My product is a motorboat that has a fishing feature. This boat converts electrical and mechanical energy to kinetic energy. I started by thinking about who the audience was and used this information to think about what they would like and what would be possible for me to make considering the time of 4 classes. Next, I looked at YouTube videos for inspiration and ideas. I then settled on an idea that I thought would meet the specifications as well as be a possible product for me to create. Then I started thinking about how to construct the boat. I confirmed my measurements as well as all of the materials that I would need to construct the boat. I developed a detailed plan of how I would construct the boat. Afterward, I started creating the product. I used the materials that I had decided upon and started constructing. Once I had created a product, I asked for peer feedback to see how I could improve the boat. I then made improvements to the boat so that the boat would function properly as well as be appealing to others. Lastly, I reflected on and shared my product with others.  Throughout this project, I learned a lot about how to construct a good product as well as deepened my understanding of the design process.

My success criteria were for the boat to be able to float and move. Through testing my boat, I found that the boat was indeed able to float and move, however, sometimes the paddle would get stuck which caused the boat to stop moving. Whilst the fish did work, some of the magnets fell off while we were testing and so it would have been better if the fish were constructed differently. Something that would be better if I considered in more depth would be how we could make the batteries also be more sustainable.

My toy meets the design specifications because firstly, the audience was for younger children to play. Our final product was indeed quite suitable for a younger audience because of the fishing aspect as well as it being a motor boat toy. Secondly, we needed to show energy transformation which our toy did. Our toy uses the batteries on the boat and goes from electrical and mechanical to kinetic energy. This kinetic energy then allows the paddles to spin which leads to the boat being able to move in water.

Im most proud of how I constructed the boat as well as how I connected the wires on the motor to be able to make everything connected. Im also proud of my problem solving skills and my ability to be able to change and edit my product so that it will be better. Something that was really challenging was learning where everything was in the design space as well as figuring out how to make the boat shape because the material we wanted was not available and so we had to use a harder material that snapped very easily.

Some strengths to my prototype were that the different components and pieces of the boat were made. However, the shape of the boat was quite strange because the material we used was not as bendable as we had expected and so all of our measurements were made for a material that would bend easily. This changed parts of our boat as we changed different dimensions to allow for the boat to be assembled. Another strength is that we were able to make the motor work properly and be able to spin correctly. However, we need to refine the motor position because if we went with our original plan and placed the motor at the end of the boat, the paddles would hit the boat’s body which restricted its movement. Instead, we moved the paddles to the front of the boat. We also shortened the popsicle sticks’ length so that they would not hit the body of the boat.

Hana- It would be better if the paddle wheels were constructed better.

Sophie- Maybe think about how to protect the battery from getting wet.

Candy- Maybe test it out in a larger space.

Some feedback that I got from peers was to make the boat more interesting. Perhaps adding other design elements to make the boat more interesting. Because of this feedback, I added designs on the boat as well as a fishing mechanism to the boat to make it more interactive as well as interesting.

To reach my final idea of creating a motorboat I first thought about different Ideas on how to utilize a motor to make an interactive and interesting toy for a younger audience. Then using different ideas I sorted through them to find which ones would be suitable considering the amount of time for this project as well as the purpose and targets of this project. Once I finalized my product, I used design skills by starting with a simple sketch and adding measurements. Then I would evaluate my sketch and see how I could improve and add more details. Then I continued this process until I was happy with the outcome as well as the design of the product.

1. Cut out the pieces of the boat
2. Glue the pieces together to form the boat
3. Make adjustments to the shape of the boat
4. Connect the motor wires and battery
5. Attach the motor to the boat using blue-tac
6. Make the paddle wheels using popsicle sticks and bottle caps
7. Glue the wheels to the metal skewer
8. Find a good position for the wheels and motor
9. test the spinnability of the paddles
10. make the fishing rod using a skewer and rope
11. make the fish using magnets, hot glue, and tape
12. test the float ability of the boat

When the boat can float and move I would consider the project a success but if we are able to make the magnet fishing function work as well, it would then meet my expectations and my goals. If the boat also looked nice and was made with very clean cuts, then it would be a very good product and would be very successful. However, my main criteria was for the energy conversion to work, and allow the boat to float and move.

The purpose of my toy is to be able to move in the water. The motor causes the wheel of the boat to turn. This then causes the paddle to push through the water which causes the boat as a whole to move forward. This means that the motor will allow the boat to move. The battery on the boat is using electrical and mechanical energy and through energy conversion, the energy becomes kinetic energy which causes the wheels to spin and allows the boat to move.

Some environmental impacts may be that using a motor may not be a great thing for the environment but I will use materials such as popsicle sticks and bottle caps which means we are recycling those materials. However, the product will definitely be safe as I will make sure that the parts are not super sharp. However, I would also have to be careful with the fish idea, because if the person playing with the toy is very young, they may try to eat the magnetic fishes which are quite dangerous. This toy will also be quite durable, however, if you try to break it, it will fall apart and break into little pieces.

Some precedents that inspired me included videos of different people making different cars and boats using motors. From the videos, I took away how to use the motor to spin the propeller or the wheels. I also took away how to shape the boat to be more boat shaped. I used the videos to help me know how to construct the boat so that it would work properly however, many design and decorative elements were my own ideas.

I am making the product original because, in my final product, I will be adding a different element for my intended audience, which is  younger children, which is adding fishing lines. Using magnets, I will make fish. This allows my intended audience to be able to play with a motorboat and catch little fish. I will also be changing the dimensions of the boat as well as some design elements and decorations.