Fall 2024 | Daniel Moller

This course included hands on, project based learning where we worked in a studio to explore how to design, prototype, and test mechanical systems. We took insperation from nature and studied how animals hop, swim, and climb to inform our own engineering solutions.

We learned key skills in CAD, 3D printing, laser cutting, and basic fabrication, while also truly learning and understanding the physics principles behind the systems we built.

Our first big project, I designed and build a mechanical hopper inspired bu how frogs jump. Using only paterials from a provided kit, I created a spring powered device with a built in friction timer that delayed its launch. Through sketches, prototypes, and testing I refined the design to jump higher and appear more frog-like.

For my final project, I worked with a team to designed and build a biologically inspired climbing robot modeled after the human form. Our climber used a mechanical system powered by a motor and worm gear to extend and contract its legs and move vertically. We assembling the design in OnShape, laser cut the key components, sewed a custom backpack to house the electronics, and building the ladder base for testing. The project involved prototyping, 3D printing, and troubleshooting challenges with motion, weight, and materials, ultimately leading to a functioning climber and a deeper understanding of engineering design.