Project Proposal
Presentation
Budget
Video Summary
STEM Principles
Science
We used hydraulics in order to make our claw move which is based on Water Pressure. This is a physics principle that we learned this year. Also we used an Arduino to make our claw machine look cooler which we completed a circuit for
Technology
We used an Arduino to make our claw machine visually appealing. We coded and incorporated an LCD Screen, a Buzzer, and LED lights. We coded this on our computers and also completed circuits to do this. We used wires and copper tape also.
Engineering
We encountered many problems we were not expecting along the way. One example is the claw. We thought we could 3D print it but the material was way to hard and not flexible enough to move well. We had to make a new claw. Also our hydraulic popsicle sticks were too flimsy so we found a way to stabilize them. We had to solve many problems along the way which is what Engineering is all about.
Math
Measurements were very important to our project. We had to calculate the correct measurements so our project functioned correctly and as we intended it to. If we had wrong measurements our project would not function properly.
Reflection
Me, Ryan Donahue, and Ryan Sullivan decided to make a claw machine as our Maker faire project freshman year. We decided that a claw machine was challenging yet not impossible so it was a good option. A motor would have been really complicated and costly so we decided to use hydraulics to power our claw and move it in the X and Y directions. We used PVC Pipes to make the tubes that other PVC pipes slide on that move our claw. We used a very thick wire to attach the Y direction PVC Pipe to the X direction PVC Pipe. In order to cut this wire we used an auto shop tool that can cut through any wire. After we attached this we made our claw. At first we 3D printed our claw but then realized it was too stiff to move so we made a new claw with popsicle sticks. That ended up working. As you pushed one syringe in the other was pushed out and that extended and pulled our claw back. That is the same mechanism that we used in the X and Y direction. The popsicle sticks push bigger PVC Pipes along the smaller, longer PVC pipes. In order to make the frame we cut big pieces of wood and used hinges to attach them. Then to make the platform that the candy will sit on we drilled some nails in that hold the piece of wood up. We used the Bandsaw to cut a square into one corner of the platform. Also we incorporated the arduino into our project. We created a PIR Sensor that will make a buzzer noises and congratulate someone when they win a prize. Also there is a LCD screen that shows a timer so the player has to rush to win. Overall this project was very fun. We encountered many challenges and unexpected obstacles along the way, we were able to find new ways for our project to function that we did not plan on using. This project did not turn out as good as I hoped but I am still very happy with the results. Next year I would like to make a project that solves a more important problem, I think this project could have been better but it helped us gain experience and what we learned will help us on our future projects. And most importantly the Maker faire was very fun and I enjoyed working on it, I look forward to another Maker faire project next year.
Sean Nicgorski 