Automoblox Reverse Engineering

Product: X9-SE

Manufacturer: Automoblox

Visual Analysis

Front view

Side view

Isometric views

This car uses significant amounts of curves in order to imply a sense of balance and economy. The textured wood conveys sturdiness, while the complementary red and black highlight the wheels and emphasize the overall curved shape. The wheels have a rubbery texture which grips any surface well.

Functional Analysis

The primary function of this object is to simulate an actual car by rolling on a surface.

3a. The axle is shaped so that the wheel rotates within a thin diameter bit in the middle, but is kept from popping off by larger bits of the axle on either side. 

3b. Our hypothesis was correct.

Structural Analysis

Automoblox CAD Drawings

I got as far as the second model(Figure 1), but I did not complete it. I completed Figure 2 with some difficulty, and overall it was a learning experience.

I most struggled with the unintuitive controls and contexts of Inventor, and its various idiosyncrasies.

What was easy for me was everything else-it was, complications aside, fairly straightforward.

The only thing I would like is more time on Inventor so that I can get used to its control scheme.

Design Challenge: Shelter

My partner, Matt, and I designed a shelter using the materials of 2.5 inch long toothpicks, and Dots gumdrops. We wanted our shelter to be able to withstand extreme force from all directions, so we constructed it out of triangles. Those triangle distribute load evenly, preventing any one part of the structure from collapsing. The surface area of our shelter would be around 37.94 inches squared. Assuming that humans would need comfortable space to stand, we estimate that in real life, this shelter would have an area of around 341.01 feet squared. Ideally, the shelter would be constructed out of concrete reinforced with steel spars where the toothpicks are now.

First, we tested our initial design with a wallet. The shelter held up easily. However, the point made it hard to balance things on for testing, and weakened the structure as a whole. In response, we took of the top bit and found that it could withstand a textbook.

The shelter was able to withstand a weight that was many dozens of times more than it. Therefore, we pronounce this design a complete success.

Inventor Question

My biggest question was how to create a sphere.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psbjvl6kaH4

You create a sphere by making a half circle, then revolving it around 360 degrees.

I learned from Jake to how to make a cone; you revolve a right triangle around 360 degrees.

Form Follows Function Reflection

In my forms follows function post thing, I decided to improve the ruler. Shape would be rectangular, length would be 12 inches, and it would be any color you would like-it doesn't really make a difference here. The main difference from the average ruler would be that it would have holes in the corners, in order to stabilize the ruler without using hands. This stemmed from my frustration with having a ruler slip while drawing something, and having to erase it or start all over again. Additionally, the slit in the center has both metric and imperial units on either side, for quick and easy conversion. Although these may be small improvements, when dealing with something so often used as the ruler, any improvement makes a large difference over time.

To make this ruler, you would either 3D print it, cast it from a mold, or laser cut it. Essentially, if you can carve holes and notches into a material, you can make this ruler.

This kind of reminds of me of levels, which have a little gel capsule in the middle. Perhaps the holes to stabilize could also be applied to those. Other than that, it reminds me of a ruler(obviously) and a triangle right angle thing.

If I had time, I could probably build in clamps so that you could clamp the ruler to a piece of wood or the table. However, that would probably make the ruler more complicated to build, and more expensive, so it would be a trade-off.

As you can see in the image below, I got an appraisal for printing my ruler on a 3D printing site called Shapeways. Unfortunately, it is extremely expensive.

Footnote: Sorry I don't have any images of my work in Inventor; I typed this at home. I'll add them when I can.

Puzzle Cube Reflection

This is my cube. As you can probably see, it is three cubes by three cubes. The cubes themselves are roughly 3/4 of an inch, and have been glued together with wood glue. The part drawings I have for each of the parts in the puzzle are enclosed below.

I had four people solve my puzzle, and with the outlier of Chloe, all of the data suggested a solving range in between 60 and 90 minutes. If I have more time, I will collect more data and update this post accordingly.

It was important to model my ideas using multi-view sketches or Inventor before making my final prototype in order to resolve issues that may arise when envisioning the puzzle, such as it being too hard or too easy. To segue into what I liked and what I would change, I both rejoice and lament at the apparent difficulty of the puzzle. Although I feel very happy when people struggle to solve my puzzle, it is frustrating to gather data for time spent solving it.

Puzzle Cube Design Process

Brainstorming: Going through all the possible puzzle pieces with 4, 5, and 6 parts was a long process, but it gave me a sense of how many possibilities there really were. The colored parts on the right are my multi-view sketches, through which I attempted to describe the nature and configuration of each of the parts used in my final design.

Out of both of these designs, I chose the bottom one because it was composed of more interlocking parts, and was much harder to solve(my partner Diana took nearly the entire school day to put it together!).

Afterwards, I created all of my parts in Inventor, which was fairly simple. What is more complicated, though, is fitting them together in an assembly, which I have yet to figure out.