Bioengineering Design
Design Context Review Accelerator #3
This accelerator illustrates the difference between a mission statement and a problem statement and points out the parts of problem statements. As described in Step 3 of A Guide to Writing a Design Context Review in Bioengineering Design, mission statements only provide a general sense of your project’s aims or goals. The problem statement will define a problem and describe general points around which quantifiable design criteria can be established.
The column on the left contains mission statements from three different desing projects. The column on the right contains problem statements developed from those missions. Different colors are used ton indicate the different parts of the problem statement:
Blue text = statement of what is desired
Pink text = statement of the contrary condition or problem with the status quo
Green text = statement of characteristics envisioned in potential solutions
Mission Statement |
Problem Statement |
Improve existing methods of correcting bone deformities and fractures |
Current research on bone repair and therapy suggests that small, continuous adjustment of fractures can aid healing and improve the quality of regenerated tissue. Making continuous adjustments, however, requires near-constant monitoring that creates a burden for nursing staff and can be onerous for patients receiving fracture fixation. A device that could automatically perform continuous, pre-set adjustments while providing the proven stability of the Taylor Spatial Frame has the potential to shorten treatment times. It also would streamline fracture fixation therapy and cut therapy costs by reducing the need for operator oversight. |
Design a device to make laparoscopic procedures safer, with faster recovery times, reduced scarring, and lower risk of infection |
Successful laparoscopic surgery requires easily adjusted support and meticulously controlled stability. Two main complications pose the greatest risk to patients during laparoscopic surgery: trocar slippage and improper trocar length. These complications arise because current trocar designs fail to adjust properly to the biomechanics of the abdominal wall. Maximizing the benefits of laparoscopic surgery while minimizing health risks and overall costs requires a trocar design that can be easily secured and adjusted to accommodate varying abdominal wall thicknesses. |
Develop a portable, energy efficient, durable, low-cost pulse oximeter |
Respiratory failure accounts for 22% of pediatric deaths in the developing world. Yet pulse oximeters, which are routinely used in developed countries to monitor respiratory health, are not suited to the conditions found in developing countries. These devices require a constant, reliable power source, which is not guaranteed in remote, primitive locations. They are expensive, which makes them difficult to procure and harder to keep, as they make tempting targets for thieves. Current devices are also not portable or durable enough to withstand the demanding routines of pediatric physicians in developing countries. Deploying pulse oximetry in developing countries to reduce pediatric mortality rates requires a self-powering, self-contained, inexpensive, compact device that can be hand carried to patients in remote areas. |
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