Ethical And Environmental Impact Analysisc|r|u
ECE 477
C|R|U
Pranav Kabra
Brandon Fane
Mohnish Rathi
Sumit Mehra
Homework #11
Due: 11/18/04
Introduction
The Cru is a wireless digital audio receiver. It enables the user to play music stored conveniently on their computer through their home stereo with no wiring between the computer and the stereo necessary. The user can queue up their music via a web page from any computer on the network and listen to it in the desired order in whichever room they see fit. The songs will be stored on a USB flash drive and kept there until they are played through the Cru. The only wiring required will be an audio cable between the Cru and the user’s stereo as well as a power connection. Song order and other functionality such as skipping and fast forward will be available on the device via an appropriately labeled keypad.The Cru is a digital wireless bridge between a PC and a home stereo system.
The environmental issues related to the Cru are fairly minimal. There is no real danger of harmful emissions like CFC or neurologically damaging frequencies. The device emits no pollution and the heat dissipation from the various electrical sources will be too little to cause any noticeable concern. The only environmental issue that will arise will be upon the completion of the life-cycle of the product, when it is discarded. The internal parts of the Cru are non-biodegradable and hence would need to be dealt with appropriately. The ethical concerns are a little bit more challenging. Since the device delivers music based on the mp3 standard, there is no pre-check of any copyright infringement of the songs being played. The legality of using the mp3 standard codecs and dealing with any potential shocks relating to the power supply are also ethical concerns that we have considered.
Ethical Impact Analysis
There are some important ethical concerns regarding the development and usage of the Cru. As creators of the Cru, we are ethically responsible to create a product that meets the highest standards of quality and ensure that it does not cause any harm or grievance to the consumer, and if there are some issues as such, then they be well documented at least. The main ethical challenges can be broken up into the following main categories:
Testing
The Cru needs to be fully tested in a range of temperatures and operating conditions before it would be released into commercial production. The Cru will be tested for an average-case running operation time, i.e. an estimate of how long the device is powered on and functioning assuming normal, average load of operating. The condition most worth looking for is how hot any or all of the components get inside the stand-alone box, and whether the amount of heat generated a concern in regards to fire safety, i.e. whether the heat generated inside the box by any of components could cause an electrical fire. We will be installing air vents to ensure sufficient ventilation and once the product is fully integrated within its encasing, we will be testing whether those air vents are good enough or a small fan would be required to expedite heat dissipation.
The next step would be to ensure orientation issues. This entails making sure all the components inside the device are screwed on securely and under normal conditions of operations, they will not come loose and cause physical harm to either the product, or more importantly the consumer. This will ensure that the life of the product is maximized with normal wear and tear.
Warning Labels and Cautions in User Manual
The most clear ethical decision that needs to be made is to put warning labels on our device, especially regarding the power supply. There will be labels indicating the operating voltage and correct adapter usage. There will also be warnings telling the end user to not attempt to dismantle or troubleshoot the product since there are no user serviceable parts being used. All our components have been pre-programmed and packaged such that the device is working as-is, out of the box. Opening the device also might expose the novice user to electrical shock.
Not only will these warnings be on the device, but also explained further in the user manual. This will leave no room for ambiguity in understanding the limitations of usability of the product. The user manual will clearly explain how to set up the device, including temperature requirements and usage of the device to maximize product life. It will also indicate as to how to protect the device from direct sunlight, breakage, dust and water. Contact with water will short the device and render it permanently useless and it could also cause a fire.
Copyright Issues
The most important ethical dilemma is the usage of the mp3 standard for song playback which cannot ensure that there is no copyright infringement involved. Since the Cru is only a go-between to playing the music, it cannot be held directly responsible for abetting any possibly copyright infringement. However, we acknowledge that such an explanation is clearly not sufficient to excuse or condone any possible copyright issues regarding the usage of mp3 files. We will include a disclaimer and advisory in our user manual, recommending that users ensure the legality of the music they intend to play using the Cru. We feel that our users will exercise good judgment in their choice of music output and that they will ensure that they are the rightful owners of the music. The stealing of the music while it is in the queue is not quite possible, since the device will be, most probably, be monitored by someone, and the XD card that stores the music temporarily is embedded inside the packaging and not accessible by the user. Since we have purchased the mp3 chips we use, according to copyright information, we own the rights to using the mp3 codec algorithms, and hence that does not pose a problem.
Environmental Impact Analysis
As with the ethical impact analysis, the impact of the Cru on the environment has to be considered throughout the design and development process. The impact would be in the various stages of the Cru’s life cycle which includes manufacturing, regular use and disposal/recycling. Not addressing the environmental issues before the product is commercially introduced in the market would save money in the short term, however in the long run, there would be severe implications in the form of public litigation and lawsuits. Hence, the environment impact of the Cru must be closely examined and necessary precautions must be taken.
During the development and manufacturing of the Cru, several precautions need to be taken. The Cru can be designed to consume as little power as possible to function properly. Since the Cru is not battery powered and power consumption is not an issue, it is easy to design an inefficient device. However smart engineering and efficient use of resources can minimize needless wastage of power. In addition to this, a stand-by mode can be developed to reduce the power consumption by the Cru when idle. The Cru contains a PCB which generates a lot of industrial wastes[1] which cannot be completely avoided. Hence necessary precautions need to be taken which minimize the amount of wastes generated when the PCB for the Cru is manufactured. All throughout the manufacturing process, the EPA[2] regulations should be kept in mind and none of the guidelines should be flouted. Also while populating the PCB with the chips, lead free solder and non-ozone depleting de-fluxing chemicals should be used to mitigate the detrimental effects on environment.
The Cru would have minimal impact on the environment while in regular use since it does not emit any radiation or chemicals which could potentially be harmful. However, extra care will have to be taken when disposing/recycling the Cru since that will directly impact the environment. The LCD [3] will have to be disposed properly since they contain chemicals which are harmful to the environment. The PCB[4] also needs to be separately disposed because it has lead, copper and other heavy metals. In order to avoid these harmful chemicals coming in direct contact with the environment, necessary warning labels must be placed containing useful information of how to recycle/dispose the Cru with minimal harm to the environment. Additional information must be placed in the manual of the device for the user’s reference.
In conclusion, the numerous ethical and environmental impacts of the device must be addressed during the design and development process. Every device affects the environment and an ethical engineer must always make sure to notify the consumer of the proper ways of using and disposing the device in an environmental friendly manner. Addressing the ethical and environmental challenges can go a long way in making the device more durable and reliable.
List of References
[1] Printed Circuit Board Manufacturing Pollution Prevention Opportunities Checklist
[2] Environmental Protection Energy
[3] Problems with Disposal of LC Displays
[4] Circuit Board Disposal
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