In this project, I received a red wind-up santa claus toy, which could walk on it's own for short distances after being wound up. Here is a visual analysis with images of the toy.
Front View:
Side View
Top View
Isometric View
Video In Action:
The front view shows the colors of the toy, red and white, are balanced yet provide contrast to the smooth, reflective design. The rounded shape shown in the isometric view gives a rhythm and feel to the design, helping us remember the jolly old santa claus this was based off of. In the top view, the negative space around the toy helps emphasize the toy as well, giving precedence to the bold shape of the toy. In the side view, the texture is normally consistent, but changes with the one wind up handle, becoming rough there, to make it easier to grip and use while winding up. The one line, in the side view, dividing the toy in half helps add contrast and splits the design down the middle. It also provides a location for the "winder" to be. In the front view, one can see feet are flat and black, helping the design functionally and in the way of looks, too. The flat feet give the toy balance while moving, and let it stand on 1 foot while the other foot moves forward. In the isometric view, the shadows help contrast with the bold colors of the design, and the rounded texture helps unify the design, as well. The almost "concentric" circles in the top view also help emphasize the design, and add to the economy, as circles are a simple shape. Finally, the video of the whole toy in action shows how all of these views come together, and act as a unified body in motion.
Functional Analysis:
The picture above contains the product name, labeled parts, an isometric pictoral, and the type of motion each part will exhibit when the product is conducting its proper function. Next, we will analyze the system inputs, intended function, and outputs. Inputs: - The manual rotation of the crown on the side of the wind up toy Function: - When the crown is released, the toy will move in the forward direction Outputs: Motion of the legs back and forth to propel the toy forward. Now, we will make a hypothesis as to why the toy works: When the crown is rotated, it winds up some sort of spring that can store potential energy, and when the crown is released, gears inside of the toy spin to transfer motion from the crown to the legs, which move forward and backward to move the toy itself.
Structural Analysis
Motion Analysis
The input motion of the toy is the rotation of the crown. The output is the motion of the feet. Now, the process will be observed sequentially: 1) The crown is rotated, rotating an axle (rotational motion) 2) The axle is connected to a gear, which winds up (rotational motion) the spring/metal piece inside the wind up box 3) The crown is let go, and the spring/metal piece begins to unwind (rotational motion) , spinning a second gear 4) The second gear spins two axles exiting from the wind up box (rotational motion) 5) The two spinning axles spin cams that move the leg pieces forward and backward 6) The leg pieces push against the ground, moving the toy forward