Making blog
We had a great time at the Little Inventors Celebration with Lily, her family, teachers, and all the other Little Inventors from Macomb County. There was so much creativity in each project, from the Inventor's sketches, prototypes and ideas to the Maker's brought to life versions!!
The project is all over and we're happy with the final results. It was a fun journey, and I'm really happy to have had the chance to work with Summer and Jaxon on such a cool project.
Keep on Inventing!
It was such a great night at the MISD at the Little Inventors Unveiling Event. We were so excited to present the Water Tank to Logan and showcase how we brought his invention to life!
The last week has been busy with the team coming together to put the finishing touches on the Water Tank. Can't wait to present it to Logan today!
We've been working on Hadley's fantastic idea using 3D modelling software to visualise the design.
This is a little bit of the process of taking the original sketch and transforming it!
Here’s a look at my 3D Model I created, will update you with a final shot, of what it looks like in a setting. These aren’t the final colors, those will be updated in the render I’ll be posting soon!
The Tallhouse is nearly complete! Steve is putting the final touches on the support box that holds the actuator & mechanisms for the house and we are ready for the big reveal later this week.
After some more prototyping, testing and tweaking I'm happy to say that the Picker-Upper has come to life!
While I could keep working on a few of the finer points I'm happy with the results. It's also time to get them in the mail so they can arrive in time for the big event on May 30!
I hope Summer and Jaxon like the Picker-Upper!
(no pictures this time as I don't want to spoil the big reveal!)
I’ve done two sketches from different angles, adding some fun design elements to it as well, I added a book shelf at the bottom, for a cleaner top surface as a lot of what was on top was the books, and turned the glowing buttons to be the side the baby could hit and make them glow, and opted for the shapes to be puzzle. Scarlett seemed pretty excited about the fur, so I decided to add it to other elements throughout the design as well. I opted out for a pillow, because babies should sleep on a firm, flat surface free of pillows, blankets, and other soft bedding until the age of one. I figured this crib would be for a baby 6 months+ based on what’s included and it being a crib. But if they have another idea in mind I’m interested in hearing it! I was not sure what a baby boxer was, and I get different results depending on what I look up, maybe there is a specific term I need to search? I can always add it in later on as well. 😁 This has been very fun to work on!
Lily and Steve had a Zoom meeting to review the progress of the Tallhouse as we are getting closer to the finish! They discussed the final construction, the storyboard that will be used to explain the Tallhouse and plans for finishing touches.
After testing and making notes of what to improve, I've now completed the 3D model for Prototype #2. I think it's getting really close now, and if it works as well as I think it will I'll be able to move onto the final design stage...making it look Amazing! Summer gave me some great pointers and ideas for what it could look like. This is going to be fun, and I hope Summer and Jaxon like what I come up with.
Time to get version 2 on the printer so I can test it out this weekend.
It's been an exciting few days. I've been able to use the 3D model to make the first prototype and do some testing with actual Lego pieces! Here's what I've learned so far:
1. The hinge mechanism works, but I'm not satisfied with it yet. So, it will need a few tweaks to make it work really well, but I'm confident it will get there for the next prototype.
2. The Plate Popper features at the end of each arm worked on the first try! That almost never happens. Just a couple really minor changes here, but they get to stay for the final version.
3. The size overall is pretty good, I think. It feels a little too small for me when I use it, which means it should be just right for Jaxon.
4. The handle spacing is a little wide, and a bit awkward to use. I'll need to make some changes here so they sit closer together when all the way closed. I also think I'll add some rubber loops to make it easier for Jaxon to control.
5. I added a scoop to one side of the jaws. It was a bit of a wild idea and I'm not sure if Jaxon will find it useful, but it does create another way of picking up the smaller 2 stud pieces. I'm going to leave it in because I think it has potential.
6. The 3D printed plastic surface of the jaws can grab Lego blocks okay, but it really needs to be squeezed tightly. It doesn't work the best though. I think I'll change the shape a bit, and also rubber dip it so the jaws have some more grip. Those changes should allow Jaxon to pick up pieces with only a little bit of pressure.
Back to design of Prototype #2.
HTI was able to host Logan and his entire class at our facility to show them real robots in action! We were also able to give an in-person update on the Water Tank. CAD Guy Cody showed the class the latest model that now includes a rooftop solar panel, camo paint job, and working envelope for the trough and water spout concept.
I've been thinking through the various ideas we discussed and have started to create a first prototype design for a Lego Multi-tool. So far, it incorporates 3 main features:
1. A plier style gripper for Jaxon to get a good grip on small parts
2. A top side block separator
3. A bottom side block separator
I'd like to sneak in a at least one more feature, but as I'm not sure if what I have will even work yet I'm going to make this version and do some testing. I think the design is showing good promise, but there are still some details that could prove tough to solve.
My biggest concern today is how well my 3D printer will be able to create parts that mesh well with the Lego pieces. Lego is very precise, where 3D printers are less so. I guess we'll find out soon enough!
Designer Steve completed the infrastructure and mechanics of the Tallhouse and now it is time to place the house and accents, as well as the dome that Lily planned for.
The infrastructure to support the Tallhouse is taking shape. Steve created a box to support the house and hold the mechanics of it. Lily envisioned a dome cover the home so Steve found a dome & sent it out for polishing !
Our makers are hard at work, gathering ideas, drawing plans, and cutting out shapes to build scenes and characters.
After a great conversation with Summer I've been sketching out some ideas, researching how to design some features and trying to be as creative as possible. Plenty of questions still to answer, and next up is to move these ideas into a 3D Model to get ready for the first prototype build!
We are so excited to be working with Logan, our Little Inventor of the Water Tank! We have had two meetings with him and his teacher, Mrs. Rozkowski, and he has given us great new insight about capabilities that he wants the water tank to have, like the kind of engine it should have and the color it should be - both details adjusted so it doesn't scare off the animals. CAD Guy Cody has started the design of the Water Tank in Autodesk Inventor and is off to a great start. Awesome ideas Logan! Keep them coming!