First Prototype Design

After some brainstorming, we came up with a solid first prototype design. As with any prototype, our purpose here was to show fit, form, and function. Here's a video explaining how it would work.

It's important to note that since we have such a short timeline, we had to begin design immediately and change things as our research and testing require. This means that this will by no means be a final design, and spending several hours on a model is impractical because it's likely to change. So using cheap materials and quick building methods are a must.

Having such a model does allow us to have something tangible though, which is helpful in explaining our concepts to our professors and our client. It also gives us a way to test interaction of the machine parts, such as the hopper being able to clear the piston arms. Lastly, it gives us a chance to understand how big our machine will have to be to perform the task.

We'll be posting the changes as they come through.