Technological Modelling
Level 6 of the curriculum
NCEA 1.5 (draft)
4 credits external
Lesley Pearce. Team Solutions. Auckland University
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Functional Modelling
Prototyping
Allows for ongoing testing of design
concepts for yet to be realised
technological outcomes
Testing and trailing ideas
I have evidence to suggest…
Possible to probable
Should it happen?
A tool to support informed projections
into probable future impacts.
Takes into account specifications,,
materials, techniques suitability,
historical, socio-cultural factors.
Test parts of a design as well as
complete conceptual design.
Allows for the evaluation of the
fitness for purpose of the
technological outcome
First realised outcome and tested insitu
(both social and physical environment)
Shows fitness for purpose.
Should it be happening?
Seeks to gather information on its
acceptability in implementation or the
need for further development. Allows
for testing against impacts on people,
physical, social environment in which it
will be situated.
Literacy:
Explain role of the technological modelling..
What information did modelling provide?
What decisions were made/
What was the evidence?
What was done with the evidence?
What are the next steps?
How is the risk explored/identified?
Did anything happen that made the design undesirable?
Functional reasoning
Practical reasoning
Technical feasibility of design concept Social acceptance
and realised outcome
Should we make it happen?
How to make it happen
Should it be happening?
How it is happening
(Moral, social, political, economic
and environmental dimensions)
Technological modelling reduces risk, malfunctioning, determines outcomes
robustness
Predicts possible or probable consequences of the proposed model
Teachers must engage with level 5 with students
Resources: Furnware - Techlink
Dyson
Bridge - techlink
Development of soccer ball video
Lesley Pearce. Team Solutions. Auckland University
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What is functional modelling?
Functional modelling (FM) is used to test the potential ‘fitness for purpose’
of a design idea/concept design.
Functional modelling can therefore
be anything that is used to ‘test’ in
order to determine if an idea has
the potential to be 'fit for purpose'.
For example:
EARLY STAGES:
Technologist thinking through ideas
Discussing ideas with other technologists to test suitability of ideas
Drawing on paper
Drawing with computers
Formal written and/or diagrammatic explanations
Three-dimensional mock-ups clay, cardboard, strofoam, CAD software
Progressively materials used are aligned to actual materials that will be used in
the final outcome
SO COULD BE:
 Concept sketches
 Questionnaires
Research findings of existing products/tech outcomes
Testing to screen design ideas (sketches of potential or parts of
potential tech outcomes)
Determining techniques to manufacture the tech outcome
Determining material/ingredient/component suitability or
programming suitability (Digital technology)
Mock-ups (physical or virtual)
Models (physical or virtual) ANIMATICS, TOILES, MODELS, MOCKUPS,
Seeking feedback stakeholders
Simulating an environment(s) where a realised tech outcome
may/will be
placed to test suitability of things such as materials, construction techniques,
design features to be included in tech outcome
They can all be considered to be forms of FM as long as they are being used to
‘test’ a design idea to determine its suitability for further development into a
conceptual design or in the case of a conceptual design its realisation as a
technological outcome .
Lesley Pearce. Team Solutions. Auckland University
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Identify the different types
of modelling. What were
they testing and what media
was used?
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Lesley Pearce. Team Solutions. Auckland University
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Lesley Pearce. Team Solutions. Auckland University
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Prototypes
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Lesley Pearce. Team Solutions. Auckland University
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Teacher Guidance from Level 6 of the curriculum.
How do we support our students to develop an
understanding of technological modelling?
Teachers could:

guide students to explain how practical and functional reasoning
underpin technological modelling.
Functional reasoning provides a basis for exploring the technical feasibility
of the design concept and the realized outcome. That is, 'how to make it
happen' in the functional modelling phase, and the reasoning behind 'how it
is happening' in prototyping.
Practical reasoning provides a basis for exploring acceptability (including
socio-cultural and environmental dimensions) surrounding the design
concept and realized outcome. That is, the reasoning around decisions as to
'should it happen?' in functional modelling and 'should it be happening?' in
prototyping.
Strategy: Define practical and functional reasoning.
From Techlink glossary…
Functional reasoning focuses on ‘how to make it happen’ and ‘how it is
happening’.
Practical reasoning focuses on ‘should we make it happen?’ and ‘should it be
happening?
Practical and functional reasoning focuses the need to consider both what ‘can’
be done and what ‘should’ be done when making design decisions.
Cliff Harwood:
Functional modelling (FM) is used to test the potential ‘fitness for purpose’
of a design idea/concept design.
Functional modelling can therefore be anything that is used to ‘test’ in order to
determine if an idea has the potential to be 'fit for purpose'.
Therefore as long as the following:
 Questionnaires
· Research findings of existing products/tech outcomes
· Testing to screen design ideas (sketches of potential or parts of
potential tech outcomes)
· Determining techniques to manufacture the tech outcome
· Determining material/ingredient/component suitability or
programming suitability (Digital technology)
· Mockups (physical or virtual)
· Models (physical or virtual)
·
Seeking feedback stakeholders
·
Simulating an environment(s) where a realised tech outcome
may/will be placed to test suitability of things such as materials,
Lesley Pearce. Team Solutions. Auckland University
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construction techniques, design features to be included in tech outcome
etc………
…..are used to ‘test’ ideas back against the brief, in whatever form it exists
at the time of doing the modelling (ie in the early stages of tech practice you
could expect that the brief won't be very well defined but as the practice
continues you would hope the specs become better define and ultimately
enable an tech outcome to be evaluated for its ‘fitness for purpose’ ) then
they can be termed to be functional modelling. This therefore means that:
the above can all be considered to be forms of FM as long as they are being
used to ‘test’ a design idea to determine its suitability for further
development into a conceptual design or in the case of a conceptual design
its realisation as a technological outcome
How do they work together to enhance decision making?
* guide students to understand the concept of risk as it relates to
reducing instances of malfunctioning of technological outcomes, and/or
increasing levels of outcome robustness.
Lesley Pearce. Team Solutions. Auckland University
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Strategy: Technological product flops/disasters:
Take an example of a technological outcome that ultimately failed (e.g. Titanic,
Zepplin).
See Examples of products that flopped
Discuss possible technological modelling that might have been used and what
risks they could have / didn’t identify had modelling been used.
How could this disaster/product flop have been prevented? What might have
been the risks? What technological modelling might have identified the risks?
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The Sinclair C5 is a battery
electric vehicle invented by Sir
Clive Sinclair and launched in the
United Kingdom on 10 January
1985. The vehicle is a batteryassisted tricycle steered by a
handlebar beneath the driver's
knees. It became an object of
media and popular ridicule during
1980s Britain and was a
commercial disaster, selling only
around 12,000 units. Why?
* guide students to understand how technological modelling is used to
manage risk through exploring and identifying possible risk factors associated
with the development of a technological outcome
Strategy: Technological products flops and disasters
Strengths and weaknesses of certain technological models for risk exploration
within a context (e.g. Titanic) or in general.
Brainstorm to identify different forms of technological modelling (e.g. mock up,
drawings, circuit diagram/software, prototype, testing) that could help identify
risks
Discuss strengths and weaknesses of each modelling type in relation to the risk
factors they could/might have been identified.
How in depth was the information that a technological model provided re a
certain risk factor? (e.g. a circuit diagram/software will identify the risks of
components short circuiting, but testing of a prototype circuit would provide
different information re other risks).
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* support students to analyse examples of technological modelling
to understand how risk is explored and identified within particular
technological developments. Examples should include the modelling practices
of technologists and should include instances where modelling was undertaken
to explore and identify risk.
Strategy: Visiting a technologists
Discuss how they use prototyping to determine maintenance requirements for
an implemented technological outcome and ensure minimal risk and its optimal
performance over time
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Indicators of progression level 6
Students can: What evidence are we looking for?
* describe practical and functional reasoning and discuss how they
work together to enhance decision making during technological modelling
* explain the role of technological modelling in the exploration and
identification of possible risk/s
* discuss examples to illustrate how evidence and reasoning is used
during functional modelling to identify risk and make informed and
justifiable design decisions

discuss examples to illustrate how prototyping provides information
to determine maintenance requirements to ensure minimal risk
and optimal performance over time
Lesley Pearce. Team Solutions. Auckland University
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The technological outcome used to explore technological modelling
may have been developed by the student or practicing technologists.
Dyson
Home trials
There comes a time when everyone at
Dyson gets involved in new product
development. Every once in a while you
see black sack-clad objects leaving the
building destined for a home trial. It’s
important that our new machines are
tested in every sort of environment; not
just the lab but people’s homes, too.
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Research, design and development
New ideas are the lifeblood of Dyson. Every
year, we invest half our profits back into
harnessing them at our research and
development laboratory in Wiltshire. There
are 350 engineers and scientists based
there. Thinking, testing, breaking,
questioning.
They’re a varied bunch, too. Many are
design engineers developing new ideas and
technology. Then there are specialists who
test and improve different aspects of each
machine, from the way they sound to what
they pick up. Some will have years of
experience. Others are fresh out of
universities like the Royal College of Art,
Brunel or Loughborough.
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They share some eclectic engineering pastimes - from building vintage cars to
reconstructing medieval catapults. One design engineer also has a jet engine
he’ll fire up in the back garden once in a while. Most people think testing is all
about durability and reliability.
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Failure
Of course that's a big part of it. But before
that happens - before you even have
something to beat the hell out of - you
need an idea that works. Dyson engineers
get those ideas often by trying the
ridiculous. Most of the time it ends in
failure. That's good. Failure sparks
thinking and the extraordinary.
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Test facility
You would be forgiven for thinking our test
facility is a bit cruel at first glance.
Prototypes are subjected to months of
repetitive and rigorous testing, a different
rig for every part. The tumble test shakes
and rattles components in a steel box for
days. Another slams cleaner heads into a
steel table leg at 30km/h. And a robot arm
pushes machines back and forth back and
forth for the equivalent of 21 years.
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Drops, repetitions and hours
During development a Dyson vacuum will
be dropped onto a hard floor 5,318 times.
It'll run 1,357km on a turntable rig, which
is like being pushed and pulled from the
Dyson HQ in Malmesbury to Valencia. And
it'll take 120 engineers 50,000 hours and
550 tests to be satisfied that it's tough
enough.
Lesley Pearce. Team Solutions. Auckland University
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High speed camera
We use a high-speed camera when
developing moving parts like the brush bar
on a Dyson vacuum. It captures video at
40,000 frames a second for highly detailed
slow-motion playback. A movie camera
captures video at just 24 frames per
second.
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High-frequency EMC
All Dyson machines undergo
electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) testing.
It takes place in a special insulated chamber
and ensures a Dyson vacuum won't
interfere with other electrical appliances,
like a TV, and vice versa. We test up to
18,000,000,000Hz - around ten times the
frequency that mobile phones operate at.
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Clear bin
Clear bins. They’re everywhere (though not
all are made from the same polycarbonate
as riot shields), but in 1993 they were an
oddity. Retailers told James Dyson clear
bins were a bad idea. Market research told
James clear bins were a bad idea. Friends
told James clear bins were a bad idea.
James believed that people like to see how
technology works and that it was actually rather
satisfying to see what filth your machine had
picked up from the carpet.
Lesley Pearce. Team Solutions. Auckland University
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Resources
Techlink
Gluten Free Bickkies
Ikea testing furniture just for fun to introduce testing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kP9PZYjVwUo
Failures: What testing/modelling should have gone on before they became
product flops?
Top 25 biggest product flops of all time
http://www.walletpop.com/specials/top-25-biggest-product-flops-ofall-time/
MacDonald failures
http://listverse.com/2009/05/30/top-10-failed-mcdonalds-products/
Software failures
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/top_technologies_and
_products_massively_failed
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Draft Achievement Standard (August 2010)
Subject Reference
Technology 1.5
Title
Demonstrate understanding of how technological modelling
supports decision-making
1
Level
Credits
4
Assessment
External
This achievement standard involves demonstrating an understanding of how
technological modelling supports decision-making.
Achievement Criteria
Achievement
Achievement with Merit
 Demonstrate understanding
 Demonstrate in-depth
of how technological
understanding of how
modelling supports decisiontechnological modelling
making.
supports decision-making.
Achievement with Excellence
 Demonstrate comprehensive
understanding of how
technological modelling
supports decision-making.
Explanatory Notes
1
This achievement standard is derived from Level 6 of the Technology learning area in The
New Zealand Curriculum, Learning Media, Ministry of Education, 2007.
http://techlink.org.nz/curriculum-support/papers/knowledge/tech-model/index.htm.
Further details of definitions listed below can be found at http://www.techlink.org.nz.
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Definitions:
2
Achieved
Demonstrate understanding of how technological modelling supports decision-making
involves:
 identifying the technological modelling undertaken to develop and trial a technological
outcome
 identifying evidence derived from technological modelling
 describing how the evidence gained informed decisions about ‘what could happen’ and
‘what should happen’ for the technological outcome.
Merit
Demonstrate in-depth understanding of how technological modelling supports decisionmaking involves:
 explaining the purpose of the technological modelling undertaken to develop and trial a
technological outcome
 explaining why the evidence gained enabled decisions to be made about ‘what could
happen’ and ‘what should happen’ for the technological outcome.
Excellent
Demonstrate comprehensive understanding of how technological modelling supports
decision-making involves:
 discussing how decisions made about a technological outcome considered ‘what could
happen’ and ‘what should happen’
 discussing how technological modelling identifies risk to support decision making.
3
The technological outcome used to explore technological modelling may have been developed
by the student or practicing technologists.
4
Technological modelling refers to both functional modelling and prototyping.
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