We’ll explore how the objects we take for granted are designed, built, and made to perform their functions. Understand the complex process that goes into making each object perform the functions we need in real life, and explore the important factors and technological challenges involved.
We use a lot of things in our lives. We only have to look at how we wake up in the morning and wash our faces to prove this seemingly obvious statement. Let’s take a look at a typical college student’s morning routine.
When the alarm goes off on an object called a ‘clock’, we get out of bed, put on an object called ‘glasses’, open the door to the bathroom, move an object called a ‘faucet’ to release water, and wash our face with it. When you turn on the faucet, the ‘water tank’ activates the ‘pump’ and other objects that provide power for the water to rise, and the water flows through the ‘water pipe’. After washing your face, you dry it off with a towel, and then moisturize it with skin, lotion, and other products.
Just by looking at the process of washing our face, we can see that there are at least ten different objects being used. Another way to think about it is that we are able to wash our face smoothly because all the objects involved in the process are doing their job. In fact, many of these simple everyday objects are complex in design and manufacturing. It takes a team of experts to design and manufacture these common objects and make them work so well. How are these objects mass-produced to fulfill the functions we need in real life, and how are complex and large objects, such as cars and cell phones, made to fulfill multiple functions, in addition to simple objects like the ones mentioned above?
Despite the vastness and scope of the concept of an “object,” most objects are developed and brought to market through similar patterns. This is similar to how the principles of nature, while seemingly complex, are actually made up of simple rules. The process of designing things follows the same basic principles and steps. Let’s take a look at how a product is born from a need or idea.
The dictionary definition of an object is “any material object that has a definite shape”. However, since we’re only going to be looking at objects that are produced to fulfill a necessary function, we can rephrase it as “any material object that performs a specific function”. At its simplest, a function can be thought of as something that produces an output when an input is applied. For example, if you look at the steering wheel of a car, the angle at which the steering wheel is turned is the input, and the angle at which the wheel turns is the output. Another example is an electric fan, where each button is an input and the wind direction, wind speed, and rotation are outputs when the cord is plugged in.
In this article, we’re going to use a device called a “suspension” to help us understand the impact of an airplane when it lands. The suspension is essential for the safety of an airplane, and even a small error can have a catastrophic effect on the airplane’s performance. Therefore, the process of designing and building this device must be done very carefully.
The first step in developing and building an object is to identify the inputs and outputs needed to fulfill its function. The important thing about this process is that you need to think about all the inputs and outputs that are involved in performing the function. For simple objects, this is not a problem because there are fewer variables to think about, but for complex objects with multiple components, there may be inputs that you haven’t thought of. Different inputs will result in different outputs, so it’s very important to identify the variables.
In the case of a suspension, the inputs that contribute to its function are the airplane’s landing speed, the slope of the landing site, the roughness of the ground, and the air pressure distribution at the landing altitude. The output will be the amount of acceleration the airplane has in a straight line. The smaller the linear acceleration of the airplane, the better the shock absorber has done its job. If any one of these factors is not taken into account, it can cause discomfort to the passengers in small ways, and in severe cases, it can lead to an airplane crash. This is why it is important to pay close attention to the inputs.
Once the inputs and outputs have been thoroughly investigated, the next step is to find the relationship between them. The relationship between inputs and outputs is important because the purpose of an object is to produce the required output, and we get the output by adjusting the inputs. There are two main ways to find the relationship between them. The first is reasoning through scientific theories, and the other is experimentation. Using scientific theories to find the relationship has the advantage of being very cost-effective compared to experiments, and it can be used as a substitute when experiments are difficult to perform. However, it can be inaccurate, so in practice, experiments are often used to find the relationship between inputs and outputs. The idea is to build a large database of experiments and use them to discover relationships.
This process is very important and can sometimes lead to unexpected results. For example, in the case of suspensions, input variables such as air pressure distribution or landing speed can affect the output in unexpected ways. For this reason, experimentation and data analysis are key steps in the design of an object. Finding the relationship between inputs and outputs is as important as identifying the inputs and outputs in order to properly achieve the required output.
After these computational processes, the next step is computer simulation and prototyping. A prototype is a basic or exemplary form that is designed to have all the characteristics of the actual product. As the technology has improved, computer simulations have become incredibly similar to the real world, and in some fields, there is almost no error between the computer simulation and the physical model. As an example, once the suspension has been designed, graphic programs are used to recreate the actual suspension on the computer. In these programs, variables such as landing speed, airplane weight, and floor slope can be substituted to see what the output looks like in each case, and the values can be analyzed to see if the suspension is performing the correct function.
However, there are still unexpected variables in the real world, so you need to build a prototype based on the simulation and evaluate it once more. The goal is to evaluate whether the prototype functions correctly, what the tolerances are, and whether there are any safety issues. The prototype should be as close to the real thing as possible, but if it’s not possible to make it full-size, it’s sometimes scaled down or modified. In the case of the suspension, it’s a part of the airplane, so if you make a full-scale prototype and test it, you’ll have to use the whole airplane. However, using the entire airplane for testing is cost prohibitive, so the prototype is built in a scaled-down form, and a new environment is created for the scaled-down prototype to be tested and evaluated.
If the evaluation is successful, the product goes into production, but if the evaluation reveals problems, the process starts all over again. This is especially important for products that have a direct impact on safety, such as suspensions. Small mistakes in the early stages can have a big impact on the actual performance of the product.
Most of the things we use are, to a large extent, created and distributed through this process. It’s important for developers to make sure their product does exactly what it’s supposed to do because it affects sales, user comfort, and in some cases, even safety. You may take it for granted that turning a doorknob opens a door or turning a faucet makes water come out, but there’s a lot of work that goes into making these things that we take for granted. It’s important to remember that these things are not just consumer goods, but products of human creativity and hard work, and that a lot of trial and error and research went into making them what they are today.
