The general sequence of the ball pass
Inter-Tower Ball Pass
Our team was tasked with creating two towers that could pass a ping pong ball between them in an elegant fashion.
The entire assembly and ball-passing sequence had to be completed within two minutes with no body part passing within a yard of the assembly and ball passing site, necessitating the use of assembly tools which we also designed and made. No motors or machined components were allowed to achieve these goals.
The finished towers and tools comprise foamcore, acrylic paint, card stock, balsa wood, and hot glue. The entire assembly was cut, glued, and painted by hand.
Monument Valley Towers, from which we drew thematic inspiration
Ida
Towers Constructed and Painted, First Iteration
Receiving Tower, Second Iteration
Testing
Class Demonstration, Using Assembly Tools to Stay Outside Boundary
A TA inspects our handiwork
A TA tests our pinball machine
Pinball Machine
Our team aspired to create a Wallace and Gromit themed pinball machine using basic materials and simple mechanical devices. We were again limited to using non-machined parts.
With a combination of ratchets, pulleys, trapdoors, triggers, swivels, springs and other mechanical systems, we were able to craft an engaging and diverse pinball experience true to the spirit of Wallace and Gromit.
Like the towers, the pinball machine is made of foamcore, acrylic paint, card stock, balsa wood, and hot glue and was cut, glued, and painted by hand.
Top View
Operating Flap Lifted, Revealing Some of the Mechanisms Inside
Right-Top View