Project Brief:
In teams of 5, explore through sketching and prototyping, a diversity of methods, of transferring energy through rigs. Build upon a 400x400xXmm high board. Each design solution must consist of at least 2 mechanisms.
The Process:
Sketching and Prototyping
I started to think what mechanisms I could use in a compact way so I could use as many of them as possible. I knew pulleys systems would work for this and seesaws. I spent my time in the workshop and at home in the garage constructing mechanisms. Once I had decided on how high up I wanted it to go I built the rest of them to accommodate this decision.
Once I had one concrete mechanism in place I could start looking at how that would be set off and how it would set off the next one.
Finalising:
Final Concepts
Below are the finalised versions of all the concepts I had been working on.
The Working Flow
As my project was in the middle of the groups, I had to make sure mine was in line and working with the person before me and after me. To begin mine, the previous persons would have a hot wheels car roll down a ramp and into a bottle on mine, which was attached to a seesaw. So once that was pushed down the alternating side would then go up, which knocked off another seesaw which was holding the marbles on the spiralling ramp. When the marbles were released, they would fall into a cup on another seesaw which on the other side had a pole connected to it and once that raised it would knock the pool ball off the platform and create the pulley system that would raise the other side. As this side raised, it would release a hot wheels car that would roll down the ramp, starting off the bouncy ball that would roll down the next ramp. This ball would then push the large plank which was connected to the next persons and begin theirs.
If you would like to see the working video, click here!
wallofdesigns.wordpress.com 