Design and Development of a Quantity Controlled Sugar Stick for Hot and Cold Drinks

摘要

Drinks cannot be enjoyed without a specific quantity of sugar content according to the taste of a person. However exact amount of sugar used by individuals is hard to measure while pouring it in a hot or cold drink. Sugar sachets have been in market over the past century with varying designs and contents. These have a specific quantity of sugar which is normally poured by the user in a cup. A spoon is needed for stirring; which if not available on site may cause inconvenience in stirring as well as a distaste of drink due to excessive or low sugar content because the users are unable to control the exact quantity of sugar according to their taste. Present research was conducted to design a sugar stick which can have the possibility of controlling grams of sugar a person may like to use for any drink. It may also be used as a stirrer due to its unique design. It will be especially useful for in-flight meals and other industrial applications such as in hospitals, restaurants, homes and social gatherings. The techniques usually covered in a typical product design and development course at undergraduate level were reviewed and applied throughout the process of this product design. Business opportunities likely to be created, customer needs, concept design, selection and development processes were adopted to arrive at the final product. It was observed that if learners are provided an opportunity to explore customer needs for a specific product they could get a hands on learning experience and come up with innovative ideas to satisfy the need through applying their theoretical knowledge.