2.S987: Redesign, Reimagine

Graduate and Undergraduate | 6 Units | Begins March 30th | Prereq: Permission of the instructors

Exploration of the design process through redesigning existing products. Instructors provide case studies and surveys on how new technologies, unintended uses, cultural shifts, design failures, and overlooked technical details can serve as starting points for rethinking products. Instruction provided in design exploration, mathematical modeling, physical analysis, and prototyping to evaluate and reimagine a product. The redesign process uncovers hidden assumptions, traces both user experience and mechanical behavior, and explores alternate possibilities. Students engage in the detailed redesign process through individual assignments and team projects. Students taking the graduate version will be required to complete additional assignments. Enrollment may be limited due to laboratory capacity. This subject is designed for MechE graduate students.  Upper-level undergraduate students will be considered on a case-by-case basis.