-door-sliding-system-for-saving-valuable-space-in-your-home/. This site gives a solution but in order for it to work you would need ample wall space so it would not work well in small spaces like hallways.
http://www.designsewlutions.ca/space-for-door-swings/
http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/1483180/list/uncramp-your-small-bathroom
2. Shelter Bench: http://newatlas.com/rolling-park-bench-rotating-dry/34660/ this site talks a bout a bench that has a rotating seat so that it is always dry. This made us think of a bench that coul dheat itself to remain dry by speeding up evaporation. However, in many cities there are large homeless populations with nowhere to sleep where they can be protected from wind and rain. If the bench also had a top that folds out to cover the bench somewhat similar to how the top of a bread box folds out, it would provide a place to rest for many people. It could also be self heating to provide heat during cold winter months and at night when many individuals can die of hypothermia.
http://billmoyers.com/2014/08/13/no-safe-place-how-cities-are-making-it-illegal-to-be-homeless/
https://thinkprogress.org/cold-weather-has-already-claimed-the-lives-of-the-homeless-72d22839c33b#.s78mvu3n5
3. Foot Operated Lock: in bathroom stalls there is the issue where locks often get stuck or rusty form the moisture within the bathroom. Additionally, having to touch the lock is somewhat disgusting because you usually don't get a chance to wash your hands before leaving the stall. with a foot operated lock you would eliminate the need to use your hands when leaving the stall.
http://americanrestroom.org/design/
http://www.cleanlink.com/news/article/Survey-Reveals-Top-Ten-Restroom-ComplaintsUsage-Stats--19737
http://freshome.com/2011/06/03/ingenious-door-sliding-system-for-saving-valuable-space-in-your-home/. This site gives a solution but in order for it to work you would need ample wall space so it would not work well in small spaces like hallways.
http://www.designsewlutions.ca/space-for-door-swings/
http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/1483180/list/uncramp-your-small-bathroom
2. Shelter Bench: http://newatlas.com/rolling-park-bench-rotating-dry/34660/ this site talks a bout a bench that has a rotating seat so that it is always dry. This made us think of a bench that coul dheat itself to remain dry by speeding up evaporation. However, in many cities there are large homeless populations with nowhere to sleep where they can be protected from wind and rain. If the bench also had a top that folds out to cover the bench somewhat similar to how the top of a bread box folds out, it would provide a place to rest for many people. It could also be self heating to provide heat during cold winter months and at night when many individuals can die of hypothermia.
http://billmoyers.com/2014/08/13/no-safe-place-how-cities-are-making-it-illegal-to-be-homeless/
https://thinkprogress.org/cold-weather-has-already-claimed-the-lives-of-the-homeless-72d22839c33b#.s78mvu3n5
3. Foot Operated Lock: in bathroom stalls there is the issue where locks often get stuck or rusty form the moisture within the bathroom. Additionally, having to touch the lock is somewhat disgusting because you usually don't get a chance to wash your hands before leaving the stall. with a foot operated lock you would eliminate the need to use your hands when leaving the stall.
http://americanrestroom.org/design/
http://www.cleanlink.com/news/article/Survey-Reveals-Top-Ten-Restroom-ComplaintsUsage-Stats--19737
4) Blast chilling is a method of cooling food quickly to reduce bacterial growth. "Bacteria multiply fastest between 46 °F and 154 °F" . When you reduce the temperature of cooked food from 158 °F to 37 °F or below within 90 minutes, it eliminates bacteria and is the safest method of preserving food and ensures the safety and the quality of the food product. Al B. Wagner, Jr., Professor and Extension Food Technologist said that It is estimated that between 24 and 81 million cases of food borne illnesses occur each year in the United States. This could all be prevented if food was stored correctly. Also this would save the united states between $5 billion and $17 billion in medical care and lost productivity. There is an invention on the market now called a blast chiller. The problem with them is they cost up to 11,000 dollars and are mainly used for catering companies and commercial kitchens.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blast_chilling
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/food-technology/bacterial-food-poisoning/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blast_chilling
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/food-technology/bacterial-food-poisoning/
5) Nearly 300 people are killed annually in the U.S. in an estimated 21,000 fires caused by space heaters. This could all be prevented if people didn't place the space heaters too close to upholstered furniture, clothing, mattress, or bedding. The national fire protective association said that space heaters are involved in 79% of fatal fires in the united states. They said that to keep your home safe keep a 3 foot gap between anything and the space heater. the only safe heater in the market is an infrared space heater that cost upward to 300 to 400 dollars. not only is it expensive its very big and bulky.
http://www.nfpa.org/news-and-research/news-and-media/press-room/news-releases/2010/space-heaters-involved-in-79-percent-of-fatal-home-heating-fires
http://www.liljegreninjurylawyers.com/what-are-the-most-dangerous-appliances-in-your-home/
http://www.houzz.com/photos/66243338/Infrared-Space-Heater-With-Remote-5200-BTUs-Heat-Two-Tone-Fireproof-Cabinet-space-heaters
http://www.nfpa.org/news-and-research/news-and-media/press-room/news-releases/2010/space-heaters-involved-in-79-percent-of-fatal-home-heating-fires
http://www.liljegreninjurylawyers.com/what-are-the-most-dangerous-appliances-in-your-home/
http://www.houzz.com/photos/66243338/Infrared-Space-Heater-With-Remote-5200-BTUs-Heat-Two-Tone-Fireproof-Cabinet-space-heaters
6) Our bodies generate a significant amount of heat, but this energy is lost into the environment. Wouldn't it be cool to plug your phone in to your clothes and charge it. IT would be safe and renewable because of the heat generated is all natural from your body. There is already an invention in development but not created yet so the solution is still up in the air. The product in development is called power felt.
http://news.wfu.edu/2012/02/22/power-felt-gives-a-charge/
http://news.wfu.edu/2012/02/22/power-felt-gives-a-charge/
Problem statement
Around the country in many cities there is a shortage of places for homeless individuals to sleep at night and remain safe from the weather and environment. On an average night in the United States, about half a million people sleep exposed to the weather and another 1.49 million individuals use shelters. often times at night in large cities, the temperature can drop immensely, possibly causing hypothermia. We seek to provide temporary shelter to these individuals who are unable to find shelter.
Justification
1) APA Citation: Cold-Related Injuries. (2016). Retrieved October 17, 2016, from https://www.nhchc.org/resources/clinical/diseases-and-conditions/cold-related-injuries/
Summary: Many cities have winter shelters to help homeless people stay safe from the cold. However, most shelters only open when it reaches a certain temperature. For example, in NYC, winter shelters often don't open until nighttime temperatures reach 32 degrees Fahrenheit. This is unfortunate because hypothermia can set in at temperatures as high as 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Critique: We could create some sort of product that provides heat for people who would otherwise succumb to hypothermia
2) I feel as though for our problem, it is a given that homeless people's problem is no housing. I affirmed this through the website www.nationalhomeless.org. They stated that an inability to afford housing was the basic problem and while our shelter bench would not provide a permanent home, it does provide a place to sleep and protect from the elements. This wasn't a true article, but it was a tidbit of information from a reputable source, however it does not give me any figures, so further research is needed. I also found another website, www.peopleof.oureverydaylife.com with an article that says how pressing an issues homelessness is in the United States. It states that there are about 600,000 homeless families including 1.35 million children. However, 60% of homeless people are single men. With our bench, one person could sleep in each bench, but we would also include a slit where people can leave notes or write where homeless people can get food and shelter. Also in the article it says that 70% of homeless people live in urban areas, and with the more populated area, the more benches the city will need. This website is very helpful and it has lots of figures, however it is a bit dated.
3) On a single night in January 2015, 564,708 people were experiencing homelessness in the united states. At least 212 homeless people, including seven infants under the age of one year, died in New York City from a variety of causes included drug overdoses, heart failure, and exposure to the cold during 2015. IN Maryland alone 6 percent of the population is homeless.
The State of Homelessness in America 2016. (n.d.). Retrieved October 18, 2016, from http://www.endhomelessness.org/library/entry/SOH2016
Summary: Many cities have winter shelters to help homeless people stay safe from the cold. However, most shelters only open when it reaches a certain temperature. For example, in NYC, winter shelters often don't open until nighttime temperatures reach 32 degrees Fahrenheit. This is unfortunate because hypothermia can set in at temperatures as high as 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Critique: We could create some sort of product that provides heat for people who would otherwise succumb to hypothermia
2) I feel as though for our problem, it is a given that homeless people's problem is no housing. I affirmed this through the website www.nationalhomeless.org. They stated that an inability to afford housing was the basic problem and while our shelter bench would not provide a permanent home, it does provide a place to sleep and protect from the elements. This wasn't a true article, but it was a tidbit of information from a reputable source, however it does not give me any figures, so further research is needed. I also found another website, www.peopleof.oureverydaylife.com with an article that says how pressing an issues homelessness is in the United States. It states that there are about 600,000 homeless families including 1.35 million children. However, 60% of homeless people are single men. With our bench, one person could sleep in each bench, but we would also include a slit where people can leave notes or write where homeless people can get food and shelter. Also in the article it says that 70% of homeless people live in urban areas, and with the more populated area, the more benches the city will need. This website is very helpful and it has lots of figures, however it is a bit dated.
3) On a single night in January 2015, 564,708 people were experiencing homelessness in the united states. At least 212 homeless people, including seven infants under the age of one year, died in New York City from a variety of causes included drug overdoses, heart failure, and exposure to the cold during 2015. IN Maryland alone 6 percent of the population is homeless.
The State of Homelessness in America 2016. (n.d.). Retrieved October 18, 2016, from http://www.endhomelessness.org/library/entry/SOH2016
Survey
We at first made a survey on survey monkey only to find out that we could only get 100 responses so we also made one through Google
The majority of people seem to believe that homelessness is an issue and also want to help those in need. About two thirds also believe that our cities would help their homeless population.
The majority of people seem to believe that homelessness is an issue and also want to help those in need. About two thirds also believe that our cities would help their homeless population.
Summary
We started off our capstone project by creating a gannt chart to divide up the time. Then we needed to think of problems to solve. after about 2 days of research and discussion we had come up with 6 problems that we thought we would be able to solve together as a group. we had thought of a heated bench to help with the home;less, cooling microwave to eliminate the amount of bacteria in stored food, collapsible door to help with saving space, space heaters that have sensors to help prevent fires, better bathroom locks that you can use with your feet to eliminate the spread of bacteria, and a cooling pillow to help people sleep better at night . WE discussed all of the problems and even made individual decision matrix's. WE came up with the agreement of a heated bench with a cover for the homeless. After we came up with our idea we needed justification sources supporting the problem and the problem statement. We then made a survey and have been checking it every day in hopes that 200 to 300 people checked it, sadly we only have 58.