The assignment

To counter these issues I started working on them individually, testing them by making quick prototypes and using similar available tools.

Frame

Prototyping

Identifying the opportunity

Solution

Skil, a large multinational company specialized in electronic tools came to the TU Delft with the question if a new tool can be designed. They have identified a market oppurtunity: there are not yet well functioning weed removal tools. And so the assignment was to design a new weed removal tool..

After conducting several interviews and talking to the client, the problem could be further specified. People often like gardening and taking care of their plants, but weeding takes up too much time and takes little time to come back if not thoroughly removed. The biggest annoyance is the weed that grows in between tiles, as it is hard to remove thoroughly since the roots are not easily accessible

As the tools all had their own faults that were often inherent to their method of removal I decided to take a closer look at the tool Skil had already made themselves: why was it not sufficient in its function? Researching the Weedbuster made me realise it definetly has potential, there are just a few issues that need to be addressed.

The control is awkward, as the brush isn't visible when operating the tool and the design is asymmetric, making it hard to guess when the brush is in the correct position. The metal brush can cause damage to the pavement, as it often moves out of the grout line (voeg) on to the tiles. The synthetic brush on the other hand is to soft and barely removes the weed at all. Lastly customers have complained about the unclear assembly.

The final solution which I have settled on is the Weedbuster 2.0. The most important design changes are the following:

• The design has changed from asymmetrical to symmetrical to make the usage more intuitive

• The design has changed its grip to make easier to hold

• The brush has changed its shape so that it can fit in narrow, wide, shallow and deep grouts

• The design contains an easy to scan QR-code with assembly instruction

The final poster can be seen below

Current field

The first thing I did was to look at the current tools that can be used for weed removal. Three different categories of weed removal tools could be distinguished: chemical removal, heat treatment and physical removal. Each of these methods have their downsides: they are either illegal, bad for the environment, unpractical for regular use, injury prone or not thorough enough.