Mechanical Design course projects inspire and engage

1/26/2018

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For years, the focus of ME 370 (Mechanical Design I) and ME 371 (Mechanical Design II)

was on the theoretical aspects of designing machines. Students focused on mathematically creating and analyzing machines using computer-aided tools. Over the last several years, MechSE faculty have been overhauling and invigorate the ways these core courses are taught using concepts including collaboration, creativity, measurement, continual improvement, and a focus on the “customer.”

“I have never before seen this level of enthusiasm and excitement from our students for any mechanical engineering class I have taught. When you start thinking about other users, it is only natural you will get engaged and excited. While it is a more relaxed environment, the goal is clear – learn to empathize with the user in transforming these ideas into a mechanism,” said Assistant Professor Sam Tawfick.

We’ve compiled some of the best highlights from these courses in 2017.

Candy dispenser, ME 370, Fall 2017

ME 370 students worked in teams to design and build candy dispensers for several user groups, including admission offices, machine shops, bank tellers, and executives. The project utilized the design thinking idea, which combines the concepts students learn about mechanisms and mobility with concepts that encourage user-centric designs through empathy, early prototyping, and peer-critiques. Professors Aimy Wissa and Placid Ferreira led the teams.

Toy project, ME 370, Spring 2017

Teams of three or four students developed concepts for pull toys. “We started with a very open-ended description, any pull ‘toy’ you can think of,” Tawfick said of the development of the specific pull toys. “If they were building it for toddlers, what colors and themes would they like?”

For example, one team worked with the staff at Curtis Orchard to design a custom pull toy for them. After discussions, they decided to use a Wizard of Oz theme currently present at the orchard and to mount the toy for an existing wagon. Some teams had a pull-toy that used the energy from being pulled to produce a useful function like making a cup of coffee, while other toys were simply hilarious mechanisms. Teams first completed low-fidelity prototyping, using cardboard, paper, and pens for the initial user interface design, which allowed them to simulate moving elements.

 

Marble conveyor, ME 371, Fall 2017

Professors Alison Dunn and Seok Kim led the fall semester’s team projects, for which the primary goal was to use design knowledge to build marble machines. Each device was required to reliably transport 10 large ball bearings (1” diameter) in a circuit, with extra points for creativity, fast or slow circuit times, and directing the balls into multiple different downward paths. Dunn said the teams did very well, using many different mechanisms and themes.

Pipe climbers, ME 370, Fall 2017

The goal of the pipe climbing robot was to give the students the chance to combine and apply their knowledge of planar mechanisms and power trains. Student teams were asked to design a robot that could traverse an 8-foot-long, 2-inch diameter pipe (at 30-, 60-, and 90-degree inclines) and they were scored based on the robot’s speed and how well they could predict the power required to traverse the pipe. The project was framed in a “Pink Panther” theme where each team was asked to retrieve the rare and expensive pink diamond while remaining as stealthy as possible. Thus, teams were required to decorate their robots based on animals that can climb vertical or nearly vertical surfaces in nature. Professors Aimy Wissa and Placid Ferreria led the teams.

Tarzan rope climbers, ME 370, Spring 2017

The spring semester’s ME 370 final competition consisted of 40 student-designed robots climbing ropes strung across Boneyard Creek, on the Bardeen Quad. The student teams’ robot designs were judged based on speed, mechanics of the design, and creativity. Professors Arend van der Zande, Sam Tawfick, and Darrell Socie led the teams. Following in the tradition of previous robot races, MechSE students demonstrated their impressive creativity and hard work. 

 

 

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This story was published January 26, 2018.