Day 9: MIT Make in India

Day 9: MIT Make in India

As yesterday was the great milestone of me hand washing my clothes, today would be another milestone. As in I actually coded something that worked. However, the morning started with idli sambar breakfast and the call that if you have any laundry to be done, please put it in the pile. I almost cried. But at least I no longer have to hand wash. 

We went over to the lab, and sat on the ground to start with some warm up brainstorming. Raj brought up the problem of shampoo bottles, the fact that the current design of shampoo bottles had issues that bug us. Some issues are:

• you can never get the last bit (wasting shampoo)
• can't tell the difference between shampoo and conditioner without glasses in shower
• waste of plastic
• hard to put in the shower (no shelves)
• slippery
• can get too much out at once (wasting)
• etc.

After we brainstormed these problems, we had to all individually come up with a design that would solve a problem or even more. I decided to fix the problem of not being able to see, slippery, and wasting the last bit by having braille-like S and C on the top, grip on the bottle, and a syringe-like plunger to get all the shampoo out. 

The day was spent mostly working with the Arduino. Instead of teaching us directly, he decided to let us come up with a cool gadget and told us to make it. Our group first each brainstormed things and finally went with Forest's idea of lights that respond to music (based on sound intensity). We initially tried to have it respond to the music using the mic sensor, but that didn't work so we decided to go with AUX jack/cable (though this had the issue that you couldn't listen to the music, still haven't fixed it yet). We also used neopixel LEDs that you could control each LED separately. 

Chingy and her chainz

I did some soldering and wire-stripping (Swapnil and I were apparently a hazard in the EE place according to Kristin). We begin putting the circuit together and coding the LEDs through the Arduino. After scrolling through and testing a lot of sample code, we finally got it to kinda work roughly! I had finally coded something that worked, although I coded it in the most simple way: if statements and for loops. 

Connections with AUX: http://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/51486/how-to-read-data-from-a-3-5mm-headphone-jack

Code found: https://github.com/FastLED/FastLED

Although we didn't make any mechanical part to it, the bugs enjoyed the blinking LED lights, and I was satisfied enough for the day. That finished our product of the day.

Mayank, Forest, Me, and Swapnil

Another big thing that happened today is that during "afternoon tea", the ladies that make soaps and sell them locally came to talk to us. We asked a lot of questions and gathered a lot of information so that we could help make a co-op and help them sell their product and make a profit for them. 

• Make soap for 32 rupees
• Sell only locally to families they know
• All organic, homemade, hypoallergenic
• A few different scents (neem, lemongrass, sandalwood)
• these could sell in hotels, hospitals, 
• each lady has 24 molds and takes 3 days to dry fully
• each soap lasts a week for the family
• price fluctuates with price of coconut oil
• Make by order and no more

We are now spending the night discussing. Things to be done:

• Market research (who's your consumer)
• Product design
• packaging
• fragrance
• size
• shape
• Strategy
• Entity: NGO, 
• Test Market
• Branding

I have joined the business strategy team for this new endeavor. Should be fun!

Also our crazily amazing friend Deepika has resigned her job to come and attend this workshop!!!! So excited! 

In other news, my clothes are still not dry, and I still get made fun of because of my name.