Rubberband Powered Vehicle

Project Challenges:  Working as a mechanical engineer, copy the goal below for your STEM notebook.

In the next 6 days, we will use various materials to design, build and test a rubber band powered vehicle, which will carry a soccer ball the greatest distance. 

MATERIAL SPECIFICATIONS:

•  No vinyl LP records of any size or type may be used for wheels.  Up to two compact discs (CDs) may be used for wheels. Entries are not required to use compact discs. 

•  As measured with the vehicle resting on the track, ready to run, the horizontal distance from the front-most axel to the rear-most axel shall not exceed 28” (71cm) for Lower Division (6th grade and under). 

•  The only propulsion energy source permitted is the elastic energy of two (2) rubber bands size 62 [1/4" wide x 2 1/2" long x 1/32" thick (0.635 cm x 6.35 cm x 0.0794 cm)].  

• Commercially assembled vehicles are not permitted; however, commercially manufactured components may be used as parts of the vehicle. 

•  The "load" shall be one (1) soccer ball- size 5.

The vehicle must be self-starting (i.e., no pushing, external power starts, etc.). Contestants are permitted to hold vehicle on the starting line and simply "let go" or utilize a tripping mechanism.