CAPSTONE PROJECT
This is my final Industrial Design project, and the culmination of my education at Carleton University.
I chose to be apart of the Social Design project group - we collaborated with different indigenous communities around the world to design solutions based on issues they brought to the Industrial Design program. I worked with the Na-Cho Nyak Dun community in Mayo, Yukon, both virtually and in person to develop a solution that is tailored to their needs.
This project started in September 2022, and was presented at the Carleton Grad Show in April 2023.
DESIGN OPPORTUNITY
With the high price of gas in northern communities, there is an opportunity for improvements to alternate modes of winter transportation.
Current solutions are only fabricated and shipped from Finland: they do not suit the needs of the community, and lack the strength and durability to be long-lasting products in the harsh Yukon climate.
PROJECT GOALS
A stronger product that supports more weight.
Simple, modular design so damaged parts can easily be fixed or replaced.
Designed for easy fabrication, allowing construction within the Yukon.
CURRENT SOLUTION
The Scandinavian kicksled - completely manufactured and shipped from Fin
Wood pieces are held together by staples and glue. The wood is soft, hand tightening the fasteners causes a moderate indentation which removed paint.
All metal parts are held together by Phillips head nuts and bolts. The bolts are cheap and low quality - they started to strip with very little force.
Sled comes with runners for the bottom of the skates. These are supposed to be used over heavier snow or gravel. They are friction fit, with the front end held on by a ziptie.
The footrests are friction-fit and quite secure. They are somewhat difficult to attach, and feel as though moderate impact in extremely cold weather will cause them to shatter.
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
PROTOTYPING
I went through many stages of prototyping, from miniature foam models up to a full-scale welded prototype - involving as many people as I could. This provided valuable feedback on both the current kicksled design and my prototypes. I had the opportunity to collaborate with community members via hologram to show my current design and ideas, and recieve feedback on features, fabrication methods, and overall designs aspects.
WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY
Getting the opportunity to work in person with the community gave valuable information I would not have gotten by any other means. I vigorously tested the current kicksled.
The feedback I received helped me to re-prioritize which features and aspects were the most important, and sent me in a new design direction.
FINAL DESIGN
This solution was designed to be manufactured as close to Mayo as possible, thus the materials and manufacturing techniques were chosen carefully.
The entire chassis is aluminum tubing, with each piece having only two dimensional bends - no need for complex tube bending.
All plastic components are CNC machined UHMW, which allows for the complex shape of of the skis and treads to be easily tackled.
The seat is polyester webbing, which is widely available at any hardware outlet. Because it is the same material for seatbelts it is also available for affordable worldwide shipping - including remote locations.
The wood handle and plaques can be easily hand-crafted by any local woodworker, or anyone with access to a working woodshop.
The entire sled was designed for easy assembly and repairability, so it is completely modular. If any piece breaks, it can be easily removed and replaced with a new one. To add to this, it is perfectly symmetrical with no specifications for the right or left side - the parts are the same whether they go on the right or left, making manufacturing and replacing much simpler.
FULL SCALE MODEL
Instead of building a scale model to show my concept, I decided to build it full size to better show the dimensions and features.
FINAL SUBMISSIONS
Click on the icons below to see my final presentation poster, as well as my full research document - which has all of my research, background info, specifications, and a full breakdown of everything that went into this project.
Final Poster
Full Report