Background

A food dispenser is a device that stores and dispenses food as required. Food dispensers may dispense food ingredients used in cooking, such as cereals, condiments, spices and herbs; or they may dispense hot or cold prepared food, such as coffee and soft drinks, and so forth. You can find food dispensers in homes, canteens or restaurants, and places of work. Food dispensers should be convenient, easy and efficient to use. A food dispenser must store food hygienically for a period of time, preventing infestation by bugs, bacteria and so forth; and then dispense measured portions of food as required. Food may be dispensed in its package, but if the food is to be added while cooking, or if it is to be consumed immediately, then it is normally dispensed unpackaged.
​​​​​​​A smart electronic device is a useful instrument, machine, or gadget that is controlled by electronic circuitry microcontroller boards, or sometimes by a single-board computer like a Raspberry Pi, and that perform only a few limited functions. We have many different kinds of devices at home, on our person, or at school to perform useful work for us, or to provide us with information, in order to increase our well-being.
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The design brief

Design a food dispenser for storing and dispensing foods at home that operates by using simple electronic circuitry, or a microcontroller board like the Arduino. The food dispenser may usefully store and dispense any kind of foodstuff for use in the kitchen or around the house, and it may be portable or fixed. The food dispenser must give importance to hygiene and cleanliness. Construct a working prototype of your food dispenser and test it. Work on this project in a small team with a group of your classmates.

​​​​​The design thinking process

Follow the six stages of the design thinking process to ensure that you are thorough and do everything necessary to succeed in your design project. First, you endeavour to understand the design topic and EMPATHISE with the needs of the users. With that understanding, you can DEFINE what is essential to the product or system that you are designing. Then you IDEATE, that is, you creatively come up with ideas and develop them. The next step is to PROTOTYPE your chosen design solution in a physical form and improve it through trial-and-error. Then you TEST your design idea to elicit the opinions of users. And finally, at the end of the process, you REFLECT upon your project to benefit from the experience. Use the appropriate methods from the Design Thinking for Schools website as you proceed along the design thinking process.
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Note for teachers

Undertaking a student design project using electrical parts or microcontrollers such as Arduino requires:

• teachers who are able to supervise such a project;
• laboratories or workshops with electrical and electronic parts and tools;
• ​​​​​​​and students who are trained to work with electricity, tools, and equipment.