Final project from Rapid Prototyping class, Winter 2013.
Kinetic Spine Vehicle
3D-printed ABS, acrylic sheet, nylon washers, rubber bands, leather
6"x6"x12"
Ideation sketches and inspiration. My primary goal was to combine the organic and the mechanical, using simple engineering to evoke the natural kinetics of skeletal structure.
Initial sketches of vertebrae and rib connection.
Initial vertebrae hinges, modeled on SolidWorks and printed in ABS
Ribs, also printed in ABS, snap into holes on sides of vertebrae
Each module was sanded, filled, and finished with spray paint and laquer
Toy used as inspiration for cam shaft mechanism that drives spine undulation
Sketches used to develop camshaft mechanism
Assembling the cams and wheels. All acrylic parts machined by hand.
when pulled, vehicle rolls along ground and spine undulates up and down.
