TOOTHBRUSH DESIGN

- Avram Chernoff- Matthew Cheung- Octavio Garcia- Shanmukha

Kandukuri

Introduction

Electric toothbrushes have become popular in today’s society, but there are specific improvements that are wanted and necessary to make the electric toothbrush better. So far, we have looked at the faults of a specific toothbrush, and have constructed a new design based on consumer needs.

History of Electric Toothbrush

Around 1939, Swiss scientists invented the idea of the electric toothbrush. Fifteen years later, P. G. Woog created his design which needed a power cord. General Electric introduced a prototype, eliminating the power cord, which used a rechargeable battery instead revolutionizing the world of toothbrushes. Although popular, electric toothbrushes are known to have flaws in their design and working.

Original Problem Statement

The toothbrush, although functional, did not meet up to the brand standards of electric toothbrushes. There were several problems we notified easily, such as

- The consumption of batteries

- The noise created from the motor

- The bulk of the entire product

Customer Needs

-Design

Slimmer

Durability

Bristle Protection

Portable

Circular Motion

Differentiable Speeds

Quiet

Customizable Colors

Customer Needs

-Accessories

Interchangeable Heads

Standard

Flexible

Rubber Tip

Docking Mechanism

Carrying Case

Alternate Methods of Power

Energy Efficient

Customer Needs-Affordability

Cheaper Parts/Accessories

Discounts

Warranty

Package Deals

-Credibility

Recommendations from Doctors and Customers

Customer Support

Safety Standards

Water Safety

Biodegradable

Weighting customer needs

Design Comparison Weights

A B C D Row Totals Row Total/Total

A 1.00 7.00 5.00 0.17 13.17 0.328063358

B 0.14 1.00 0.13 0.17 1.43 0.035742888

C 0.20 8.00 1.00 0.33 9.53 0.237534482

D 6.00 6.00 3.00 1.00 16.00 0.398659271

40.13

A - Slim

B - Quiet

C - Portable

D - Durability

Weighting customer needsAccessories Comparison Weights

A B C D Row Total Row Total/Total

A 1.00 4.00 9.00 7.00 21.00 0.4967847923

B 0.25 1.00 7.00 2.00 10.25 0.2424782915

C 0.11 0.14 1.00 8.00 9.25 0.2189157475

D 0.14 0.50 0.13 1.00 1.77 0.0418211687

42.27

A - Interchangeable Heads

B - Docking Mechanism

C - Carrying Case

D - Alternative Methods of Power

Revised Problem Statement

Analyzing the customer needs using the AHP tables, we were able to revise our problem statement so that it mirrored the needs of those customers. Improvements wanted were as follows

- entirely new design; slimmer body

- more efficient means of power consumption

- flexibility to choose accessories

- better quality standards; longer lasting

Concept Generation

Based on our revised problem statement, we were able to create a list of improvements, that we found necessary to create a toothbrush that could be widely accepted by all customers. Our list labeled what was most important to least important.

Coming to the design aspect we thought making a more durable, quiet and slimmer toothbrush was ideal. Accessories needed some changes and we chose to improve on replaceable heads, a docking mechanism to charge the toothbrush and provided travel case.

Final Design

For our final design, we included a slimmer body, rechargeable battery with docking station, multiple heads for brushing, and a built in timer. Also, to reduce the global footprint of our toothbrush, the parts are made from recycled plastic, rubber, and metal.

Slimmer, Replacable Heads, Durable, Recharagble Batteries and Docking Mechnaism

Conclusion

Taking into account the consumer wants and needs, our new design was able to meet the most important problems of the original design, and still live up to the standards of the name brand toothbrushes, also while remaining in a reasonable price range, due to the recycled parts.