story

Designed and built with simple, robust mechanism designs and whimsical, elemental artwork, this automaton tells the story of a different world, of festivities in an ethereal universe where islands float in the sky and flaming lanterns stream trails of bright light. And hopefully, it can inspire at least a little childlike joy and wonder.

overview

• goal: create an automaton (a mechanical figure or contraption) that presents an engaging scene

• theme: otherworldly festival

• mechanisms used:

  • hand crank

  • belt drives

  • slider crank

  • frictional wheel drive

  • offset circle cams

• automaton designed, prototyped, and built with a team of 2 others

• learned basic mechanism design and how to convert across different types of motion (linear, rotary, reciprocating, & oscillating)

sketching

prototyping