My design process started like this. First I had to research and design what my project should be, but since I already have created previous blogs on this topic, I’ll move on. The first step was to cut the wood for my boat. I first looked into different types of wood and tried to find a certain wood that wouldn’t sink my boat. I decided to use a thin piece of wood, so it would be heavy enough to sink the foam. Next, I needed to cut it. Here, I was taught how to use a power saw and a trim saw by Mr.Filder and Mr.Diego, who assisted me. I used a power saw to cut larger pieces of wood, and trim saw to cut smaller areas, and when I needed my cutting to be more precise. Once I completed the wood cutting, I needed to make my project kid-friendly, so I decided to sand off certain rough parts, or any sharp areas. Then I had to find the proper material to keep my boat aflow. I tested different materials, wood, plastic, plastic water bottles, etc, and tested these different materials’ ability to float. I finally decided upon a foam/plastic material, which was able to keep my boat afloat, and also looked aesthetically pleasing. Next, I cut the foam/plastic and glued it upon the wood I used. Next was a tricky step. I had to attach popsicle sticks to my boat so I could attach the rubber bands and popsicle motor. But the issue is, when I tried to put hot glue onto the foam, the foam would simply melt from the heat of the popsicle sticks. This wasn’t an issue for gluing the foam onto the wood, because when doing that, I didn’t need to use a lot of hot glue, since most of the time people wouldn’t fidget with the wood on top of the foam. However, when attaching the popsicle sticks to the foam, I needed the bond to be strong. This is because I needed it to be attached strongly, so the popsicle sticks could withstand the pressure of an elastic band. At first, I just used very little hot glue and tried to attach it that way. But that couldn’t have worked, since the bond wouldn’t be strong enough. So I ended up getting some feedback. Some suggestions were to still use hot glue, super glue, or use tape. I first tested superglue, but it wouldn’t work on the foam material I was using for some reason, so I scraped that idea. Then I tested tape, but I scraped that idea. This is because not only does the tape look ugly aesthetically, it wasn’t strong enough to withstand the rubber band. Finally, I was stuck with hot glue. So I decided to find a solution on how to use hot glue, yet not burn the foam.  I did this by first putting the hot glue onto the wood and then attaching it to the foam. This way most of the heat is first dispersed when put on the wood, and then once it cooled down a bit, I would attach it to the foam. Sure a little amount of foam still melted, but it was barely noticeable.  Next step, I had to find an elastic band. All the ones they had were either extremely small and my popsicle sticks weren’t strong enough to withstand its pressure. So I spent time trying to find a larger elastic band. Once I did, I would simply rewrap the elastic band on the popsicle sticks, for the perfect elastic band strength. Next, I had to create a popsicle stick motor. I managed this by using a smaller popsicle stick than the one used to attach my boat together, so it wouldn’t bump into anything. Additionally, I created 2 small pieces of foam and wood and attached them to the ends of the popsicle sticks connected to my boat. Not only would this make my boat look better aesthetically, but it would also prevent the elastic band from ever falling off. Finally, my end product. It is a boat that is not only able to float in water but also capable of moving back and forward. I am able to show energy transformation by pulling back the rower, which creates potential energy. Once I gained enough potential energy, I simply let go. The boat moves forward and the potential energy turns into kinetic energy, as the boat moves forward more and more. Overall in this project, I learned how to use various tools and machines such as the power saw. I learned which certain materials do better in water, and overall, feel as if my engineering knowledge and abilities have definitely grown.

My success criteria have been creating a boat that can float in water, can move around effectively, is kid-friendly, and can show energy transfer with it. Additionally, my project is meant to be targeted toward kids, with the purpose of making a toy. I definitely met my success criteria. In the photo below, you can clearly see how my boat has managed to float and move around in the water. I sanded off any sharp edges which ensure this is kid friendly. Finally, as I stated earlier, the way my boat moves around shows the transfer from potential to kinetic energy. So my strengths are creating a boat that can float, that is kid-friendly, that can move around easily, and that can show energy transfer. However, one weakness I can see is how slow my boat is at moving around. Although it is able to move around, sometimes it can be a little frustrating to keep turning the popsicle rowers, but in my opinion, seeing the boat finally be able to move around quickly after winding the boat motors, just makes it all the more satisfying. One more strength and weakness based on the rubric, however, is when I asked for feedback. Although I did ask for feedback from peers, perhaps I should have asked for more feedback from the teachers, who are able to provide me with much better answers. But still, I definitely, in my opinion, was able to receive plenty of feedback and was able to apply it to my product.

Finally, I am most proud of my technical growth in skills. Before this design challenge, I would say I was a complete novice in engineering. I have had very few design classes in my life, and have never really had any technical skills in this area. However, over the course of this unit, I learned how to use various tools, such as the power saw, the trim saw, etc. I am proud of how much additional knowledge I gained on different materials and tools, and their applications. Such as learning which materials are stronger than others when I had to research which types of glue and tape were the most effective. Additionally, I also learned which materials can float better,  which I learned by manually testing different materials, and their ability to float in water. However, the most challenging part of this entire project has been thinking of an idea in the first place. I wasn’t sure what counted as “Putting your own spin on it” when choosing a precedent on which to base my project. I also wasn’t sure which precedent would be interesting and difficult enough for me to accomplish. Eventually, I overcame this challenge by just sitting down and really spending some time deciding on what to do, and not rushing into it. I managed to go through each precedent individually and evaluated them through the design criteria. I then combined certain precedents with each other, until I finally discovered the idea of combing a wind-up toy car with a boat, to create the idea of a wind-up toy boat.

 

IMG_3184

P.S. the highlighted green link is a link to show my boat moving. It was the only way to add a video to my blog.

P.S. There is also a photo of me using a power saw, which shows how I’m learning how to use different tools. There is also another photo showing how I’m testing different types of glue and tape. In the photo, I’m just testing superglue on foam.

The first step of my design process was to list out the design specifications for this project. Once I did, I looked at the precedents. Next, I selected a few of them and made a list of all the potential ideas I could do. I first looked at ideas that were within my design capability and would be able to be made successfully within 3 days. I crossed off a few that couldn’t meet those criteria. Once I did that, I looked at precedents with potential. Ultimately, I wasn’t getting anywhere, so I decided to change my mind, and started looking at each precedent as an individual idea, and thought about how I could add them together, or take certain parts and put them with others. I managed to brainstorm an idea where I take the windup aspect from one idea and put it with a boat idea from another precedent. That was my final iteration. Ultimately, the design practices I used were brainstorming, combining ideas, the process of elimination, and so much more.

Step 1- take out a block of wood that’s equal to or bigger than 14cm x 17cm, and has a height of 3.5mm

Step 2- mark the middle of the width for both widths of the block. Then mark from that point to the middle of the length for one side. Do this for both widths.
step 3- cut the block of wood using a drop saw until its measurements are 14cm x 17 cm, it should look like a square with a triangle on top shape. Be sure to sand it down so they’re are no sharp sides.

step 4, repeat this process, but this time use a piece of foam, but instead, have its measurements be 14cm x 17 cm x 3cm, and instead of a drop saw to cut it down, use a scissor. Once done spread hot glue over the wood block and put the foam and the wood together.

Step 5, hot glue a popsicle onto the bottom left corner of the foam square shape area. It should be 3cm from the bottom of the block. Make sure it’s 1 cm from the left side of the foam. Hot glue a popsicle onto the bottom right corner of the square shape area. It should be 3cm from the bottom of the block. it should also be 1 cm from the right side of the block.
Step 6, take two popsicle sticks. Go to the middle of it and use a knife to cut 50% of the width of the popsicle sticks.
Step 7 Ounce there is a cut in the middle of the popsicle for both popsicles, put hot glue in the cut for one popsicle, and stick both middles with cuts together. It should look like a big plus sign.
step 8 Cut 2 pieces of foam that are bigger or equal to  3cm x 3cm x 2 cm until their measurements are both 3cm x 3cm x 2 cm.

Step 9 Cut 2 pieces of wood that are bigger or equal to 3cm x 3cm x 1 cm until their measurements are both 3cm x 3 cm x 1 cm.
Step 10 put hot glue onto the wood, then glue it on top of the foam. Do this for both pieces of foam and wood.

Step 11, glue your 2 pieces of foam and wood onto the bottom of the 2 popsicle sticks from step 5. The blocks you made should be on the same side of the popsicle from the foam and wood block from step 5.
step 12 Take a rubber band, and stretch it then put it between the 2 popsicle sticks from step 5.
step 13 Take the popsicle stick from step 7 and put it between the rubber band.

Optional- decorate the product in any way you want that is kid-appropriate. It would be best if the decorations used to appeal to children.

 

Success criteria
– boat can float in water
-boat can effectively move in the water
– boat has no dangerous edges that could hurt a kid. The product should be smooth.
-boat can show energy transfer

1. The purpose of my toy is pure entertainment. Its main function is to be used as a device to play, and it can mainly be used in areas with lots of water, such as the pool. It works by spinning the popsicle stick motor backward or forwards, depending on whether you want the boat to go forwards or backward. You then let go and watch as the boat travels forward or backward. The main user of my toy would be children, ages possibly ranging from  4 to 12, who have an interest in playing with toy boats. Since my product is meant to act as a toy, overall, the main target audience would be children in general, who would then play with my toy for their entertainment.
2. The environmental impact of my product is nothing. The materials used would be rubber bands, glue, and foam, but all of these materials are decomposable and don’t hurt the environment. My project will require the use of some electrical tools, and it’s true that many things powered by electricity can hurt the environment. But overall, the amount of time I spend on my project with electric tools is too small to have an environmental impact. My product is durable. Firstly, the foam material I used to ensure it will float is quite durable, and will not weaken from water over time. I will be using hot glue for most of my project, and it’s true that water will weaken hot glue over time. However, my toy boat will not be put in water 24/7, it would only be put in water when a child feels like playing with it, so because of this the boat I created will be durable enough to last for quite a few years. In addition, the wood used in the boat will be exposed to water, so you might think that it would weaken over time. However, this is incorrect. The wood used in the boat would mainly be on top of the foam, so it’s mainly the foam that is exposed to water, and the wood simply won’t be touched by the water enough to rot the wood or hurt it significantly. In addition, the foam and wood materials I used are definitely durable, and my boat can even stay in good shape after being dropped, which proves its overall durability. In addition, I sanded off any sharp sides of the boat, so it is safe for children. This way a child could touch any area of the boat, but never receive a splinter, or be hurt in any way.
3. The main precedents that have inspired me have been the wind-up car on padlet, and the steam car link on padlet, which ends up showing a design of a boat. I looked at numerous different precedents and analyzed them by looking at them and thinking about how I could put my twist on them, how I could combine ideas, etc. In this case, I looked at the ideas of a windup toy car and a boat and thought about how I could combine these in some way. These precedents influenced my choices by making me think critically about my design level. It made me think about what sort of project I could end up creating realistically in my design capability. At this point in time, I would identify myself as somewhat of an engineering novice. I have had very little design experience in my life. So, I had to make choices on how to make the best possible project, yet be able to make it successfully within the time limit. I thought about making a sort of electric boat or car, and also about making a balloon-fueled car or boat but after analyzing it, and putting it through my criteria all of these ideas dropped it. My criteria have been the precedents that I choose need to be within my design capability, and also a topic I still found myself interested in. It also needed to be something that could show an energy transfer in some way. A electric car or boat would have been too complicated for me, and I wasn’t really interested in anything related to electricity too. I also dropped the balloon car or boat idea because it was way too simple, and I could make that in a day or two. I ended up combining the boat idea and windup toy car, as I thought it would be within my design capability, and also a topic I still found myself interested in.
4. My product would be creative and original, due to my interpretation of the project. On padlet, one of the ideas has been creating a windup car,. Rather than copying that idea beat for beat, my original spin shall be creating an elastic boat, rather than a car. This way I will still ultimately try to show an energy transfer in a toy, but I will also change the project enough to be more creative. Additionally, I am now making a design for a kid. To make my product as original as possible, I will try designing my boat in what might be of interest to a kid, and what a toy product might look like.

What is your biggest take away from 6th-grade science?
The biggest take away for me was doing the warming cup project
because by doing that project, I feel like I was really
focusing on creativity and working on how to make this cup warm
which used creativity, and it was fun testing all the ideas,
and making it happen.
What would you like to work on for next year in science?
I want to work on more projects like the cup holder cause
I like creating new ideas as models and using my creativity.

something interesting I learned about species is how sloths are excellent swimmers