Maker Faire Roles

In this project, I think I would be best as a level editor of some other kind of designer.  Level editors create interactive architecture, include landscaping, buildings, and other objects.  Although I have no experience in game design, I have experimented a little bit with designing houses in SketchUp.  Also, I can learn more advanced skills as well as programming.  This would also be a benefit for me because I am doing my ISearch on architect, which relates nicely.  I pay close attention to detail, am well organized, and communicate fairly well.

Dimensioning Standards

Size dimensions show the size of each geometric figure, while location dimensions show the locations of each geometric figure within each view.  Datum dimensioning is where all measurements are made from reference point, while each point is measured to the next in chain dimensioning.  Datum dimensioning results in smaller deviation.  With a dimensioned drawing, it is easier to visualize than a written description because everything is laid out for you already; it is easier to imagine. 

*drawing three was made in centimeters but I was unable to label the drawing in centimeters

Interviewing an Engineer: Jessica Pauley

Today, we interviewed Jessica Pauley, an engineer at SpaceX.  What I took away from the interview was that she works very long hours, maybe 60 hours a week, but she does it because she thinks it is important.  I agree; she made an interesting statement that the reason that we can access the internet and listen to music on our phone, in one compact thing, can be related to space exploration and the moon landing because it gave us a desire to have everything on that one compact thing.  I learned that SpaceX has about 9 launches a year, with each piece being fairly inexpensive compared to other companies.  Looking at the website, SpaceX has already had three launches this year: the fifth official mission to resupply the space station, the Dscovr satellite, and two all-electric communications satellites.  Ms. Pauley also said that in order to come back from a failure, the first thing that you should do is admit it.  When asked for one flavor of ice cream to describe her job, Ms. Pauley said pistachio, because you aren't sure that you will like it but it actually turns out pretty good.

Maker Faire Game Research

One game that I really like to play is Puzzle and Dragons, a puzzle rpg game in which one collects monsters to pass through dungeons.  This game, released in 2012, was headed by Masayoshi Son and as of 2015, has accumulated more than 40 million downloads.  It was developed by only 6 people but is the number one app in the apple store in Japan.  This game is intriguing to me because it reminds me of Pokemon, but it involves more skill.  I have spent many hours playing this game because it is very fun and I love to clear dungeons, collect monsters, and rank up.

Potential and Kinetic Energy Car: Two Wheels, Rubber Bands, and Iterations

On Friday, we were asked to design a car that stored potential energy and converted it into kinetic energy.  Using the materials provided, my group designed a car with two wheels made of CDs held to cardboard with a wooden skewer and duct tape.  We launched it with a rubber band.

When tested, it went only about 2 feet, which, honestly, was farther than the majority of the other cars.  I heard someone mention that our car "was a piece of crap and wasn't even a car", which I fully disagree with, because I think it highly unlikely that future cars will have four wheels.  In the picture, the wheels can be seen bending, towards the left, which happened after a few tests.  We set out to find a way for the wheels to support themselves on the road.

The above picture is our redesigned car.  As you can see, we made each wheel out of two CDs, separated with cardboard to make them more sturdy and able to stand on their own.  This car went at least five feet before it swerved off course and hit a curb.  The wheels moved very freely, allowing the vehicle to be able to spin 360 degrees, but proved to be a disadvantage in the distance competition.  If we were to do this again, we would fix the wheels better for better distance, but otherwise, we are happy with our car and the way that it spins so easily.  

Reverse Engineering

Visual Analysis:
a. Automoblox M9 Sportvan
Automoblox company

b, c, d:

front

side

top

isometric

e. Front: windshield, wheels, people, headlights, very balanced, emphasis on colored portions (wheels/windshield), contrast between wood/plastic, light/dark, good proportion, good unity
Side: wheels, windows, people, door shaped structure, not balanced, emphasis on colored portions, contrast between materials and colors, good proportion, good unity
Top: windshield, people, not balanced (vertical symmetry/horizontal asymmetry), emphasis on plastic

Functional Analysis:
Product Name: Automoblox M9 Sportvan
1. entertainment
2.a. We guessed that there was a cylinder that jutted our, attaching the wheel and allowing it to rotate freely.
2.b. Our hypothesis was partly right.  The ridge hollowness and slit allow the wheel to spin freely.  The slit on both sides of the rim allow, when pressure is applied, for he diameter to shrink in the wheel.  Once the wheel is in place, it is able to turn, and the rim holds the wheel in place.  The hollowness allows the diameter to contract and dilate ever so slightly.
2.c. we guess that its design is lego-like and can be connected and separated easily like one.
2.d. We were wrong, since the middle piece is what connects the pieces together.   One side of the middle piece can be easily pulled out from one side, while you must unclip the other side.
2.e. The ridges are present on the connector to indicate the presence of a clip and for better grip.

f. The grips on the wheel are made out of a rubber material that allows more traction.  The shapes on the passenger stands match the shapes on the passenger seats, which indicate where each piece goes.  The car is made out of wood rather than plastic for more durability and better aesthetics.

3. wheels-spin-moving car
connector piece-hold pieces together-one car
shapes on seats-car seats-people don't fall out
rubber tires-better grip-smooth ride
axle pin-connect the wheels-smooth ride

Structural Analysis:
Each part of the car was built with a material appropriate for its purpose: rubber tires for grip, wooden body for strength, and plastic for visibility.

Reflection:
Visual elements of design are crucial for good commercial appeal because the appearance is the first thing that someone experiences.  If a car is ugly, nobody will buy it.
The black box in a system input output model represents product function.
Reverse engineering, basically, is taking something apart and analyzing the parts and pieces, the things that make it work.  People do reverse engineering to figure out how to improve products.
In order to improve the automoblox design, I would add some kind of motor.