FFT Smasor

The course assignment at DHBW Mosbach was to invent a device to counteract an everyday problem. The students had to plan and then also build a prototype that had to be functional in order to pass the module and for the assessment. The projekt team didn´t have to search long for an everyday problem: While studying, one´s eyes quickly wander to the smartphone, which can then easily distract. But how can this be counteracted with a device? What should a prototype look like and what functions should it have?

The innovation project "FFT-Smasor" is a smartphone safe that irrevocably locks away the user´s-cell phone for a defined period of time. This is intended to prevent distractions by the smartphone while learning. The locking period can be set variably. The user is supposed to use the distraction-free time sensibly, e.g., to learn effectively. As soon as the time-delaying relay opens the lock, a learning break with cell phone us ecan be taken. So much for the idea - it was still a long road with many challenges until the prototype was completed.

The project team is made up of three dual-track students from FFT: Julian Baderschneider, Fabian Kristen and Lilly Heine. All three are studying industrial engineering and have completed their 4th semester.

After the students found and agreed on the everyday problem described above, the tasks and responsibilities were divided. Julian Baderschneider was appointed team leader. His tasks included design calculations, material selection and the overall organization of the project. In addition to these tasks, he took care of the communication with the lecturers and was thus the contact person for "FFT-Smasor". Fabian Kristen was primarily responsible for calculations, dimensioning and design.

He performed the electrical planning as well as the full cost calculation. In addition, he was responsible for the bill of materials, installations and the processing of orders. Lilly Heine first drafted sketches of the prototype. In the next step, she developed detailed drawings and was responsible for the construction. In addition to the individual tasks, there were a number of issues that the students worked on together. After completion of the prototype, it was presented by the project team both at the university and at the FFT training department.

At the beginning of the project, a brainstorming session was held to develop an idea for the expected prototype. Lilly sketched out initial designs, which were then fleshed out more and more. Thus, the implementation of the project involved a lot of arrangements. the team met in person and communicated with each other via WhatsApp or teams. The many tasks posed great challenges to the team members in regards to scheduling problems, time pressure and rescheduling due to illness.

The design, calculation and planning were largely carried out by the students themselves. In some cases, experts supported the groups with specialist knowledge. Thus, they received support from the developers of the sensor technology and the employees from the training workshop during the practical implementation. In addition, the manual work was supervised by apprentices. The students were able to perform activities such as drilling and filling on their own, whereas they needed support for tasks such as welding and bending.

Here, the students realized that theoretical ideas cannot always be put into practice. One or another adjustment presented a challenge, but not a problem. Nevertheless, such changes put a strain on the schedule, which fortunately could be kept anyway. All previously defined main and sub-functions were kept and also the requirements list created at at the beginning could be met almost completely. Unfortunately, the locking unit could not be powered by the powerbank and a step-up converter as planned. Instead, a 12V battery was added.

The project team learned that an exact conversion from the theoretically intended solution into practice is often not easy to implement. The students gained experience in planning, time and project management, as well as design. In addition to these, the skills learned in the BBZ manufacturing courses (turning, milling, drilling, soldering) were deepened. The university lecturers were impressed by the prototype and the presentation and gave the project a very good grade. They were equally enthusiastic support provided by FFT employees who were not directly involved in the project.

The FFT-Smasor is not intended for the students´ own use. The prototype will be made available to the education departments as en exhibit. The project team advises their fellow students working on similar projects to highly prioritize time management. The project should be started as early as possible, since problems can always arise and take up more time than planned for. In addition, regular and, well-structured meetings are important and help to keep the project organized.