Literature Review

1. Why is it important to research the science concepts behind your project early on? How did your research change your project?

2. How confident are you on actually making a working prototype for your project? Point to some evidence for either just making an MVP or going fully into making a working prototype.

3. If cost were not an issue, what other issues are in the way of actually getting your project to the working prototype level? If cost is the biggest issue getting in your way, then how much money is needed to make this project happen?

4. What are the next steps for your group in the design and building of your Minimal Viable Product?

Clarence:

1. We had to research for information about our project because we need to keep costs below $100. After we found the right materials for out project, we were ready to create our prototype. We were able to find the right materials that allows us to keep costs low. Research changed our project after it showed that some materials aren't as strong as other materials, and the fact that flight time is reduced if we used a different battery. Research also showed us that we had to make the case as light as possible. 

2. I am confident that I can make the prototype. Not only is it an actual prototype, but I am making a working prototype that shows how our product works. Since most of the materials and parts needed for the prototype are already found, we are able to create the prototype as soon as we need it done. Making a working prototype also gives us the advantage for people to really interact with our product, instead of looking at a MVP. 

3. If there was no cost issue, then I can make the prototype more sturdy and better at self leveling. It will also allow me to add more features such as "take off from hand" and for it to land itself. We can also add more if we were allowed to spend a little bit more on the project. We are able to say that maybe $150 more will allow us to invest in a better battery, better motors, better propellers, and a better flight controller/gyroscope. If we can make the MVP better, we will create the fully working prototype. Since we are somewhat able to create a working prototype by using the $100 budget, we will use our to the fullest potential and possibly change something up (if it doesn't work)  in the end as long as it is still under the budget. 

4. Our next steps are to build our product. After building it, we are going to add better motors and a better flight controller so we have more control over our product. Adding these features will allow us to have better control and possibly still be under the budget. We are also going to make it as durable as possible, so that if you crash into something, you can still use our product. The chances of crashing are low though because of safety features. 

Akhil: 

1. The main reason to research the science concepts behind our project early on, in my opinion, is the fact that we only have $100 dollars to build our prototype. If certain parts needed more than the given amount of money, we would think of alternatives for them. We did base some of our decisions on the cost, and changed our product multiple times. Researching the science also led to us knowing which resources we needed to build the product. Knowing that is essential, because it is basically a blueprint of our product and the steps that we needed to take. Our research changed our product from 15 different items to just one item.

2. I am decently confident that we can make a working prototype, rather than just an MVP for our product. We have the tools to construct the drone, as well as all the necessary parts on a drone. Making a working prototype is a capability for our team, so rather than just a minimal viable product, a working product gives us a huge boost in front of the judges. We are definitely planning on creating a fully working prototype that works for any phone.

3. If cost were not an issue, the other issues that are in the way of actually getting our product to the working prototype level, include time. We only have time till the end of the school year, so if our product fails to work a few times, we might not be able to create a working prototype and might have to revert to an MVP. Cost probably is the biggest issue in our way, and the price of the product all depends on which materials we use or substitute. Being aware of the cost, we would probably buy less durable and effective materials, rather than top quality materials. About $100 or more would be needed to make this product happen, based on the costs of the drone parts.

​​4. The next steps for our group would be making the working prototype. Since the parts are arriving soon, all our group needs to do is build the product. Just towards our Minimal Viable Product, we don't need actual drone parts. But for our prototype, we are buying two motors, propellers, and other essential drone parts. After we create the product, we will update the website and our slides presentation and will try and get some quotes from people who want to use the product. Then we present in front of the judges.

Michelle: 

1. It's important to research the science concepts behind your project early on because if you don't know the science behind your product, you won't have any idea on what you are building/creating. If you can't explain how it works, or how you will make it work, nobody will invest in your product. You need to have a generalization of your idea and know what you're going to build, and how you're going to build it. Without that, you can't start. Understanding the science behind your product is also important to know how your product will function. If a component of your product is dangerous, you obviously don't want it to be in the hands of your customer. It could potentially hurt them, which isn't what you want. This is why you need to know the science behind what you're building.

2. I am pretty confident on how we're actually going to make a working prototype for our project because we know what we're making, we know the science behind it, and we have a generalization on what it will look like. We're just starting on our MVP, and our idea for the heart rate monitor is that like a fitbit, it will function by by sending the information to a monitor on the wrist, as you can feel your heartbeat on your wrist. To make it work, you will take your phone, and put the back of it on your, as said, wrist. This will then connect to your phone and show you the rate your heart is beating at and how healthy you are. One possible idea is to take the heart rate monitor out of a fitbit, and attach it to a phone case.

Another idea we were going for it waterproofing. Silicone elastomer is a waterproof material that is a possible candidate for making this phone case possible. We want to make an airtight kind of like "coffin" for your phone, so that no water will leak inside. These are all possibilities for our product.

3. One issue with our heart rate monitor besides costs, is how we're going to connect the data from the back of your phone case, to your actual phone. If we had to find a way, it would be bluetooth, and then creating an app, which is double the amount of work. We do have three possible ideas, but this is just one issue that is in one of the most popular choices. Cost is not that big of an issue, as long as we know what we're doing, and know what we're buying. It would be a problem if we bought a fitbit and took the heart rate monitor out of it for one of our ideas because fitbits retail at around $150, which isn't very cheap.

4. The next steps for our group in the design and building of your Minimal Viable Product is getting the actual phone case, and adding the waterproofing, drone, or heart rate monitor. We have the idea down, and all we need are the resources. After we have the physical product done, we need to think about how we're going to sell it, online, or in a store.