2020
My name is Blake Gosse, and I'm from an island in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. I am an Industrial Designer, and I have a passion for learning, art, and design. I have won several design and photography awards, and I continue to push myself to create new and exciting projects that challenge the way people think about everyday things.
I have worked in many different fields ranging from construction, demolition, trail building, electrical, and product design - I have even owned my own screen printing business. This real-world experience is an excellent resource for drawing upon new ideas and creative solutions for projects. I believe the best way to learn and grow as an individual is to push yourself to continuously move outside of your comfort zone and to embrace failure through learning from your mistakes.
As our society advances, we have become further and further removed from nature, and in this vastly connected world, we are more disconnected from one another more than ever. In recent years people have begun to realize this disconnect and have started to combat it through the use of interconnecting hiking trails. These hiking trails allow us to get in touch with nature and one another. Although this is a step in the right direction, we often overlook the people who work so hard to develop and maintain these intricate trails. How can we improve these physically demanding conditions of trail builders? The daily tasks of trail builders involve tremendous physical strain on the body, often using equipment that has been around and largely unmodified for decades. Some examples of this equipment that is used daily would be shovels, backpacks, chainsaws, and hiking boots. To fully understand the user experience, it will be necessary to develop a gamut of questions explicitly aimed at what challenges and concerns the trail builders deal with on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. Ultimately, the ideal design research method would be to conduct it through a qualitative ethnographic study. Once all relevant data is collected, a one-to-one scale ergonomic sketch model will be made to evaluate the overall ergonomics and full-bodied human interaction design adequately. Using actual people in these studies with the sketch model will prove a great deal of additional feedback, and will lead to further refinements. Overall the end-design will be a fully encompassed full-bodied interaction design that is well thought out design that addresses various challenges the trail builders face.
Thesis Summary Video Award Submission
This is a thesis summary for the portable tree delimbing device SAGO.
Enhancement of Human Lifestyle
SAGO is a unique and innovative design tailored to providing a vastly safer work environment and overall enhanced user experience for trail builders.
The SAGO design achieves this through the use of advanced technologies like Omni-directional wheels, durable and lightweight, sustainable materials, and energy-efficient solid-state batteries. As opposed to having to stand close to falling debris when delimbing a tree, workers are now able to delimb trees at a safe distance.
Human-Interaction Design
Full-bodied interaction design is achieved through various features within SAGO like multiple ergonomic grip points, a comfortable and modular backpack system, and a telescopic handle that allows the device to be easily wheeled to the desired work location.
The backpack system allows for maximum comfort with durable cushions located on the shoulder straps and back support panel. The backpack support and waist strap can be removed through large recessed push buttons while the shoulder straps can be easily removed through push-button snaps and industrial velcro. The telescopic handle is located within the backpack frame and conveniently stows away within the durable aluminum frame.
Human Factors and Ergonomics
SAGO provides an array of features tailored to making the user's work safer and more comfortable. The backstraps and waistbelt provide ample support and cushioning that allows maximum comfort over an extended period of time.
The control panel is conveniently located at the front of the device that allows for easy access to the charging port and device operation controls. The back support system can be easily removed from the main body to access the tree clamping mechanism.
Sustainability
There are several promising areas in bio and eco-plastics, which could potentially replace the more traditional fossil fuel plastics. A prime example of some of these fossil fuel alternative plastics would be hemp filled polymers.
The straps and back support pads are made from durable and environmentally friendly hemp with a soft cushioning inner. The reasoning for using environmentally friendly alternatives for plastic injection molding and thermoforming of chainsaw components would be the substantial increase in environmentally friendly production while maintaining a cost-effective baseline for the overall product.