1. The purpose of my toy is pure entertainment. Its main function is to be used as a device to play, and it can mainly be used in areas with lots of water, such as the pool. It works by spinning the popsicle stick motor backward or forwards, depending on whether you want the boat to go forwards or backward. You then let go and watch as the boat travels forward or backward. The main user of my toy would be children, ages possibly ranging from  4 to 12, who have an interest in playing with toy boats. Since my product is meant to act as a toy, overall, the main target audience would be children in general, who would then play with my toy for their entertainment.
  2. The environmental impact of my product is nothing. The materials used would be rubber bands, glue, and foam, but all of these materials are decomposable and don’t hurt the environment. My project will require the use of some electrical tools, and it’s true that many things powered by electricity can hurt the environment. But overall, the amount of time I spend on my project with electric tools is too small to have an environmental impact. My product is durable. Firstly, the foam material I used to ensure it will float is quite durable, and will not weaken from water over time. I will be using hot glue for most of my project, and it’s true that water will weaken hot glue over time. However, my toy boat will not be put in water 24/7, it would only be put in water when a child feels like playing with it, so because of this the boat I created will be durable enough to last for quite a few years. In addition, the wood used in the boat will be exposed to water, so you might think that it would weaken over time. However, this is incorrect. The wood used in the boat would mainly be on top of the foam, so it’s mainly the foam that is exposed to water, and the wood simply won’t be touched by the water enough to rot the wood or hurt it significantly. In addition, the foam and wood materials I used are definitely durable, and my boat can even stay in good shape after being dropped, which proves its overall durability. In addition, I sanded off any sharp sides of the boat, so it is safe for children. This way a child could touch any area of the boat, but never receive a splinter, or be hurt in any way.
  3. The main precedents that have inspired me have been the wind-up car on padlet, and the steam car link on padlet, which ends up showing a design of a boat. I looked at numerous different precedents and analyzed them by looking at them and thinking about how I could put my twist on them, how I could combine ideas, etc. In this case, I looked at the ideas of a windup toy car and a boat and thought about how I could combine these in some way. These precedents influenced my choices by making me think critically about my design level. It made me think about what sort of project I could end up creating realistically in my design capability. At this point in time, I would identify myself as somewhat of an engineering novice. I have had very little design experience in my life. So, I had to make choices on how to make the best possible project, yet be able to make it successfully within the time limit. I thought about making a sort of electric boat or car, and also about making a balloon-fueled car or boat but after analyzing it, and putting it through my criteria all of these ideas dropped it. My criteria have been the precedents that I choose need to be within my design capability, and also a topic I still found myself interested in. It also needed to be something that could show an energy transfer in some way. A electric car or boat would have been too complicated for me, and I wasn’t really interested in anything related to electricity too. I also dropped the balloon car or boat idea because it was way too simple, and I could make that in a day or two. I ended up combining the boat idea and windup toy car, as I thought it would be within my design capability, and also a topic I still found myself interested in.
  4. My product would be creative and original, due to my interpretation of the project. On padlet, one of the ideas has been creating a windup car,. Rather than copying that idea beat for beat, my original spin shall be creating an elastic boat, rather than a car. This way I will still ultimately try to show an energy transfer in a toy, but I will also change the project enough to be more creative. Additionally, I am now making a design for a kid. To make my product as original as possible, I will try designing my boat in what might be of interest to a kid, and what a toy product might look like.