Tasks
● Work on a team to design, build, and program a complex linkage mechanism to press arcade buttons
● Score based on the number of buttons correctly pressed in one minute
● Press all buttons with the linkage except the green one, which may be triggered separately
● Bonus points are given for making the machine fold as small as possible
Actions
● Created a detailed 3D CAD model
● Machined high-precision parts using a lathe, mill, and 3D printer
● Designed a cable-driven button-pressing mechanism our professor hadn't seen in 7 years of teaching the class
● Designed a green-button pusher that folded inside the machine without increasing its dimensions
● Programmed the controls for the mechanism
Results
● Achieved one of the highest scores in the class with far fewer design iterations than other teams
● The cable-driven button-presser significantly reduced linkage inertia
● Eliminated the need for a gearbox by reducing 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
