This assignment was far harder than I had anticipated, partially due to the bizarre combinations of cards that were chosen (absorbent online communication? come on…) and partially due to having to come up with 5 varied ideas for each need. In the end, however, it was very enjoyable. The three finalized ideas I settled on are as follows:

For the magnet-enthusiast rock star who is bored of eating, I designed a pneumatic food launcher powered by the high pressures generated by the oscillations of a speaker. This device would simply be a tube that flares out to seal against the face of the speaker. The food could be launched into the rock star’s mouth or onto his plate, depending on how adventurous they’re feeling.

 

As an edible way to clean teeth I designed an edible flosser with a body made of starch-based material (flavored, of course) and a water soluble floss that would be viable for the time needed to floss but would degrade as the rest of the flosser is eaten. To make up for the brittleness of the starch material, there is a strengthening rib that runs the length of the body.

Finally, for the most difficult design problem, Professors needing an absorbent way to communicate over the internet, I designed a sponge shield for a keyboard that can serve to protect the device from the inevitable drooling a professor may be afflicted with upon seeing a new device to purchase for their department or finding new research in their field.