The small, discrete item known as the JUUL is supposed to be used as a smoking alternative for adults. With only 5% nicotine by weight, JUULs come off as more safe than an average cigarette. Many underage people use JUULs in and out of school. They relatively look like USBs which are easy to hide. Since JUULs are such a new product, many staff members and parents do not know what a JUUL is. JUULs are sold in many common gas stations and smoke shops. Pods are inserted into the JUUL device in order to smoke. A pack of pods ranges from $15.99- $27.99. Each pack contains 4 pods. Each JUULpod contains 0.7mL with 5% nicotine by weight, approximately equivalent to 1 pack of cigarettes or 200 puffs. This product is very easy for underage people to get their hands on.
Concepts:
Engineer Design Cycle
Mr. Williams had our whole class write down problems on the whiteboard that we thought were important. In the end we went around the room and chose the top problem which we were individually interested in. I chose overpriced clothing but then I changed my mind once I got in a group because we had to work on this project for about 2-3 weeks. In the end, we chose JUULing as our world problem.
Gigi, Kiki, and I researched JUULing and found all the possible dangers and health damages due to E-cigarettes. JUULs barely have any known long-term dangers because of how long they’ve been on the market. JUULs, like many E-cigarettes, are relatively new on the market.
Develop Possible Solution: My group and I needed to find a solution for JUULing. We brainstormed many various ideas, such as starting a rehabilitation center and outlawing all nicotine products. The solution had to be something we could have a prototype of or thoroughly explain our process.
After researching the problems of JUULing, we decided the main problem is the addictiveness of JUULing due to nicotine. We decided on our solution being to make a nicotine free pod. My group and I chose this solution because it was actually possible to make in the amount of time we were given using our resources.
Our prototype took a while to make. First we looked up a video on how to make a cardboard JUUL. Then we used a USB cord from an iPhone 5 and cut the inside to see the colored cords. We also found an empty pod on the ground from the LOOP and rinsed it out and filled it with glycerin.
After testing the JUUL with the USB cord from the iPhone 5 connected to the pod, we realized the cord we had wasn’t working. The newer cords in the iPhone 5 and newer models do not have the distinct colored cords of red, green, black, and white.
My group and I needed to find a cord that had the distinct colored cords. Mr. Williams found us an older iPhone USB adapter cord that had the right colored cords.
We had to redesign the JUUL with the new cord that then triggered the pod to exert smoke when inhaled. This time our JUUL worked and smoke came out when we tried using it.
The last step is to repeat this process if your design does not work. Our group didn't fully have to start over because our design was functional by step eight.
Reflection: My group is very good at evening out the work appropriately. We work well together and finish our projects early and they fully meet the criteria. Although we created a nicotine free pod, the glycerin solidifies in about 72 hours and then becomes unusable. The glycerin solidifies in the pod because of how small the pod is. The only negative side of our project was trying to find how to solve JUULing. Although many people believe our solution is contradictory because we created another alternative for smoking, our alternative is mainly for people trying to quit JUULing or people who only JUUL for the effect of smoke coming out. I learned how to improve my leadership skills by taking time everyday before we started working to go over what our goal of the day was. I also took leadership in organizing the Gantt Chart, which is a new concept to our STEM class. I also improved on my cooperation skills with my group which helped us finish our project early. I will continue to work on my attitude,demeanor, and empathy because everyone can always be nice and do more.