choosing a topic project
This project had the whole team work together to research various aspects of the proposed project
1. Individually propose three problem statements for consideration. Use the Problem Statement Evaluation to improve each.
Jared: Current dog leashes are not hands free and rotatable. They require full attention and disallow multitasking.
Jenie: Dog walkers drop leashes and dogs tangle the leash around them when they run 360 degrees around the walker.
Michael: Current dog leashes do not give the walker the ability to use their hands, and existing belt dog leashes can easily tangle the walker when the dog runs in circles.
2. For each problem statement, collect three credible sources that indicate that the problem exists. Use theEffective Research document to evaluate each source. If you cannot find three credible sources (see Research Summary Sheet), then adjust the problem statement or use a different one so that the problem is at least preliminarily validated.
Jenie:
https://patents.google.com/patent/US2821168A/en?q=leash
it’s a different fabric leash, but its justification is that if a dog moves suddenly it can hurt the walker's hand. This could also be solved using a belt.This patent,
https://www.google.com/patents/US6192835?dq=leash&hl=en&sa=X&sqi=2&pjf=1&ved=0CDEQ6AEwA2oVChMIppie3OujyAIVDHI-Ch0aigZO
is an attempt at a dog belt that prevents a walker from being wrapped up by the leash.
https://patents.google.com/patent/US2710409A/en?q=leash, this glove leash cannot be dropped, therefore a problem existsthat has yet to beadequatelyaddressed.
Jared:
https://patents.google.com/patent/US20050229867A1/en?q=dog&q=belt&q=leash
This is a specialized belt that allows hands free walking of the dog but does not allow full 360 degree rotation.
https://patents.google.com/patent/US5038719A/en?q=dog&q=belt&q=leash
This design is for running alongside a dog, but does not allow it to run faster and does not allow rotation.
https://patents.google.com/patent/US6314917B1/en?q=dog+leash
This shows a retractable leash yet it takes two hands to use and disallows multitasking
Michael:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Buddy-System-Adjustable-Running/product-reviews/B0002ZAZLC/ref=cm_cr_pr_hist_2/191-0940909-4250122?ie=UTF8&filterBy=addOneStar&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=helpful&reviewerType=all_reviews&formatType=all_formats&filterByStar=two_star&pageNumber=1 This product's reviews showthat the design is flimsy and is not great for large dogs. A 360 design would change this.
http://www.squishyfacestudio.com/leash-belt-3/ This design also doesn'tprovide the mobilitywe are searching for in a dog belt.
http://www.amazon.com/Mighty-Paw-Premium-Lightweight-Reflective/dp/B00X1CRDWM/ref=zg_bs_3024195011_4/179-9174535-8038702 I like this design for the leash itself, but the belt has 0 maneuverability.
http://www.1800petmeds.com/
This site has tons of meds http://www.buddysys.com/pages/customer-service
This is the contact page for this company. It uses the same idea of a hands free leash system, but lacks the 360 rotation which our product is based off of.
3. Assign a number to each problem statement. Each member of the team should individually evaluate each one. Compare notes, and as a group select a problem. Use the Problem Statement Matrix to help you choose among the ideas. Keep in mind that your problem statement may change or may be modified during a later stage.
4. As a team research at least 10 artifacts that support the validity of your problem statement and provide supporting information. To validate your problem, show that experts believe it to be a problem, consumer/users believe it to be a problem, that data supports the need for a solution, and/or that examples exist of unsuccessful attempts to solve the problem or that the attempts to solve the problem have significant flaws.
5.Create a document that conveys your final problem statement. Include the most significant supporting information that you found during your research. Be sure that your problem statement answers all of the following questions:
Dog owners constantly struggle with moving their dog leashes from hand to hand trying to keep up with their pet's erratic movements. Current leashes disallow mobility and multitasking for the walker, and thus both the owner and pet struggle when the pet needs fresh air. Our project would create a dog "belt leash" that would allow hands-free pet walking with 360 degree maneuverability. Leashes from as early as the 1920's tried to alleviate this difficult walking time with to no avail. With up to 47% of the 115,610,216 households in the United States alone having man's best friend around, it would be our mission to facilitate walking dogs and reduce the number of dog owners (1 in 5) who do not walk their pet.
Conclusion questions
Secondly, we believe another shortcoming will come with making the belt adjustable. There is a wide variety of waist sizes, and an adjustable feature on the belt will be almost necessary if it is to be successful in market. With a feature that allows the leash to rotate fully around the body, the system of adjusting the belt will have to be slightly different. It must incorporate a way of keeping the leash track intact wile still being able to fit a large variety of waist sizes.
2. How can one of the problems that was not chosen be altered to become a validproblem statement?
One of the problem statements not chosen focused only on the ability to maintain control of the dog. The idea of this problem statement was to focus on keeping the dog attached to the user, and eliminating the possibility of the dog escaping and running away. By attaching the belt to the waist, this problem is essentially solved. A possible problem with this could be keeping the dog walker safe, but by using a leash with slack, the dogs sudden jerks and motions will prove to be harmless. Thus the final problem statement could have been:
Dog walkers are often caught off guard by their dogs sudden motions, leading to dropped leashes and stray dogs. By attaching the leash to the waist, we keep the dog attached to the walker in all scenarios.
Jared: Current dog leashes are not hands free and rotatable. They require full attention and disallow multitasking.
Jenie: Dog walkers drop leashes and dogs tangle the leash around them when they run 360 degrees around the walker.
Michael: Current dog leashes do not give the walker the ability to use their hands, and existing belt dog leashes can easily tangle the walker when the dog runs in circles.
2. For each problem statement, collect three credible sources that indicate that the problem exists. Use theEffective Research document to evaluate each source. If you cannot find three credible sources (see Research Summary Sheet), then adjust the problem statement or use a different one so that the problem is at least preliminarily validated.
Jenie:
https://patents.google.com/patent/US2821168A/en?q=leash
it’s a different fabric leash, but its justification is that if a dog moves suddenly it can hurt the walker's hand. This could also be solved using a belt.This patent,
https://www.google.com/patents/US6192835?dq=leash&hl=en&sa=X&sqi=2&pjf=1&ved=0CDEQ6AEwA2oVChMIppie3OujyAIVDHI-Ch0aigZO
is an attempt at a dog belt that prevents a walker from being wrapped up by the leash.
https://patents.google.com/patent/US2710409A/en?q=leash, this glove leash cannot be dropped, therefore a problem existsthat has yet to beadequatelyaddressed.
Jared:
https://patents.google.com/patent/US20050229867A1/en?q=dog&q=belt&q=leash
This is a specialized belt that allows hands free walking of the dog but does not allow full 360 degree rotation.
https://patents.google.com/patent/US5038719A/en?q=dog&q=belt&q=leash
This design is for running alongside a dog, but does not allow it to run faster and does not allow rotation.
https://patents.google.com/patent/US6314917B1/en?q=dog+leash
This shows a retractable leash yet it takes two hands to use and disallows multitasking
Michael:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Buddy-System-Adjustable-Running/product-reviews/B0002ZAZLC/ref=cm_cr_pr_hist_2/191-0940909-4250122?ie=UTF8&filterBy=addOneStar&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=helpful&reviewerType=all_reviews&formatType=all_formats&filterByStar=two_star&pageNumber=1 This product's reviews showthat the design is flimsy and is not great for large dogs. A 360 design would change this.
http://www.squishyfacestudio.com/leash-belt-3/ This design also doesn'tprovide the mobilitywe are searching for in a dog belt.
http://www.amazon.com/Mighty-Paw-Premium-Lightweight-Reflective/dp/B00X1CRDWM/ref=zg_bs_3024195011_4/179-9174535-8038702 I like this design for the leash itself, but the belt has 0 maneuverability.
http://www.1800petmeds.com/
This site has tons of meds http://www.buddysys.com/pages/customer-service
This is the contact page for this company. It uses the same idea of a hands free leash system, but lacks the 360 rotation which our product is based off of.
3. Assign a number to each problem statement. Each member of the team should individually evaluate each one. Compare notes, and as a group select a problem. Use the Problem Statement Matrix to help you choose among the ideas. Keep in mind that your problem statement may change or may be modified during a later stage.
4. As a team research at least 10 artifacts that support the validity of your problem statement and provide supporting information. To validate your problem, show that experts believe it to be a problem, consumer/users believe it to be a problem, that data supports the need for a solution, and/or that examples exist of unsuccessful attempts to solve the problem or that the attempts to solve the problem have significant flaws.
- Document each artifact and complete aResearch Summary Sheetforeach.
- http://www.baxterboo.com/p.cfm/ultra-paws-skijor-hip-belt-hands-free-dog-leash?pla=1&gclid=COHs7-GI0cgCFUMWHwodcxAA9w
This is an existing dog belt for skiers to be pulled along by their dog - https://www.aspca.org/about-us/faq/pet-statistics
Approximately 37-47% of American households have a dog
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/00000.html
115,610,216 households in the US(2009-2013)
- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1300658/Walkies-Fat-chance-One-dog-owners-lazy-pets-day.html
1 in 5 dog owners are too lazy to walk dog daily, so 2 million dogs are not getting enough exercise, i.e. 1/3rd of Britain's dogs are obese - http://www.dogingtonpost.com/how-often-should-one-walk-their-dog/
It depends on the dog but twice a day for at least 15 minutes is generallyrecommended - http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2014/06/11/retractable-dog-leash.aspx
advocating against a retractable leash "The handles of retractable leashes are bulky and can be easily pulled out of human hands, resulting in a runaway dog." - http://www.amazon.com/Explore-Retractable-26-Feet-Supports-110-Pound/dp/B005NK5DEU/ref=sr_1_2?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1445430816&sr=1-2
This standard leash off of amazon gives quick facts about a stereotypical leash including its tensile strength (110lbs), dimensions (8x 5.25 x 1.55 in) and size (26 feet extension) - http://www.powerofpaws.com/Facts/HelpArticle.aspx?type=adult&id=96
This article shows the benefits of walking your dog, including how long and far to walk them and why. - https://www.animallaw.info/topic/table-state-dog-leash-laws
A lot of states or governments have laws that require or imply that dogs should be leashed - http://www.hexdogs.com/blog-this/ask-me-how-i-feel-about-flexi-leashes
This site shows the negative aspects of flexi-leashes, a popular product currently on the dog market. - https://books.google.com/books?id=3_ALrdOfoZsC&pg=PA3&lpg=PA3&dq=average+number+of+dropped+leashes&source=bl&ots=96dQ6ao5eF&sig=NI-HNOZ1enuXYRvLePKRruf6EbM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CFEQ6AEwCDgKahUKEwjlyILIzNPIAhWC8z4KHUowDfc#v=onepage&q=average%20number%20of%20dropped%20leashes&f=false
Jerking on the leash to punish a dog for pulling on it in the first place teaches the dog to keep the leash taut and can injure the dog. Our belt wouldn't' jerk the dog, so it wouldn't encourage bad habits, and it should make it easier to control a curious dog
5.Create a document that conveys your final problem statement. Include the most significant supporting information that you found during your research. Be sure that your problem statement answers all of the following questions:
- Who says there is a problem?
- What exactly is the problem?
- Where does the problem exist?
- When has it happened and for how long?
- How prevalent is the problem (statistics)?
Dog owners constantly struggle with moving their dog leashes from hand to hand trying to keep up with their pet's erratic movements. Current leashes disallow mobility and multitasking for the walker, and thus both the owner and pet struggle when the pet needs fresh air. Our project would create a dog "belt leash" that would allow hands-free pet walking with 360 degree maneuverability. Leashes from as early as the 1920's tried to alleviate this difficult walking time with to no avail. With up to 47% of the 115,610,216 households in the United States alone having man's best friend around, it would be our mission to facilitate walking dogs and reduce the number of dog owners (1 in 5) who do not walk their pet.
Conclusion questions
- What are two shortcomings of our project?
Secondly, we believe another shortcoming will come with making the belt adjustable. There is a wide variety of waist sizes, and an adjustable feature on the belt will be almost necessary if it is to be successful in market. With a feature that allows the leash to rotate fully around the body, the system of adjusting the belt will have to be slightly different. It must incorporate a way of keeping the leash track intact wile still being able to fit a large variety of waist sizes.
2. How can one of the problems that was not chosen be altered to become a validproblem statement?
One of the problem statements not chosen focused only on the ability to maintain control of the dog. The idea of this problem statement was to focus on keeping the dog attached to the user, and eliminating the possibility of the dog escaping and running away. By attaching the belt to the waist, this problem is essentially solved. A possible problem with this could be keeping the dog walker safe, but by using a leash with slack, the dogs sudden jerks and motions will prove to be harmless. Thus the final problem statement could have been:
Dog walkers are often caught off guard by their dogs sudden motions, leading to dropped leashes and stray dogs. By attaching the leash to the waist, we keep the dog attached to the walker in all scenarios.