In the second half of the Final report – I wanted to show the procedure & steps taken by our robot  as it takes it final shape. Also, the challenges encountered till now and challenges what awaits me in pursuit of building a human size sci-fi inspired robot. The intended timeline of the project was as follows – Timeline:  April 1 – April 10: Sourcing of Components and order placement. April 10 – April 20: Design Concept final and fabrication material and plan readiness April…

  Following this timeline, I started this project by choosing strandbeest as my inspiration and goal. From there, I created multiple sketches to try out different aesthetics I wanted my strandbeest to conform to. Initially, I was planning to have my aesthetic be lifelike/organic; however, when I started my 2nd iteration, I changed it to minimalistic/industrial. After Spring Break was where I began making CAD models of my design. The 1st iteration focused on getting the 2D layout down and how the leg would move.…

In Part 1, I explored the inspirations, vision, and design process behind the Interactive Geometric Rock project. Now, in Part 2, let’s dive into the ‘how’ of the project, discussing the manufacturing process, challenges encountered, and the final outcome. Additionally, I will cover the experimentation with light panel prototypes and the use of wooden filament for the rock’s structure, as well as provide a project timeline. The timeline for my project is as follows – The intricate fabrication process commenced with the creation of the…

My documentation can be found here: http://bodhinpeterson-smart.me/Arduino.html#final

I have always been into watches and creating a timepiece from scratch has been my plan since a long time. I decided to build a wristwatch with a heavy inspiration from Art Nouveau and Clockpunk aesthetics which could be worn casually as well as on special occasion. After researching watchmaking tutorials and identifying the ST3600k hand-wound mechanical watch movement by Seagull, which I finalized as the mechanism I would use, I realized I would need to search a lot for the specific components of the…

This has been a very learning-intensive project for me. I am quite unfamiliar with woodworking in general and have never built a piece of furniture before. As such I asked a lot of questions of my roommate who is much more knowledgeable and experienced in these areas. This project turned out significantly better with his recommendations than it would have if I was left alone to complete it. My timeline for this project ended up breaking down as follows: Week of 3/27: Finalize rough idea.…

As discussed in the Main project report, I have created a tealight holder. The dynamic aspect of the project comes in the functioning of the tealight holder. The shadows cast by this holder look like a fire because of the warm orange color of the flame and the flickering of the flame gives the shadow a movement, making it look alive. The design of this tealight holder has been inspired by various concepts. This design was supposed to be for a  personal project. I intended…

I’ve spent almost all of my time making this project in the machine shop in the ITLL. I started with a bar of aluminum and a Solidworks model of the face plate and back panel. The most important part of the project is the face plate because it is the main thing people will see when they look at the headphone amplifier. It holds the power button, volume knob, input selector knob and the headphone output jack. For this reason it was going to be…

After sourcing all the necessary materials and considering the specifications and constraints of the project, I began the process of building the clock piece. In this section of the report, I will detail how the clock was constructed. The first step in building the clock was to prepare the wooden base. I purchased a wooden clock online that I would customize into my design. I painted the border of the clock with black patio paint to give it a defined border and make the flowers…

(Initial Timeline) (Actual Timeline) When I first started thinking about building a device for my bedroom, my main goal was to create something that would fit in with the overall aesthetic of the room. After some brainstorming, I decided to build a night light that would complement the marine animal theme I had going on fit the design of a one-meter-long toy whale on my bed. I also had an empty desk beside my bed that was just waiting for the perfect decoration. To get…

Video Building my project was honestly really fun. A real hoot and a half. Starting with the rocket, the building of it was pretty fun as all Lego’s are. The process was mostly just a following the directions of printed manual though not gonna lie there were parts of it that were pretty grindy to get done. There were many more intricacies in the design than I realized when starting which did make the building process longer than I had anticipated. Overall a good time…

Manufacturing proved to be very difficult over the course of this project. I began by creating a CAD model of my design and tweaking it so that it would be as easy to manufacture as possible. I then chose my materials and ordered them – the exotic woods were from Ocooch Hardwoods and the dowel, ball bearing, and acrylic sheets were from Home Depot. The first step was to figure out how to align the bores for storage holes on the bottom section once I…

Originally, I wanted to machine a complicated mechanical drawing machine that utilized a motor mechanism to rotate a plate and pen, but I decided to simplify this based on budget and choose an approach that focused more on the aesthetic of the machine than the drawings. I’ve always liked steam punk/ braised copper tubes, so I used a rolling pipe cutter to cut a bunch of copper tubing to size and soldered these tubes together as seen below. This worked well to build a structure.…

Above is a rough outline of the different steps i had to do to get to my final result. I started doing a lot of different research on how to build a herschel enneheadron and the angles i needed to make it come to life. I also did research on what kind of plants would thrive in an enclosed terrarium. I went to different plant nurseries and asked question about the plants and what kind of plants are easy to take care. Once i felt…

My final project of my brutalism water wheel overall went very well and the process ended up working out okay, considering a few hiccups that I faced. To recap, below is a picture of my design timeline: A few things happened at the end of my timeline that made it difficult to meet this. My 3D printing class got cancelled, so I had to last minute order my 3D printing parts through the Idea Forge and am very lucky to have been able to do…

Part 2: How Although, I kind of flopped on documenting and taking photos of my project throughout the creation of this project, I am able to go into depth about the process, tools, and materials I utilized throughout the duration. Timeline Graphic: The first step I took to create my jewelry box was taking a deeper dive in my aesthetic; midcentury modern furniture. This involved creating a concept board ( included below), studying various designers from this era (refer to my previous post, final report…

Introduction This class project inspired me to branch out and try a new variation on an old skill. My final piece is a modular textile pattern, which can be used to make a variety of geometric textile designs. I’ve created 128 of these multi-colored pieces using yarns of a determined color palette to create a geometric art piece. The final sculpture is roughly 8 feet wide by 4 feet tall. A big portion of my background is in creating soft objects and textiles. I’m a…

For my final project, I decided to take a tomato pin cushion, and make it the size of a foot rest. I started by finding an image of a circle split into six sections, then flattened out to start with my pattern, I then went into Adobe Acrobat to enlarge the pattern over several pieces of paper, I then cut it out, and sketched a diamond shape that would serve to be the green leaf part of the cushion. I then got red and dark…

As a brief re-introduction to my project, I designed and fabricated a wooden escapement mechanism to act primarily as an art piece for my apartment. I wanted to mimic the aesthetics that are present in antique clocks and wooden kinetic sculptures. This means that I focused on complex geared systems, using different woods to differentiate different parts of the mechanism, and using brass as connecting elements. The wooden escapement that I designed has been fully realized, though it requires a few minor adjustments which can be…

Timeline My plan for the project evolved quickly as I faced hardware constraints. I valued working on the aesthetics of the project and developing a plan to make the device in my design over rushing to complete a project I wouldn’t be happy with. This is why, even though my timeline states I will source parts and manufacture them, I instead worked on the design and some of the coding of the project. My Original Timeline Deviating from my original timeline, my timeline only included…

Mechanically Programmed Horse When I first thought of my idea, I had planned to make a mechanical buffalo running similar to the photo above. My plan for fabrication was to laser cut all of the parts out of 1/8″ plywood. Since I pivoted from this initial idea, I was able to take advantage of having a 3D printer in my room and design a product that was able to be easily 3D printed, as seen below. The design I ended up on for my first…

Timeline: Process: I began the fabrication process by sourcing materials. In my design plans I intended on using mdf for the main body and a piece of hardwood for the drawer front. I was on a bit of a tight budget, so I was patient and I waited for some quality scrap material to find its way into the CLC woodshop’s scrap pile. Eventually, I was blessed with some excellent material. I got a couple nice pieces of quarter inch mdf board that were large…

Background For my final project, I decided to create a tabletop water fountain. I was mainly inspired by minimal and modern architectural aesthetics in creating this design. This aesthetic is mainly characterized by geometry, sleek lines, monochromatic colors, and refined materials. I have always liked this aesthetic and found it to be very fitting for the function that I wanted my design to create. After deciding on which aesthetic I wanted to go with, I started drafting design ideas using an AI image generator until…

Background: For my project, I want to create a maximalist cantilever rear suspension setup for an SN-95 Mustang. I wanted to dabble in fully custom modifications for cars and with suspension in particular. I have very little experience with suspension so I wanted to do something with it. I’ve always been enamored with cantilever suspension and wanted to try my hand at design and manufacturing one. I wanted the suspension to be the centerpiece of the interior of the car so I chose to go…

Since my last post, I have been building and assembling my mirror. I have learned a tremendous amount about assembling my mirror and overall thoroughly enjoyed the experience of using my hands to create something I was proud of. Before this project, I truly did not have much experience using tools and thinking logistically about a physical projects assembly. This project taught me a lot and will help me in the creation of future work I complete. I have used a similar aesthetic through my…

If you’re just joining me for the second art of my report, I ordered 20 Baltic Birch plywood sheets for laser cutting. This was going to create a highly detailed, high quality wood bathymetric map of Lake Vermillion, Minnesota. Unfortunately, UPS lost my wood in their Commerce City, Colorado sorting facility. I was able to get a refund of my $156, but that left me without a project or project material. I substituted carboard in for wood. This was a cheap and readily available material…

So, how I designed and manufactured the press? After knowing what I wanted to end with, I began doing some research on the topic of Topology optimization and its typical workflow. So the typical workflow of this kind of studies (at least in Solidworks) is: 1- Modeling a “simple” geometry basically used to define the limits and key features of the final model. After having designed all the assembly, this was the result: 2- After that I had to check that the model was able…

This is gonna be a lot like my progress update. First I got the two donor bikes, and cut off the head tube of the kids bike. The idea is to weld the cut head tube to the purple frame and then weld the steering stems together to make the extension work. This will let me run the 20 inch front end and get a lot more clearance for the cargo rack. With that done I put together the rack, running supports from the seat…

My original idea of making my boat-shaped puzzle box was for me to shove a bunch of electronics into a model ship I bought online. However, once I started putting together the ship I bought, I realized that I was no longer having fun making the project (here is a short timelapse of me starting the process and very quickly deciding not to continue: https://youtu.be/CkZPCzYBW5k). So, I made a last-minute decision to 3D print my ship instead of building a kit. Below is the CAD…

Link to Final Presentation: https://youtu.be/w53H1B6TMHI The above tensegrity table utilizes two cables, one that utilizes a pully system to stabilize the outer corners of the table, and one in the center that physically holds the entire weight of the top surface. The center wire is composed of two 20 lb steel wires that can hold up to 30 pounds on top of the table. The outer wire uses a single steel wire threaded through paracord to achieve an optimal strength and rigidity in order to…

For my main project I plan on constructing a deer mount out of MDF using a laser cutter similar to the featured image above that I have constructed in solid words. My main motive for this project is that I had this idea around 8 or 9 years ago but I didn’t have enough knowledge or resources to do it. Then a couple years ago I saw an ad on instagram and someone had the same idea but was actually able to do it and…

A Timeline of the Fabrication Process: Reference this timeline as a tool to understand the fabrication process, and how the piece was made, in tandem with the text below. The Fabrication Process  A quick recap of deciding upon my artifact’s aesthetic and design can be found within my previous post, The Fabrication of a Coffee Maker – Part 1 : What. After deciding upon an aesthetic, I began shipping parts and creating my SOLIDWORKS file for the piece simultaneously. I specifically shipped Arduino parts, acrylic for…

For my final project I knew from the start that it would be 3D printed. While I initially wished for it to be made out of metal, I knew that I wouldn’t have the dimensional accuracy to be satisfied. I had small gear teeth and if the dimensions were off by even a little, then I would observe a massive increase in friction. I experienced that the hard way when I tried resin printing. This additive manufacturing method is wet. If it isn’t correctly set…

Before I actually started to craft and manufacture the lighting fixture that I designed, I had a fairly clear and concise idea of how to execute the build. My design process left me with 2 basic sketches that really helped convey the aesthetic and product that I wanted to end with. Once I made the decision with which I wanted to move forward with, I ordered all of the necessary parts and was ready to move from my drawings to real life. Unfortunately, shortly after…

Since my last blog post, I have made a lot of progress and I have reached a finalized design! I completed the 3D printing and post processing, sourced a succulent plant, and completed the final assembly. The base module cover and the cup were made with black PLA that I was able to 3D print at my friend’s house, luckily, he was nice enough to let me use his printer since all the CU printers were busy. After 3D printing the base cover and the…

Summary: Overall, I am very happy with my final design. I think that I stayed close to my target aesthetics, and in addition also made a functional project that I’ll be able to use in the future. I aimed to create a desk lamp in the mid-century modern and contemporary aesthetic, with focus on minimalism and quality materials choice. Using quality wood and drafting a design before hand to approximate angles and dimensions helped greatly with this, and as a result my final project fell…

I started this build by sourcing materials. I had initially planned on building the main structure out of 1” plywood and building the drawers out of ¼”  plywood. However, I had a family friend give me five sheets of ½” plywood which I used for the entire build. I also bought four twin closet tracks to act as drawer slides and 36 bearings for the tracks to roll on. I also enlisted the help of my dad, since he has a lot more woodworking experience…

In fulfilling the Aesthetics of Design final project, I wanted to build a cabinet for my dart board. I decided on wood as my medium, as I wanted to learn a new skill. I have little to no experience in woodworking, but have always admired the craft. The first step was modeling and material selection. Using solidworks, I modeled a simple version of my cabinet. I decided on a simple yet elegant almost minimalist style. In order to get contrasting wood and hardware I chose…

There wasn’t a fabrication process for my project per se; rather, it involved a lot of coding, so I’ll try my best to explain in plain English. All of this was done using C#, a programming language, and Unity, which is a popular game engine. First I had to figure out how to implement Perlin Noise. If you’ve ever played Minecraft, Perlin Noise is the algorithm that generates the terrain; it helps produce smooth and natural changes in topology, but it can be used for…

The artifact that I have been producing is a violin double pendulum machine. For this class, I was inspired to go with a Baroque/ Rococo aesthetic style combined with the traits from the arts and crafts movement. This style really spoke to me because it is associated with the time era from which the violin is extremely popular. During this era, humanity built several buildings custom made to accommodate and amplify the tone and acoustics of the violin. Because of this, the violin has very…

A look at some of the original sketching I did for this project in my notebook, also pictured below the rough timeline that I used to keep myself on track. Some specifications for the frame, it holds art that is 12″x16″ and can create the full spectrum of light from the built-in LEDs. The frame is constructed entirely of pine wood sourced from the local Lowe’s, the actual framing is constructed of 1″x2″ boards that are connected via lap joints, counter-sunk screws, and Titebond wood…

Figure 1: Project Timeline Fabrication   In order to make my final artifact, I started with my completed CAD models of each component and exported each one as a STL for 3d printing. I then printed test components to determine if the dimensions and fit were appropriate. In printing test prints on scrap PLA I discovered that the prints were unstable with my usual tree supports and thus had to resort column support. I also discovered that I had incorrectly dimensioned the placement on the…

During the exploration phase, I spent two weeks exploring different chair designs and figuring out how to incorporate the logo into the design. I created numerous sketches and reviewed them with my friends and family to get feedback. In the skill acquisition phase, I spent a week using CAD software to create 3D models of the chair design. I also learned how to use a CNC machine to cut the plywood sheets into the required shapes and sizes. In the looping phase, I went back…

Timeline Brainstorm I began the process of my project by brainstorming ideas. I knew I wanted to incorporate music into my project somehow. I really enjoy classic rock from bands like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Van Halen. I wanted to incorporate the aesthetic of classic rock in some way and I figured the best way to do that was with a record player because that the music playing method that the songs form the 70’s and 80’s were initially made for. It was also…

At this point in time my final screen and visual installment are complete. This second half of my report will be focused on the creation process. I encourage you to go read part 1 to learn more about my inspirations, aesthetic choice, and my personal feelings towards the work I produced. Again, as a quick refresher, my chosen aesthetic is minimal modernism. My design idea was to create a dynamic project screen and accompanying visuals made partially with creative code. Before we get into all…

Skateboarding has been around since the 60s and has changed quite a bit since its introduction. Over the years, advances in manufacturing, materials, and general deck knowledge have caused the skateboard deck to evolve significantly. For my final project, I  made my own skateboard deck using a homemade press and mold. The mold provides the contours into which the deck will be pressed, while the press provides the force which tightly adheres the wooden veneers together with glue. This method of manufacturing, while on a…

The artifact I will be producing is a Ferris wheel that has become overrun by nature. This goes back to the very first aesthetic I explored! Depictions of this aesthetic include imagery of nature flourishing despite man-made obstacles – how humanity has abandoned, neglected, or mistreated a space that was once vital to everyday life. This style was popularized by multiple forms of media, ranging from photographs, paintings, films, shows, and video games. As concern for climate change and other environmental impacts grew, it was…

As this is the is the last post of the year regarding the final project I will give a full overview of the jewelry box design process including: inspirations, vision of function and form, initial sketches, final design plans, fabrication process, and the complete product assembly. That way my entire design is in one place in case anyone missed a few of my posts throughout the semester. Inspirations: For the final project I wanted to draw on my liking of minimalism, cozy core, and a…

So, now is the part where I tell you about how I made my project. As I said in the previous post, I’ve had a lot going on in my personal life that threw me off my course in making this as perfect as possible. That being said, I’ll tell you about my process. These are the parts I used for the basic structure. I originally bought a different base that was much larger, did not have the edge on it, and no hole in…

Fabrication Process To begin fabricating this battery, I started with a CAD model. This was designed around the dimensions of three, 4 cell lithium polymer batteries and the battery management system (BMS). It was also designed with the size constrain of fitting on my existing ebike. This included where and how it was going to be mounted as well as preventing my legs from rubbing the battery as I was pedaling. Below are some views of the model of the enclosure I came up with.…

          I had a lot of trouble trying to get all of my prints out. The printers at the itll and idea forge are notorious for failing all of the time. The first print that I made for my gear plate came out with lots of imperfections on the gear teeth. The second print that I made came out really good but since I didn’t add fillets around the gear plate and the connecting shaft it broke immediately. After some time…

The fabrication process entirely revolved around the laser cutter. I was originally going to 3D print, but I found that laser cutting would be much better for my project. After measuring the hourglass, I used solid works to design a rectangular piece and a column. From there I sent the files into the laser cutter and cut two rectangles and four columns. Finally, I used an adhesive and one by one put the artifact together. I started by gluing the columns to the rectangular pieces.…

This project has allowed me to explore my creative expertise and realize many of the issues and problems commonly found when designing and manufacturing an artifact (or in my case a light fixture). When this project started, I really drove to create a light similar in aesthetic and quality to those that come out of Luke Lamp Co. Ever since I stumbled upon their website/studio I was intrigued at the way they can create light fixtures in a new and unique way. While they have…

Casette Futurism Alarm Clock My goal for this project was to draw inspiration from my project and distill it in to a design for an alarm clock. The original goal was to build a functional alarm clock, but I slowly scaled back the project to focus on just the aesthetics. What I have produced is a mock-up of aa design I can create later. My effort went in to researching and iterating on this design to both achieve all functionality I intended while adhering as…

Progress For my final project, I decided to create a tabletop water fountain. I was mainly inspired by minimal and modern architectural aesthetics in creating this design. This aesthetic is mainly characterized by geometry, sleek lines, monochromatic colors, and refined materials. I have always liked this aesthetic and found it to be very fitting for the function that I wanted my design to create. After deciding on which aesthetic I wanted to go with, I started drafting design ideas using an AI image generator until…

I have finished constructing the physical device of the digital picture frame. I used duct tape to hold the monitor in place and screwed in three wooden struts to hold the monitor in place. I then used picture mounting d rings and copper wire that were from the original painting. I am very excited about how the physical device has turned out as the aesthetic is even better than I had envisioned. I then brought the digital frame home so I could hook it up…

Three-Position Ice Tools My final project for this course was to design and manufacture a pair of ice tools for use in both competitive and natural settings. Over the past couple of months, I have gone from vague goals to ideation, design, and manufacturing to make a pair of ice tools that are optimized for the technical movement and intense strain of competitions, have three positions for optimal efficiency and reach, and yet can still be swung into ice. Inspiration I knew immediately that I…