SHAMIR JOSEPHshamirjoseph.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Shamir... · 2019. 5. 7. · Maharashtra...

A HUMAN-CENTERED PRODUCT DESIGNER

WITH A BACKGROUND IN ENGINEERING,

DESIGN & BUSINESS

SHAMIR JOSEPH

I have done by Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from

Maharashtra Institute of Technology (MIT), Pune, India.

I founded an electric vehicle startup SafeRide, to build and

prototype a fully enclosed electric two wheeler for use as a bike taxi.

I am currently a partner at an interior designing firm, Inchtrix,

where we are working on creating a suite of interior design products

for use in the instant interior market.

www.shamirjoseph.com | [email protected] | (+91) 83087-85229

SOFTWARES SKILLS

I am a partner at an interior designing company. I work specifically in building individual products for each projects.

• Designed & manufactured several custom-made furniture products based on user needs and product interactions using

human centered design principles.

• Project site manager for interior designing projects. Working directly with clients and supervising subcontractors to

achieve a high quality of work within the project deadline.

• Implemented operational changes to improve working efficiency and reduce project delays.

• Responsible for the research and development of new interior products for the instant interior space.

page 3

PRODUCT DESIGNER & DEVELOPER | INCHTRIXApril 2017 – Present

Most developing countries like India face chronic problems of congested roads and

limited public transport. Many Indian cities have launched metro projects in

response to this, however, the issue of last-mile connectivity remains

unaddressed. With SafeRide we aim to solve the problem of last mile connectivity.

SafeRide was designed to be run as a bike taxi, under existing aggregators like

UberMoto, Rapido, Bikxie etc.

I was in charge of the prototyping and development of a fully enclosed electric two-

wheeler for use as a bike taxi.

page 4

Personal Contribution

Ergonomic Design

3D CAD Generation for Part Modeling

Assembly Modeling

Prototype Manufacturing

Vendor Research

Preparing Elevator Pitch for Investor Meetings

Vehicle Homologation Government Authorities

PROTOTYPE DEVELOPER | SAFE RIDE TECHNOLOGIESJuly 2016 – February 2017

https://www.uber.com/en-IN/blog/hyderabad/try-ubermoto-just-rs-25/https://rapido.bike/http://www.bikxie.com/

PROJECT | DISMANTLABLE OUTDOOR SEATING

In a developing nation like India, where 80% of road vehicles are two-

wheelers, motorcycles are preferred as they are faster and cost less.

SafeRide vehicles have three salient features.

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SALIENT FEATURES

During user interactions, we found users complaining on the lack of

passenger space often resulting in undesired contact with a sweaty

rider.

Monsoon season saw a drop in bike taxi usage due to lack of

protection from the rain.

Issues With Current Bike Taxis

All current bike taxis are petrol powered. For electric two-wheelers,

operation cost is 86% lower than its gasoline counterparts.

Therefore, it is more profitable as a bike taxi, as it breaks even in

about 10-11 months assuming reliable demand from bike taxi

aggregators.

Two-wheelers are notorious for getting into

accidents (90% of accidents in the city of Kochi

involve motorcycles). Lack of crash protection

is a barrier to entry for new user.

ELECTRIC

SAFETY

COMFORT

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/auto/two-wheelers-three-wheelers/indias-motorbike-makers-face-a-fork-in-the-road/articleshow/66079197.cms


• High speed electric two-wheeler

built for racing on open roads.

• Uses side wheels to balance

the vehicle at low speeds.

• Built specifically to race on track.

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ALTERNATE DESIGNS

Mono Tracer E from Peraves C1 from Lit Motors

• Medium speed electric two-wheeler

optimized for city commuting.

• Uses gyroscopes to balance itself.

• Only a prototype not in production.

• Estimate selling price is quite high.

• Spinning gyroscopes use a lot of the

battery power.


Based on the ergonomic needs of the driver and

passenger and the required space for battery and motor

storage, the space frame dimensions were decided.

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SPACEFRAME DESIGN

Initial Spaceframe Design

Luggage space was added behind the pillion seat.

Curves were added to the vehicle design to make it more

aesthetically pleasing

Final Spaceframe Design


page 8

DESIGN SKETCHES

2-wheelerdesigns

Exploring3-wheelerdesigns

We started out with building a predictable revenue model

using spreadsheets for Unit Economics and Bulk Economics

Then we tailor fit the vehicle specifications as per the model.

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BUSINESS MODEL

We also did a comparison of other bike taxi aggregators

using their fares structures with trip data input from

Regional Transport Office


The first prototype was built with the

purpose of finalizing the major vehicle

specifications like:

• the front fork suspension

• the rear sway bar

• battery capacity

• motor torque.

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FIRST PROTOTYPE

1st Prototype

• The side support wheels made it difficult to steer, and so it

was decided to replace them with caster wheels in the next

prototype.

• The front hoop was short and restricted the handle bar

movement.

LESSONS LEARNT

In the second prototype we:

• fixed the seating placement for ergonomic seating.

• redesigned a new balance system, using caster wheels on a

sway bar with suspension.

• extended the front hoop.

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SECOND PROTOTYPE

• Testing the battery pack range for different loading conditions.

• Fabricating the Sheet metal body work.2nd Prototype

FUTURE STEPS

VEHICLE HOMOLOGATION

To be operated as a bike taxi, the vehicle first had to be homologated by the relevant government authority (i.e. Automotive

Research Association of India (ARAI)). Due to the use of the caster wheels, the vehicle was classified as a four wheeler. This

meant the vehicle was not any longer economically feasible to be run as a bike taxi.

Reduction in the price of lithium ion batteries would also significantly reduce the cost of the vehicle and this project can be

continued at a later date.

https://www.araiindia.com/home

CAE HEAD | TEAM ACCELERACERS

I was part of the college SUPRA SAE race team. We designed, manufactured and tested an f1 style

race car.

I was heading of the Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) department and we:

• Conducted stress analysis of various components using finite element analysis (FEA)

• Used topology optimization techniques to assist in weight reduction of components and sub

systems.

• Conducted dynamic crash analysis to test chassis structural integrity in crash scenarios.

That year we won the Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) design award.

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August 2013 – January 2015


Vehicle Engineering Design

3D CAD Generation

Finite Element Analysis (FEA)

Topology Optimization Techniques

Manufacturing

Crash Analysis

PROJECT | DISMANTLABLE OUTDOOR SEATING• Won the Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) design award.

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WOT ‘14

PROJECT | DISMANTLABLE OUTDOOR SEATING• Carbon is India’s first carbon monocoque chassis to be used

in SUPRA SAE.

• It won the Best Engineering Design Award

• Also won the Best Innovation Award

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CARBON

PROJECT | VIRTUAL REALITY 360° VIEW

During the design phase of a project we bounce a lot of ideas and designs

for the project. We show our clients, several designs, room layouts and

rendered views.

Virtual reality allows us to offer a more immersive experience. We also

have the option to show these designs while physically present on the site.


Geometry creation

Researching render quality factors

Testing Photorealism technique

Testing different 360° viewing platforms

Generating workflow for VR projects

Optimizing rendering speed

OFFERING INTERIOR DESIGN CLIENTS A REALISTIC 360° VIEW OF PROJECTS

AND ENABLING USER INTERACTIONS IN A VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT

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Personal Project | Team Work

Click here to experience the 360° View

*for optimal viewing experience open this on a mobile device or use VR headset

https://kuula.co/post/7YTwF


As of now we offer our clients static VR experiences. These are 360° static views that

can be experienced either on mobile devices or VR headsets. It is equivalent to standing

at one fixed view point in the room and looking at everything around you. For larger

rooms, multiple view points can be created to cover all angles of the room.

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CURRENT VR EXPERIENCE

Future development is geared towards enabling the client to look at different design options in real

time. These are dynamic views, in the sense that the viewer can move around the room and view

the room from infinite view points. This requires real time rendering using significantly high

processing power and is the current limiting factor to its usage.

Features of future VR experiences:

• Viewing different furniture designs in the same space.

• Changing the color or fabric of curtains, furniture and wall paint.

• Evaluating the lighting effect at different times of the day.

FUTURE DEVELOPMENT

Click here to experience the 360° View

*for optimal viewing experience open this on a mobile device or use VR headset

https://kuula.co/post/7YTwF


This outdoor seating was a designed as part of restaurant

renovation project. It was designed to give an outdoor dining

experience while still maintaining the privacy offered inside

the restaurant. Due to municipality regulations, the seating

unit could not be fixed permanently on the pavement outside

the restaurant. This lead us to create a design that could be

easily assembled and disassembled every day.

A DESIGNER OUTDOOR SEATING UNIT THAT CAN BE

DISMANTLED AND MOVED IN-DOORS EVERY NIGHT.

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Professional Project | Inchtrix


Design Consulting

3D CAD Generation

Manufacturing Method Selection

Engineering Drawings

Animation Video

PROJECT | DISMANTLABLE OUTDOOR SEATING• It is commonly used in most outdoor seating

restaurants and hence there is no differentiation

for the restaurant from it's competitors. This point

is especially pertinent considering the restaurant

is surrounded with other eateries.

• The plastic chairs are notorious for flexing and

cracking under higher loads.

• It is not aesthetic pleasing.

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DRAWBACKS OF CURRENT SOLUTION

The current solution is used at many restaurants in the area and hence was ruled out as an option as it did

not match the premium feel of the restaurant interiors.


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FINAL DESIGN

After showing the client several outdoor seating designs, we finalized on one and then went about the

process of making that design dismantlable for everyday use.


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ASSEMBLY STEPS

Considering that the restaurant staff would be assembling and dismantling the seating units every day, it

was important to make the process of assembly/disassembly as easy and intuitive as possible.

Base Frame Frame Rotated Seats Fixed

Table Fixed

Locking Pin

Fully Assembled Locking Slot

Click here for the Assembly Video

https://youtu.be/dRRK__v6pC4


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DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

The seating had to be designed with three users in mind; customers, restaurant staff and the restaurant owner.

Below is a list of the stakeholders and the considerations taken in the design to account for each one's pain points

while interacting with the seating unit.

The seating and table dimensions were all decided based on customer

ergonomic needs.

• To accommodate four sitters at the table.

• Appropriate space was left in between the table and seat to account

for bigger customers, since the table and seat are fixed in the metal

frame.

• To add to the visual appeal of the seating, a hanging holder was

installed above the table, which could serve as a mount for any

plants or decorations.

CUSTOMERS


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• Since nuts are not being used, the locking pin could slip out if

it was fit incorrectly (i.e. bolt head at the bottom). By providing a

good clearance fit between the hole and pin, so the pin is able

to move freely; there is only one way in which the pin can be fit in

the hole (i.e. bolt head on top). If the wrong way was attempted,

the pin would fall off due to gravity.

• We also considered using caster wheels on the bottom of the

frame, so it could be dragged instead of lifted. However, that was

later scratched out due to aesthetics.

RESTAURANT STAFF

• Using a simple locking pin instead of a bolt and nut. As bolts and nuts are often

lost and can be cumbersome to safely store them daily. A chain welded the frame

to the locking pin; this way the pin would never be lost.


page 23


• The sizing of each sub unit had to be done carefully. Every night the

dismantled seating unit would have to be stored inside the restaurant. This

meant that it needed to take up the least square foot area.

• The overall dimension of the seating unit was 10 feet by 4 feet. However,

the restaurant main door was only 7.5 feet by 3.5 feet. So each dismantled

piece needed to be sized appropriately to fit through the door.

RESTAURANT OWNER

CAFE BUDAS

PROJECT | DYNAMIC INERTIAL BRAKING SYSTEM (DIBS)

As part of my engineering degree, I was involved in a group project in my final

year. We looked into quantifying the energy losses in vehicles. We observed that

a lot of energy was lost at the time of braking and proceeded to look at energy

recovery systems that could be used in such braking scenarios to improve the

overall efficiency of vehicles. We came up with the concept of a braking system

that absorbs the inertia of the vehicle during braking and stores it to be used later

when accelerating.

CONCEPTUALIZING AND BUILDING AN ENERGY RECOVERY SYSTEM (ERS)

WITH THE CONCEPT OF DYNAMIC INERTIAL BRAKING.

page 25

Academic Project | Engineering Capstone Project


Project Leader

3D CAD Generation

Assembly of Components


Vendor Research

Patent Documentation & Application


The energy recovery system (ERS) is based on the principle of conservation of angular

momentum in the case of rotating bodies. Consider a rotating body having a rotational

moment of inertia I, and angular velocity, ω. The principle provides us with the following

equation.

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WORKING PRINCIPLE

This principle is what results in an ice skater spinning faster as she brings her arms and legs closer to her body. In figure

(a), when her hands are stretched all the way out, her moment of inertia is large and so her angular velocity (rotational

speed) is small. When she pulls her hands closer to her body, she is bringing part of the mass of her body closer to the

vertical axis of rotation, this decreases her body's moment of inertia. Because angular momentum is the product of moment

of inertia and angular velocity, if the angular momentum remains constant (is conserved), then the angular velocity

(rotational speed) of the skater must increase.


The Dynamic Inertial Braking System (DISB) has fins that can rotate about an axis while the whole system revolves. This

creates two extreme positions for the fins; the open and closed positions, as seen in the diagram below.

page 27

WORKING MODEL

The closed position is the lowest rotational moment of

inertia for the system: it is equivalent to the ice skater

with her hands held close to her body.

In contrast, the open position is the highest rotational

moment of inertia for the system: it is equivalent to the

ice skater with her hands extended all the way out.

A braking system essentially reduces the rotational

speed (angular velocity) of the wheels. DIBS absorbs

the energy and stores in the form of inertia. This can

later on be used to accelerate the vehicle. Therefore,

DIBS functions as an energy recovery system (ERS).Click here to view the working video

https://youtu.be/EBWyVvee8rQ


The capacity of the system to absorb the energy is based on how much it can vary it's own rotational inertia. This is

done with the use of the fins, hence, fin design was one of the important design considerations.

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FIN DESIGN

As the fins move from the closed to the open position, the center of gravity

(CG) of the each individual fin also moves from inside the circle to outside

the circle. This movement (the radial displacement) of the fin's CG is what

causes the change in inertia of the system.

Greater radial displacement leads to greater change in inertia which leads to

greater storage of energy in the form of inertia.

Therefore, it is favorable for the center of gravity (CG) of an individual fin to

lie closest to the tip of the fin (i.e. away from the center of rotation of the fin).


The capacity of the system to absorb the energy is based on how much it can vary it's own rotational inertia. This is done

with the use of the fins, hence, fin design was one of the important design considerations.

page 29

ALTERNATE DESIGN

An alternate fin design was proposed such that it's center of gravity

(CG) lay furthest away from the center of rotation of the fin. It has a

variable thickness that forces the CG to move away from the center of

rotation.

Such a design could be manufactured by casting. However, considering

the cost of the mold itself, we opted not to use this design for the proof

of concept setup.

This fin design could be used in later iterations of the design.

We applied for a provisional patent for the Dynamic Inertial Braking

System (DIBS) for use as an Energy Recovery System (ERS).

PROVISIONAL PATENT

PROJECT | 3D PRINTED KEYCHAIN

This key chain was made for a friend who wanted to gift his sister a

personalized key chain as a birthday gift. I had to design a key chain that was

unique with a personal touch. It had to be strong since it had to take the usual

wear and tear of being used as a key chain.

We ended up with a design that was simple, yet very complex to manufacture

with traditional manufacturing method. Hence, we opted to 3D print the design.


Design Consulting

3D CAD Generation


Vendor Research

Co-ordinating Delivery of Final Product

USING SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING (SLS) TO 3D PRINT

A PERSONALIZED KEY CHAIN.

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Personal Project | Individual Work


Her initials being D and S; we decided to use them as design influences and ultimately

we ended up with a key chain design that when rotated looked like the letter 'D' on one

side and the letter 'S' on the other.

A simple ring was added on the top for the key chain ring to be attached.

Rounded edges were used wherever possible as sharp edges could get stuck on jeans

or cloth fabric during normal usage as a key chain.

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DESIGN PROCESS

Click here to view the keychain

MANUFACTURING CONSIDERATIONS

It was a simple design, yet not so easy to manufacture. Casting was ruled out since it is expensive to cast only one

piece. Considering the shape of the finalized design, we decided to go with the 3-D printing method. Three factors

were taken into consideration while finalizing the type of 3D printing:

Cost- It had to fit in a reasonable price budget. It was a key chain after all.

Strength (behavior under load)- This was done to make sure the key chain could take the daily forces and stress.

Finish- A smooth finish is desirable than one a rougher one.

https://youtu.be/w-A-6evEugA


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TYPE OF 3D PRINTING

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) Stereo-lithography (SLA)

Cost CheapestMore expensive than FDM, but cheaper than SLA.

Most expensive

Strength(behaviour under

load)Least Strong

Stronger than FDM. Finished product behaves elastically under load (it can return to it's original shape)

Finished product is brittle. It can break into multiple pieces.

FinishLines are visible though they can be removed with sanding

Smoother finish than FDM but a little rougher than SLA

Best Finish, Smoother and Shiner finish than SLS

Colors Different colors can be achieved.Dyes can be added to give different colors

The raw material is non-porous and so dyeing is not an option

Cost and strength were the deciding factors. Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) was selected due to the final

products elastic behavior under load, which is desirable for a key chain.

PROJECT | TEAK WOOD OFFICE TABLE

This was an in-house project, it was part of the renovation of our existing workspace. This room

was previously an art room, but as our interior business took off, we soon required a space to

meet clients and discuss and show them prospective designs for their sites.

The solid wood table was to be the center piece of the main office room. The table not only had to

be functional, it had to act as an art installation as well: showcasing our creative design thinking

and execution capabilities to prospective clients.

A BURMA TEAK WOOD TABLE WITH A CRYSTAL CLEAR EPOXY INFILL

EMBEDDED WITH AN INTRICATE GEAR DESIGN.

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Professional Project | Inchtrix


Wood Polishing

Wood Fabrication

Spray Painting

Powder Coating


Since, the entire renovation work was entirely funded by our operating profits, we were on a tight

budget. Solid wood is an inherently expensive material. However, we managed to find a Burma

Teak wood tree trunk at a lower cost than the normal market rate and it fit in our budget. The

catch was that it was a damaged piece.; it had a long crack running straight through the center of

the bark. A metal box was fabricated, powder coated and installed on one end of the table while

the other end was supported by a depression in the wall.

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SIZING THE TRUNK & METAL FRAME


The 'defect' crack in the wood was widen. At the leading edge of the crack, a butterfly fasteners

(aka bowtie) was added, to stop the crack from propagating any further. A metal plate was

installed under the crack to create a container to pour the epoxy.

The teak wood was sanded to give a smooth finish and then later polished to achieve a premium

look. Metal springs and gears from the scarp yard were cut into sections and installed in the

crack at different levels. We made sure to put them in mesh so to give a sense of some hidden

inner working. They were spray painted golden so they would stand out once the crystal clear

epoxy was poured to fill in the crack.

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SPRAY PAINTED MESHED GEARS


A year later, as we started recruiting and our team size grew, we

needed to expand our office to include a design work-space and

a prototype workshop. While most of the things around the table

was changed, the table itself remained untouched and

everything was designed around it.

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FURTHER RENOVATION

CLIENT FEEDBACK

The once 'defective' crack now transformed into a

key design element.

The meshed gears have often become a starting

topic of discussion when meeting with new clients.

It is not only a functional table, but it is also an art

installation and at many times an ice breaker.

www.shamirjoseph.com | [email protected] | (+91) 83087-85229

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