College Design Project
 

Hey guys, I'm in a design class right now and our project is to design an "interior vehicle storage" device, i.e. center console or other such thing. We are probably going to target minivans/SUVs/other such high-capacity vehicles. What I was wondering was if you had any suggestions for features you'd like to see in the product, and how much you'd be willing to pay for a product. If you could also let me know your age, that'd be helpful for the data collection, but not required. If you guys have any other questions, feel free to ask!

Thanks!

Re: College Design Project
 

You mean like a glove box or something? How about a cup holder with active stabalization - a project I've been considering myself. Trying to drive while holding a cup in a position such that it's liquid contents don't come out is troublesome. I find myself having to tip cups while turning/braking.

Re: College Design Project
 

Good idea, Nikhil,

I have a truck (crew cab Colorado), and it is sometimes turned into my mobile office. My center console is OK, but I would like these things to be added:

1. a place to securely hold a pen or pencil
2. a slot for files and folders
3. a money clip to store a spare $10 or $20
4. a handle on this storage device so I can bring it in my house with me
5. a fold out work surface to take notes on
6. a cup holder, of course
7. a removeable cup/small container to store change and small parts
8. a 6"x4"x6" compartment, water tight, that can store my lunch or drinks along with a gel ice pack thingy that keeps my food and drink cold.

So... each morning, I would pack this thing up for the day and take it with me. It would have my files, my supplies, and my lunch in it.

Many people use their cars and trucks as their mobile offices. This would be a great product.

Andy B.

Re: College Design Project
 

I would like to see a in car trash compactor.

Seriously.

Something like a trashbin, but made to work well in a car. It should fit in a leg well, seal well enough to keep trash and smells in even if it gets josseled and be easy to get in and out of the car for cleaning.

If it can compact the garbage, sort cans and shred sensitive Enron documents, all the better!

-Andy A.

Re: College Design Project
 

Since new cell phone in vehicle laws are coming into play to many states across the country (less than a month here actually) I would like to see a built in hands free device in the console.
You can use the port on the bottom of most cell phones to achieve this, or just have a holder of some kind for the phone, and a speaker unit.
Basically just someting to achieve a hands free operation so as not to get pulled over here in CT.

Also, who can forget.. a holder for your ipod, or other media player device.

As for price, I would hope it would come with the car/truck already. That means you gotta get your foot in the door with a few car companies. I think GM can help.. lol Just look up some Delphi Automotive folks here on CD and ask them what they think of the idea, and interview them as a source for your project.. I'm sure your teacher won't expect that.
(hint hint, good grades come to those who go the extra mile)

But if it didn't come with the car, I would like to see (at least what I wrote down) as a simple alternative for under 50 bucks, but closer to 20-25.

But then again, my compartment now is the size of a lunchbox, and if you put all the features in these posts on this one, I'm sure it would be bigger.
So.. I think a $50 maximum price limit should be set.



Oh, and Andy, you will be glad to know in some way that my 1979 Plymouth Trailduster actually had a removeable inner insolated compartment to take food with you, say to the beach since it is a convertible truck..

I wish I still actually had that part of the center compartment, because they are really rare if they survived. They were made out of a really cheap material back then I am gathering and never made it that far in it's history unless no one ever used it.

Re: College Design Project
 

And put an ionic breeze in it!

There are several companies that make locking consoles and storage boxes for open jeep wranglers. You should look at their stuff.

Anyway, what about a little mini fridge built in?

Re: College Design Project
 

-A thermos type thing may help, keep the heat in/out or somthing like that, no power required. Think of it easy to install and people like my mom could go and by it.
-Maybe a pen or writing untensil on a chain? People are always losing their pens and pencils in cars
-Universal Cell phone holder? Maybe you could use sliders an sticky stuff to pin it in place. You don't need a charger, just a holder.
-Possibly a Dust Buster type utiliity that you could use to suck up all those cherrios your 2 year old just spilled, and the dirt that you bring into a car
-A clip board! Imagine the possibilities!

I'd like to pay around 20 maybe 30 if it gets great reviews, but with Mass Production that'd work. I'm 16 too

Re: College Design Project
 

Hmm, we were thinking that it would be more of a permanent fixture in the car, but the portability idea seems quite awesome. I don't know that much about modifying the internals of cars (yet, i will by the end of this project) but do you think it should replace the center console? Or sit on top of it? Or maybe have some way to attach it to the floor?

Re: College Design Project
 

My Saturn VUE has this nifty thing in the back - you lift up a panel, and a few plastic pieces pop up to essentially make two, milk-crate sized boxes. They're great for holding grocery bags, gallons of milk, bags you don't want to spill over, etc. It's a neat design but can really only hold 2 gallon jugs of something, or two brown paper grocery bags. Recently, I've used it for:

1. Transporting small "critter keepers" with animals inside to the vet, for work.
2. Groceries, of course.
3. Taking home a potted plant.
4. Etc, etc, etc.

I think it would be neat to have the same system implemented, say, in front of the passenger seats in an SUV as well as in the trunk, to be able to hold more. Another good thing would be something that holds up plastic shopping bags more efficiently - maybe take the same kind of design, and add something to hook the handles on to, so those bags don't spill.

The photos below are from the Saturn website:


^Here, you can kind of see the crease in the back, that will fold up to make the back portion of "the holder"


^This is the device fully expanded.

Re: College Design Project
 

Thanks...are there any articles I could look at to figure out which states are having these laws put in place?

Re: College Design Project
 

Don't forget the bling! Add LED lighting with changeable colors and intensities. In addition to looking cool, it'll help you locate stuff buried in the far reaches of the container when it's dark.

Re: College Design Project
 

Katie's post reminded me of another feature that's been in only one mini van that i idolize because of its functionality, Minivan's tend to have minimal trunk space, to make the most of a space Volkswagen put shelfing in their Revived Eurovan line, here its just really cool, though the rest of the car looks like a breadtruck its pretty cool.

Re: College Design Project
 

Scroll down a bit for the USA breakdown of laws..

http://www.cellular-news.com/car_bans/

It's a bit out of date. Ours was passed this summer, and everyone has to have a hands free device installed by October 1 2005. If you get pulled over and it's your first offense, you can get out of it here by flashing proof of purchase of the hands free device.. I think. We'll soon find out.

Re: College Design Project
 

Some ideas (and there are several companies who make similar products) for mobile offices can be found here.

Re: College Design Project
 

I will never support any sort of non-emergency cell phone use while driving so I'd say don't do the holder for one.

Re: College Design Project
 

thanks for the help, guys (and gals)! :)

Re: College Design Project
 

How about a CD holder that works and id's the CD that is in the player. I find the overhead in both my Honda and Dodge vans pretty handy. Stores glasses, garage door opener but could use napkin/kleenex holder, phone, etc. Add to that, lights that actually point where you can aim them so the driver is not blinded and that stay on bright enough to read while you are waiting to pick up the kids after school. Although both cars have pullout center drawers for cups, neither does a great job on any style cup although the Dodge is adjustable, it is just not deep enough. Both have change holders but neither works well at all. Change jumps out when ever going over tracks or potholes. The net in between the center seats on the Dodge collects a lot of stuff but what most people need is a removable trash holder, map storage, a good place to put a snow brush, gloves and hat (for northern winters) and for long trips a power inverter for plugin appliances like laptops, DVD players, etc. One thing that is never available is a high current 12 volt outlet that is fused and can deliver more than 20 amps without voltage loss. (Ham radio mobile operators would love if this were possible.)

Re: College Design Project
 

Actually ill share my plan for my college project and feel free to also do it. I want to make a autonomous RC helecopter running on a gumstix. Yeah i know they exist but i would still like to make my own! :)

Re: College Design Project
 

Okay, thanks for all the input, guys. We are always looking for more input...and I think we've got a better idea of design criteria/customer requirements down. If you could, it would be really helpful if you could please rate these items from 1-7, 1 being the most important to you in the product, and 7 being the least. These items are the ones we're looking at most closely.

Note, these are the performance, non-given kind of components. We're going to have cupholders of some sort and internal lighting and other "given" sort of things, this is more about additional cool stuff.

Lockable storage area:
Lunch box/removable storage area:
Fold-out or slide-out laptop/work tray:
External snake-light type solution for map reading, etc:
Adjustability in cupholders:
Folder/Business Papers Slot:
Power Inverter:

Also, for those of you interested in a power inverter, what kind of wattage might be required?

Thanks, you guys have been really helpful.

Re: College Design Project
 

7 Lockable storage area:
6 Lunch box/removable storage area:
5 Fold-out or slide-out laptop/work tray:
2 External snake-light type solution for map reading, etc:
1 Adjustability in cupholders:
3 Folder/Business Papers Slot:
4 Power Inverter:

Also, for those of you interested in a power inverter, what kind of wattage might be required? At least 200 W.

Re: College Design Project
 

7. Lockable storage area:
3. Lunch box/removable storage area:
2. Fold-out or slide-out laptop/work tray:
6. External snake-light type solution for map reading, etc:
4. Adjustability in cupholders:
1. Folder/Business Papers Slot:
5. Power Inverter:


AB

Re: College Design Project
 

6. Lockable storage area
5. Lunch box/removable storage area
4. Fold-out or slide-out laptop/work tray
2. External snake-light type solution for map reading, etc
1. Adjustability in cupholders
3. Folder/Business Papers Slot
7. Power Inverter

Re: College Design Project
 

1, not many cars have this. It'd be pretty unique. Just make sure that the instaliation makes it part of a car and not an accessory that can be ripped out easily. Also if it was out of plain site it'd be a little better
5, Handy, if it was cooled or heated it'd be higher on the list.
4, just make sure both the driver and passanger can use it. And people behind too. Also make it easy to clean.
7, cars already have map lights, but they aren't snake lights. I'd reconmend a removable and recharagable flash light
2, no matter what you do you can't have cups flying around the car
3, definetly would keep a car organized
6, Some cars have one, and there are a lot of adaptors out there, but according to my mom, who I consulted on this with, other things are more important in the car, although as a Geek, Its first on my list.
Enough to Charge a laptop.

Re: College Design Project
 

5. Lockable storage area
4. Lunch box/removable storage area
1. Fold-out or slide-out laptop/work tray
3. External snake-light type solution for map reading, etc
7. Adjustability in cupholders
2. Folder/Business Papers Slot
6. Power Inverter