Test Results
Our first test basically showed the decrease in danger that our modification provided. There's really only one way someone can accidentally hurt themselves, and that's directly touching the food rack. The possibilities of burning yourself on the inside of the oven are eliminated because nearly the whole food tray is outside of the toaster oven.
Our second test tells us the amount of time it takes to eliminate the risk of a person burning themselves. Most people aren't willing to wait 8 minutes and have their food possibly not be hot. Most people wait 2-3 minutes at most to get their food from the toaster oven. As the data shows, there is still a dangerous temperature after 3 minutes. This proves that our modification solves the problem a lot faster than just waiting for the toaster oven to cool down since it takes just 22 seconds for our tray to fully extend out of the oven.
Our second test tells us the amount of time it takes to eliminate the risk of a person burning themselves. Most people aren't willing to wait 8 minutes and have their food possibly not be hot. Most people wait 2-3 minutes at most to get their food from the toaster oven. As the data shows, there is still a dangerous temperature after 3 minutes. This proves that our modification solves the problem a lot faster than just waiting for the toaster oven to cool down since it takes just 22 seconds for our tray to fully extend out of the oven.
Adjustments
To further improve our product, we would have to do a few things. Our actuator is pretty clunky and big so a goal would be to use one with the same extension length but smaller in size. This would allow us to attach the actuator directly to the back of the toaster oven and lessen the use of foam and tape significantly. Another adjustment would be to have a metal ring that can be opened and closed to run it through the holes in the end of the actuator and attach it to the tray. This would make to pretty easy to detach the actuator from the tray in case the actuator fails and the food is stuck inside. It would also eliminate the use of tape on the inside of our toaster oven. Even though the tape can withstand the heat, it would just make our design look better and less "slapped together". If we had unlimited time, we would implement a circuit to where the press of a single button attached to the toaster would activate the actuator. These changes would be implemented in a theoretical final product.
Individual Summary
Mr. Hunter gave our prototype a critical review after we asked him a few questions. He told us that our prototype took care of pretty much everything a person would want out of a toaster oven as far as safety goes. However, he did suggest that we have a release for the actuator or some way to disconnect it from the tray easily since the tray itself can't move without the actuator. He mentioned the problem of the actuator malfunctioning or the power suddenly going out, leaving the food item stuck inside. We realized it could be a long term problem but wouldn't affect our presentation. If we had the time to make a final design, then we would definitely incorporate that into our design. We would also use a smaller actuator but with the same extension length since ours is pretty clunky but we didn't have enough time to find and test different actuators in our time constraint. Other than that, our mentor says our prototype does the job well and my group agrees.