What is the purpose of your device/toy, how does it function, and who is your user?

The purpose of this toy is to allow kids to learn energy transformation in an easy and fun way.  Specifically learning the transformation from potential energy to kinetic energy. The user of the toy is kids around 10 years old, smaller kids can also play for fun.

How it function: When the product is finished, the arm of the catapult will be half located to the body structure so it can swing back and forth. When the kids press the catapult’s arm down (potential energy) and then release, the arm will swing forward by force (kinetic energy).

What is the environmental impact of your product and is it durable and safe?

The environmental impact should be low. Because the materials I use are mostly recyclable, like wooden sticks, rubber bands, and water bottle caps. The catapult should be very safe to play with, since there are no dangerous material used to build it, and the bullets will just be paper balls or tin foil balls.

What precedents inspired you? What did you take away from them & how did it inform your choices?

I looked at examples online and different videos, some were relatively easy and some really complicated. I chose the more complicated tutorial and simplified it to my own version. I combined elements from other examples and added in my own design. For example, the complex one has many details inside the body frame, and many small bits needs to be add. To make it simple, I changed the small details and a little bit inside the catapult to make it easier to build. I also compared different designs of the catapults to see what is similar and what a catapult must have.

How are you making your product original and/ or using creativity?

I will add wheels on the sides of the catapult to make it more interesting, and change the material to differ from the original design.  Instead of using popsicle sticks, I will use wood strips and cardboard. I will also add a target/basket to make it more fun for the kids to play with. I will add a hook at the back to locate the rubber band.

Different designs of catapult:

.