Tasks
● Work on a team to design, build, and program a complex linkage mechanism to press arcade buttons
● Press all buttons with the linkage except the green one, which may be triggered separately
● Maximize the number of buttons correctly pressed in one minute
● Fold the machine as small as possible for bonus points
Actions
● Designed a cable-driven button-pressing mechanism to reduce weight at the top of the linkage and lower inertia
● Designed a green-button pusher that folded inside the machine without increasing its dimensions
● Created a detailed 3D CAD model
● Machined high-precision parts using a lathe, mill, and 3D printer
● Programmed closed-loop motion control for the mechanism
Results
● Built the first cable-driven transmission our professor had seen in 7 years teaching the class
● Achieved one of the highest scores in the class with far fewer design iterations than other teams
● Eliminated the need for a gearbox by reducing linkage inertia, lowering size and cost
● Our green-button pushing mechanism operated so fast it occasionally broke the arcade program
● Developed the only novel button-pressing mechanism in the class
● Class Grade: A
