The academic subject of mechatronics has been definedpreviously in numerous publications. This study aims atanalyzing mechatronics by using categories developed within theeducational science of Didactics. The result of the analysis,that relies on data from mechatronics education at KTH andother universities, shows that the identity of mechatronics canbe described as thematic, and the legitimacy as functional,which gives implications for the questions of communication andselection: what should be taught, and how. This is combinedwith a study of the evolution of the subject of mechatronics,where it is possible to see the gradually changing identity,from a combination of a number of disciplinary subjects to onethematic subject. The first part of the thesis concludes that mechatronics isautonomous, thematic and functional. Teaching and learningmechatronics according to the identity and legitimacy of thesubject benefits from collaborative, experimental andinternational settings. The functional legitimacy todayrequires the collaborative and the international setting,meaning that the mechatronics employer requires these skillswhen employing a mechatronic engineer. Further, an exemplifyingselection requires the experimental setting, in particular whencomparing a representative selection with the reproduction ofknowledge, and an exemplifying selection with the creation ofknowledge. To conclude, there are a number of important aspects to takeinto account when teaching and learning mechatronics. Three ofthese aspects, collaborative, experimental and internationalare suggested as important, and also a direct consequence ofthe identity of mechatronics. This thesis shows that thesethree aspects are indeed possible to integrate intomechatronics education, which will benefit greatly fromthis. / QC 20100609

With the development of information technology, Electronic Patient Record (EPR) is becoming more and more common in the healthcare area, comparing to traditional paper-based patient record. EPR can include a wide range of data and information. Because of the complexity of the clinical data, EPR needs to be presented in a better way using visualization for physicians to actually benefit from it. The goal of this master thesis is to find out what the requirements are for visualization of electronic patient records and how it should look like. Propose visualization paper-prototypes for patient record based on the identified requirements. The result of this thesis will help companies that are developing EPR systems to understand what is needed in visualization of electronic patient records. It will help research groups and companies in this area capture what the physicians require regarding visualization of patient records. This master thesis is conducted with an exploratory approach. A qualitative approach was chosen to help us understand what was needed for visualization of EPR from the perspectives of healthcare personnel. Data was be collected through interviews and brainstorming sessions among four physicians. Two prototypes of visualizing patient records are proposed based on the obtained requirements: Prototype I diagnosis-based time line and Prototype II human body structure. Evaluation was be performed for those two proposed prototypes together with an existing research prototype “Lifelines” From the findings of this master thesis, we can notice that different physicians have different requirements and preferences on visualization of electronic patient record. The most critical and desired feature is to be able to individualize the system as well as the addition of a search engine to search the record. A combination of the proposed Prototype I diagnosis-based time line and Prototype II human body structure was the most preferred among the physicians.

Audio design is a pertinent industry in today’s world, with an extremely large market including leaders such as Bose, Harman International, and Sennheiser. This project is designed to explore the processes that are necessary to create a new type of product in this market. The end goal is to have a functioning, high–quality set of speakers to prove various concepts of design and prototyping. The steps involved in this project go through the entire design process from initial choice of product to a finished prototype. Processes include the selection of outsourced components such as drivers and necessary connectors. The design stage will include any design processes necessary to create the enclosure or any electronics. Production will be controlled by shipping dates and any potential issues that lie within the methods chosen for production. The final product will be tested for response. The prototyping process is usually fulfilled by various departments with extreme expertise in the respective field.

Studien utforskar ett arbetsperspektiv för produktdesigners i användningen av prototyper, och bidrar därmed till efterfrågan av mer kunskap kring prototypen som verktyg eller metod inom designområdet. Baserat på en hypotes kring appliceringen av externa teorier i utvecklingen och användningen av prototyper, utforskar studien detta genom temat entomofagi som är praktiken av att äta insekter. Studiens övergripande metodik är av kvalitativ karaktär, förstudien använder sig av desktop research, en intervju och ett studiebesök. Det efterföljande designarbetet består av två designexperiment, det första som en intervention tillsammans med en observation och det andra som en digital probe. Designexperimenten utfördes iterativt och den insamlade datan analyserades tematiskt. Insikter från dessa experiment sammanställdes och analyserades mot huvudfrågan, som lyder hur kan produktdesignerns förståelse om prototypen breddas genom ett prototyparbete grundat i provokation? Studien resulterade i en arbetsmodell för produktdesigners som arbetar med designprocesser inom området kritisk och spekulativ design. Arbetsmodellen kallas Tubkikaren, den hjälper designpraktiker att definiera utgångspunkten och avsikten bakom valet och utvecklingen av prototyper i designprocesser. Modellen bär potentialen att underlätta designprocessen och utvecklingen av prototyper på en individuell nivå, samt utgör en möjlig grund för vidare utforskning av prototyper och designmetodik. / The study explores a possibility of how product designers can work with the method prototype, and thus make a contribution to the request for more knowledge about the prototype as a tool or method within the design field. Based on a hypothesis around the application of external theories in the developement and use of prototypes, the study explores this possibility through the theme of enthomophagy which is the practice of eating insects. The overall methodology of the study is qualitative, the pilot study conducts desktop research, an interview and a study visit. The following design work consists of two designexperiments, the first one as a public intervention paired with an observation and the second as a digital probe. The designexperiments were conducted iteratively and the data collected from the these is analyzed thematically. Finally, the insights collected from the designexperiments are gathered and analyzed against the main question, which is how can designers understanding of prototypes be broadened through design work based in provocation? The study resulted in a work modell for product designers that work with design processes within the area of critical and speculative design. The work model is called the Spotting Scope, and is inspired by its namesake. It helps design practitioners to define the starting point and intention behind the choice and developement of prototypes in design processes. This model carries the potential to alliviate the design process and development of prototypes on a individual level. It also carries the potential for creating a base for further exploration of prototypes and design methodology.

I ett ständigt åldrande samhälle har Sveriges kommuner ideligen utvecklat äldreomsorgen genom välfärdsteknologin, och i synnerhet inom IKT. Denna studie handlar om hur man designar en mockup prototyp till en applikation som riktar sig till att hjälpa äldre människor. Tanken med applikationen "I’m here" är att vara ett digitalt verktyg inom den svenska äldreomsorgen: hemtjänsten - där äldre personer kan använda den för att annonsera/fråga om hjälp. Genom en process av crowdsourcing kan registrerade arbetstagare svara på förfrågningarna och hitta den äldre personen genom sin position på kartan. Genom ett Design Science- tillvägagångssätt gjordes en första mockup prototyp enligt teorin om Pervasive Information Architecture, och evaluerades av 18 äldre deltagare mellan 68-86 år. Deltagarnas design-önskemål implementerades i den andra mockup prototypen. Resultaten av evalueringen kan anses som grundläggande och allmän fast de är kontextuella och hör till en mockup prototyp av en specifik applikation, kan den producerade kunskapen betraktas som grundläggande och allmän. Denna studie bidrar också med idén om en potentiell applikation "I’m here". Ytterligare forskning är nödvändig för att genomföra större studier om design för äldre personer. Detta skulle också bidra till en fullständig utveckling av applikationen "I’m here". / In an ever aging society, Sweden’s municipalities have steadily developed elderly health care through welfare technologies, and within ICT in particular. This study is about how to design a mockup prototype to a mobile application that is targeted towards helping elderly people. The idea of the application ‘I’m here’ is to be a digital tool within the Swedish elderly care ‘hemtjänsten’, where elderly persons are able to use it to announce a request for help. Through a process of crowdsourcing, registered workers are able to answer the requests and find the elderly person by his/her position on the map. Through a Design Science approach, an initial mockup prototype was made according to the theory of Pervasive Information Architecture, and was evaluated by 18 elderly participants between the ages of 68-86. Their design evaluations were considered and implemented in a second mockup prototype. The results are contextual and belong to a mockup prototype of a specific application, the produced knowledge can be considered foundational and general. This study also contributes to the idea of a potential application ‘I’m here’. Further research is need to conduct larger studies on design for elderly persons. Also, this would contribute to the full development of the application ‘I’m here’.

The aim of the thesis was to develop a usable mobile application prototype to be used in the underground mining environment. In order to fulfill the aim, the research question How can a mobile application be designed for usability with focus on operability for an underground mine? was researched, analysed and answered. The main methods for driving the design process were ISO 9241-210, Human-centred design for interactive systems, requirement engineering and  conceptual design. The results of the thesis were based on qualitative data, collected from semi-structured interviews from five respondents. These respondents had a background as a operator in underground mines in different countries. The qualitative data was analysed and interpreted into functional and non-functional user requirements. The user requirements in parallel with design principles were used to produce a final concept that would be transformed from a low fidelity into a high fidelity prototype. The high fidelity prototype was developed using Android Studio, Java and later tested and evaluated using SUS questionnaire and usability heuristics to rate the overall usability of the application . The answer to the research question lied in the methodology used in this thesis. This was achieved by involving the stakeholders, people affected by the future design in the entire process, with different methodology during the different phases of the design process.

In this paper the institutional factors affecting water distribution in the Upper Colorado River Basin in general and the Uintah Basin are presented. The historical development of the appropriation doctrine of water allocation is outlined and Utah water policy is examined. These institutional factors are analyzed in light of the prototype oil shale development in the Unitah Basin and potential impact on the area's agricultural sector. Oil shale water estimates are compared with Uintah Basin water availability and examined with regard to population projections and municipal water use. Lastly, Utah water policy and the appropriation doctrine are viewed as restraints to efficient water transfers.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Black representation in American business leadership ranks is not proportionate to America’s demographics. Previous research into this issue has mostly focused on the relationship between majority racial group and minority racial groups. However, research in identity denial and backlash shows that ingroup members may also play a negative role in undermining leadership efforts. African Americans may react negatively to a Black business leader because of the mismatch between negative stereotypes of African Americans and the positive prototype of a leader. The current study hypothesizes that resembling a business leader as an African American leads to negative reaction from other African Americans in the form of lowered trust, lowered endorsement as leader, and lowered intention to engage in organizational citizenship behavior. The current study also hypothesizes that participant’s ingroup identification level will act as a moderator, and that perceived racial identification will act as a mediator. To test the hypotheses, participants recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk were randomly assigned to either the strong match to leader prototype condition, weak match condition, or control condition in which no information about leader prototype was provided. The results revealed a simple main effect in which strongly matching the leader prototype led to lower levels of the outcome variables. The current study brings attention to an area of research that should be further explored and suggests that organizations should create interventions to counteract this negative ingroup effect.

In this diploma thesis, we propose a prototype of a dental sandblasting machine. This machine’s drawing is composed using a CAD program, which helped with checking the assembly ability. Later in this work, we discuss the design of each component and chosen technologies for production. We chose to describe in detail and prototype using the CNC machine the “exit jet” component, which combines an abrasive and air with water. The main outputs of this work are the prototype of this component and its technical rating and the technical-economical rating of the whole proposed design of the machine.

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