Sustainability.ED-U-TAKE - Information piracy tool.

The Ed-u-take product is an ipad compatible cover with integrated photographic image capture equipment. This product is designed to bridge the technological gap over the next 3-5 years from hardcopy (paper) to digital resources. Current information needs to be digitized quickly and conveniently to be accessible and compatible with future digital devices. The technology to project, read, interact and write in digital format exists using ipads, laptops, cintiques and smartboards; which have already been installed many schools. With current trends favouring interactive mobile devices such as ipads, it would make sense to digitize current resources such as text books and activity sheets to replace physical paper usage with a digitised version.

This product builds on the idea of mobility of scanning equipment to create quick, easy and convenient digital image capture. The Ed-u-take is able to capture information, convert it to a compatible file for instant projection or wireless transferal to other ipads. It removes the need for add-on devices such as laptops or usb sticks to transfer data from the scanner to a viewing device.

The device will build upon existing sustainable technologies developing within the electronic information technology sector, trying to improve upon material consumption, materials rucksacks, energy consumption and longevity of use.

The Ed-u-take is a module design with easy removal and replacement of individual components. Each component such as the camera lens, flash pods, and electrical plug can all be removed and returned to the manufacturer for replacement and repair.

Michelle McDonell s3016468

Sustainability. The Ed-u-take reduces paper consuption by removing the behaviour act of photocopying for distribution of information. It also decreases the steps involved of transferal of digital information as currently more products are needed to capture and transfer digital imagery. (as shown below)Overall the result would be a vast decrease in paper consumption and facilitation of digitizing curent information to be archived for future use.

Equipment necessary for distribution and digitalization of information.A. Current school behaviour to distribute information usually worksheets. B. Proposed steps integrating the Ed-u-take.C. Current equipment used to capture and digitize information.

A.

B.

C.

Michelle McDonell s3016468

Materials.

Bamboo.Bamboo is a fast growing sustainable natural timbre. Which can be grown in many climates and is easily harvested with minimal excess wastage.

Natural Rubber.Natural rubber is extracted from trees in an environmentally friendly method with little harm to forest plantations.

Aluminium.Is an easily recyclable metal which can be moulded into many forms.

Arboform.Is a composite timbre fibre plastic which can be injection moulded to create flexible forms. It is biodegradable and has a minimal end of life impact.

Glass.Is a readily available and recycled material.Glass is very durable and has a high longjevity.

Durapulp.Is a recycled paper composite material which can be used to form strong sturdy products. It is also easily recyclable and biodegrades.

Michelle McDonell s3016468

Materials.

Extendable legs are made from aluminium with natural rubber grip pads on the ends.

The lens component is made from aluminium and glass.

Flash pods are made from glass with internal bulb component consisting of glass and a small amount of metal.

Outer casing can be made from bamboo, natural rubber, Durapulp or Arboform.

Plug component is made from aluminium, copper and natural rubber.

Aluminium

Aluminium/Glass

Glass

Bamboo

Aluminium

Michelle McDonell s3016468

Aesthetics.

Michelle McDonell s3016468

Aesthetics.

The aesthetics of the product were made to blend in with similar existing scanning products. The materials were chosen for their minimal environmental impact, and the form of the product is derived from it’s dependency on the ipad as the main interactive interface. The product has retractable legs for stability if needed when capturing an image. There are a number of possibilities for materials choice in relation to the body of the product all with different textures. The product has bevilled edges for ease of comfort when holding, and is secure over the ipad when fitted. The image capture components are quick to reduce shakage and blurring of the digital content.

Michelle McDonell s3016468

Usability.Rather than make more work for teachers encouraging them to digitize current resources with outdated yet affordable technology such as flat bed scanners, it would be better to encourage them to use technologies they already know how to use such as ipads and iphones.

Teachers are use to projecting information in class using smart boards, they are accustomed to sourcing information worksheets from electronic sources such as the internet and e-libraries, and many schools use an intranet connective database for uploading and sharing information. If they can capture a page found in a book quickly using an iphone or ipad and then project the image, it would take the same amount of time and effort as photocopying the page.

Michelle McDonell s3016468

Usability.

You could argue that outsourcing the task of digitising current resources to an external company would solve the issue, but it is a single step behavioural solution which would involve constant shipment of information from school to the external processing site and back again, which seems outdated and inviable financially and logistically as a long terms forecasted solution.It is also true that book scanners do exist in many forms - the problem with many of these versions is that the fully automated scanners are too expensive for schools to purchase and the cheaper mobile devices take more physical energy and time to scan each page making them very similar to time consuming flat bed scanners.There have been some guerilla movements towards low tech cheap digital image capture solutions, such as making a book cradle and capturing each page as an image with a digital camera. This method is cheap, and reasonably fast if you have the time to construct the correct apparatus, there are also freeware programs which can sort, edit and clean up all the images into a coherent PDF file. But this requires a stationary workstation to place each book on and physically turning each page by hand.Another problem with smaller scale digital imaging devices is the transferal of information. There are always 2 steps in digitizing information, capture of the image and transferal and conversion into a compatible form; drawing out the process and making the system reliable on more external products such as a laptop or device to view the digital information.

Michelle McDonell s3016468