Customer Needs. What does the customer want/need?

According to the Energy Information Administration, the average monthly bill was $114.09 in
2014. The trend shows the increase of retail prices of electricity. Based on our survey, most of
people responded our question what is your ideal electric cost to be zero dollar. So, the
customers want cheap and efficient renewable energy source.

Performance. What must the product be able to do? Be specific.

The product must be able to produce 50 watts, be environmentally friendly, so it has no impact
on the environment in terms of space, and it must not produce any pollution such as carbon
dioxide emissions, water pollution, or any land pollution. It has to be durable enough to survive
at least a 10-foot drop and continue working properly. Has to be able to continue running in
temperatures as low as -20 degrees, and as high as 110 degrees. And it needs to be resistant
to the weather, so if it rains or snows, the material that the motor is made out of wont rust, or if
its really hot the material wont warp. It also needs to be resistant to varying amounts of
humidity. Essentially it needs to be resistant to everything in nature so that it is able to
continually work with 99% percent efficiency in all types of environments. This is so that anyone
around the world would be able to buy the motor and use it where they live and not have to
worry about buying special parts or pieces to protect the motor from the environment.

Target Cost. What is the anticipated cost to the consumer for this product?

Our target cost is going to be 100 dollars or less so that we have room for expansion and
improvement on the prototype. Based on the average electricity cost of Maryland, if this product
costs about $100 the consumers would get money after 1.6336 years.

Calculation:
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EG.USE.ELEC.KH.PC
Amount of electricity(kWh per capita) usage for low income citizens in the world on average.

Target cost: $100 and produce 50watts per hour.

Maryland average electricity cost in 2017: 14.17 cents per kwh
17.004 cents per day, $5.10 per month, $61.21 per year
Life expectancy in US: 78.74 years-------$4820.021856
Average electric use in home per month: 911 kwh
In Maryland, the average electric bill is $129.09. So, if you buy 26 of this product which is about
$2600, you wont have to pay your electric bill forever

Durability and Maintenance. Will the product require routine maintenance during its
service life? If yes, answer the following.
No, Because, the neodymium magnets lose their magnetic property 1% every decade.
So, you wont need routine maintenance.

o What specific parts of the product must have easy access for maintenance?
o What is the anticipated maintenance schedule?
o Are special tools required? How will they be acquired?
o Will replacement parts be required? How will they be acquired?
Additional Criteria
 Service Life. What is the required service life of the product?
Service life depends on how long the magnets last (magnets tend to last up to 100
years). Service life depends on how long the product will last before any repair. Another factor
that needs to be taken into consideration is how long the motor would last.
Magnets strengths are measured by the grade. The Maximum Energy Product of the material
that the magnet is composed of; is the grade of the magnet. Magnets are really strong and their
strength is permanent unless a stronger force is magnetic/electrical or high temperatures affect
it. Over time magnets lose magnetism by one percentage point every 10 years, which is a slow
degradation that is very slow.
https://www.magcraft.com/magnet-university
http://www.eamagnetics.com/reference-design-tools/magnetics-faq/

Safety and Legal Issues. Identify potential safety and legal issues that may arise from
the use of this product.
A magnet set must have a flux index of 50kG2 mm2 or less and this must be followed for
individual magnets and intended for use as a part of a magnet set and this is under the
Consumer Product Safety Act ASTM F963-11.
https://www.cpsc.gov/Regulations-Laws--Standards/Rulemaking/Final-and-Proposed-
Rules/Magnets

Size and Weight. What size should the product be, or what restrictions to size exist?
What are the weight restrictions on the product?

We dont have any restriction on our size and weight. But for the convenience, it is going to be a
small and compact product. Our target size is about 1x1x.5 so that way we can put all the
required parts to the product. For the weight, its going to be 5 lbs or less.

Materials. Is there a specific material or materials that must be used? If yes, describe it.
Specifically, our product will feature an outside protective casing that will block dust and
dirt from getting into the motor, and make the motor extremely durable and impact resistant.
This box would be made out of a flexible yet sturdy material, so its going to be made out of
polyurethane plastic. Housing for the motor in the generator will either be made out of plastic, or
made out of magnetic shielding material such as mu-metal to prevent the rotation of the motor
being affected by the other magnets outside of the motor. The rest of the motor will either be
plastic and then surrounded with magnetic shielding material, or it will be completely made out
of the magnetic shielding material. The wires that move the electricity from the motor to the
connected object will be in a rubber coating, to allow for durability, strength, and resistance from
the environment.

Global Environment. Will the product include any toxic or dangerous substances? What
is the plan for disposal of the product at the end of its useful life?
At the University of Pennsylvania, they are working on the method of separating neodymium
from electronics. This process is more cost effective than mining rare earth elements from a
limited supply. At the end of its life, this magnet can be recycled.

Operating Environment. Identify the environmental conditions relevant to the

manufacture and use of the product (temperature, corrosion potential, dust or dirt, pressure,
humidity, vibration, noise, degree of abuse, etc.).
The product needs to be able to operate efficiently in all conditions. It will be corrosion resistant,
which means that it wont oxidize or rust after a long period of time being in an open
environment. It will need to resist heat from the sun and cold during winter. The product will also
need to be very durable.

The operating environment for our product would be a stable environment. The product would
produce very little noise, so it wont affect the surrounding environment. Because the Mu-Metal
is a nickel-iron alloy, it is highly corrosion resistant. It is able to withstand a wide variety of
severe operating conditions involving corrosive environments, high temperatures, and high
stresses. However, the product will have enclosed in an environmental resistant plastic such as
Urethane. The Urethane casing will also act as a sealant, preventing dirt and dust from getting
into the generator and interfering with the motor. Pressure would not be a problem since both
the Mu-metal and Urethane have high durability, and the pressure in the environment that the
generator will be in, will be too low to impact the motors operation.

Product Life. What is the anticipated length of time that the product will be produced
before it is replaced by a newer version or alternate product?
I thinking about at least 1 year. Even though magnetic generator is free-energy, no one
would try to create unless efficiency is very high to dominate other renewable source. And, the
technology is rapidly changing.

Aesthetics. Are there preferences in the appearance features of the product (color,
surface treatment, shape, material)?
We do not have any restrictions of the color, surface, treatment, or shape of our product.
The product does however need to feature an outside plastic casing, and a magnetic shielding
material on the inside in combination with the motor, to prevent any issues with interconnecting
magnetic fields.

Ergonomics. Identify considerations for the ergonomics of the product.

Our product would not bother the customer with its size and cost. When you turn on this
product, it would produce electricity continuously. During the process of producing electricity, it
doesnt produce any greenhouse gases and noise.

2. List of criteria (top is most important and bottom is least important):

Customer Needs
Performance
Target Cost
Durability and Maintenance
Service Life
Safety and Legal Issues
Size and Weight
Materials
Global Environment
Operating Environment
Product Life
Aesthetics
Ergonomics