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Makerbot Desktop Notification Design Competition
June 2019
The PopUp is my entry into one of Makerbot’s design challenges, where they asked the online maker community to show their vision of an unobtrusive device which sends notifications to the users. Theoretically this would reduce the need for phone usage, increasing productivity.
My solution to this design problem was to have a sleek, compact device which makes a wireless connection to the user’s phone. The screen would automatically “pop up” when a notification comes in, drawing the user’s attention with light and movement. The notification contents would be shown on the screen, and the arrow buttons would allow for cycling through multiple notifications. The center button opens and closes the PopUp manually, but it will automatically close after a certain period as well.
PSU 3D Printing Club Grip Assist Competition
February 2018
The challenge set forth by the 3D Printing Club for this competition was to design a solution for those with hand disabilities that prevent them from grasping pencils, eating utensils, and various other tools. Another consideration was they had to be easy to 3D print, for a relatively low material cost.
With this in mind, I created a design which is both minimalist and universal. It can be printed in only an hour or two, and the hinge allows for a wide range of users. A small rubber band is looped around the two hooks, and another band or some tape can secure the tool of choice in the smaller hole. I was very pleased when this design also won the competition.
PSU 3D Printing Club Beyblade Competition
October 2017
For this challenge, the 3D Printing Club tasked us with designing Beyblades. For those who are unfamiliar, these are spinning tops which battle against each other by colliding, and the top which stops spinning last wins the game. A roller bearing would be provided for the central axis, and then an air compressor would be used to bring them up to speed.
This was one of the first design competitions I participated in, and one of my first attempts at designing for 3D printing. I truly enjoyed the entire process, and used my knowledge of physics to plan out the design. I was very proud when my beyblade proved the most resilient and I won the competition.