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Plants on the Mind
A plant themed kinetic sculpture.
Project Overview
- Course: Intro to Mechanical Prototyping (ENGR 2330)
- Project Prompt: “Design and build a kinetic sculpture using multi-planar mechanisms powered by a single electric motor”
- Timeframe: 4 weeks
- Team Roles: Project Manager, CAD Desginer, Fabricator
- Year: Spring 2024
Process
For
the final team project for Introduction to Mechanical Prototyping, I wanted to create an exciting kinetic sculpture that
integrated motion in several planes and axes. After some brainstorming,
my team set out to make a kinetic sculpture inspired by humanoid potted
plants that position the plant as the ‘hair’ of the figure.
The final sculpture contained the following motion systems:
- Blinking Eyes - utilizes a three-bar linkage to repeat the motion of an eyelid rotating along an axis
- Spinning Ears - resin 3D printed realistic human ears spin in opposite directions via a differential gearbox
- Flapping Wings - wings flap up and down in a repeating motion inspired by the bone structure of birds
- Core Gearbox - transfers motion from a single motor to the differing axes of rotation for each other mechanisms
GIF of full sculpture from the front
GIF showcasing each head mechanism
GIF showcasing the wing mechanism linkages and core gearbox
Over
the course of the 4-week project, I focused on creating a functional
yet aesthetically pleasing frame for the sculpture, along with
mechanically integrating each system.
Early on in the project, the
initial frame was created as the starting point for the detailed design
of further mechanisms that depend on the geometry of the frame. I
created the frame of the sculpture by outlining sectional views of a
low-poly model of a human bust in Fusion360:
Sectional view of a frame layer
Laser cut cardboard draft of the layered frame
This
was done from two directions to create an arrangement of intersecting
layers. Where a layer intersected with another layer, an indent was
added to both components to create a joint:
Sectional view of frame layer, illustrating the joints between each layer
Each piece for the frame was laser cut out of 3/16in High Density Fiberboard, and the appropriate tolerances were used.
Laser cutting layout for a portion of the frame pieces
As
further details developed in our designs, more changes had to be made
to the frame to accommodate things like bearing spacing, mounting
points, etc. I tackled all these issues at once by redesigning parts of
the frame within the context of the other mostly finished systems. I
added things like mounting holes and split parts of the frame into more
pieces to allow for physical assembly.
SolidWorks screenshot of final frame assembly
The
core gearbox is the part of the sculpture that provides rotational
power to each other mechanism. It uses a central chain
drive from the DC motor to distribute power to two other shafts. One of
these shafts goes to the wing mechanism, and the other goes up to the
head via a set of bevel gears.
GIF of core gearbox running
The
two pieces of aluminum U channel that serves as the main structure for
the gearbox were manufactured on a manual mill. After designing the
gearbox in SolidWorks, I created a technical drawing to help me drill
each hole with precision.
Photo of one half of the gearbox U channel, recently milled
Solidworks drawing used to fabricate aluminum U channel for the gearbox
Reflection
This
project was the final of a series of awesome learning experiences for
me in MechProto. By the end of this project, I had learned about the
struggles of collaborative designing and how to work through them. I
also delved into the intricacies of mechanical integration and version
control.
I’m proud of what my team and I created, and it can
still be found on display in Olin’s Academic Center hallway (although it
now lacks any plant hair).