My interview with Mr. Ekpete centered on the next few steps in my final product journey. The most important part of this mentor visit was figuring out the logistics of the design software, an integral part of my final product.

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Design software is very difficult to use and it definitely takes time in order to get the hang of the skill. I need to use design software to create the blueprint of my exoskeleton. This blueprint is what I will send the 3D printer so it needs to be as precise and accurate as possible. Because of this, Mr. Ekpete and I decided that getting a professional design engineer to do the final blueprint is probably the best bet. I’ll sketch everything and be constantly involved to make sure the blueprint is what I want it to be, but if I did it myself it would not look as professional as I want it to. However, I will still mess with the software because I want to gain as many engineering skills as possible, after all that is the purpose of ISM. The two most common softwares used are AutoCAD and CASIA. Knowledge of both programs would be very useful for me going forward and is a necessity for engineering.

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Another aspect of the design software that needs to be figure out is the conversion of design software to the software used by 3D printers. Calling the CTE center would easily solve this problem and Ms. Lambert, the librarian already stated that the CTE center would be very cooperative with my final product.

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This meeting also helped me put the finishing touches on my third mentor visit, the tour of the Lockheed Martin facility. We discussed dress code and the identification I would need to bring in order to enter the building. Also since the mentor visit was on a Friday, the building would be a lot less packed, allowing me to get a better and more in depth tour. Also, Mr. Ekpete helped me figure out the logistics of the UNT material science visit.

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After this meeting, my goal was to compile my requirements list. It’s step three in the engineering method, meaning I am right on track. I need to research all the requirements of exoskeletons used in the military and in physical therapy and combine that with the requirements of space suits, which I researched during my original work. Everything's coming together, with all of the work I have done so far this year culminating in my final product.

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I’m very excited about the future. There is still much in my final product to be done, but all of it seems very feasible, which really helps. This mentor visit, specifically, helped me understand more about design engineering and the software I will be using for this project and in my future as a whole. Planning out the future steps of my final product keeps everything on track and ensures that I am not lost in the complicated process of design engineering. Conquering design engineering and software seems to be the make or break aspect of my final product.

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Going forward, I need to wrap up the material I will be using for my exoskeleton. The UNT visit will really help with this. Afterwards, I need to figure out how to download the “student” version of any of the design softwares to mess around with it and see what I can learn. Other than the specifics of the final product, this mentor visit excited me for how close I am to finishing such a fantastic and interesting project.