The Parts and What We've Learned

Rails:

• Flex: small rails connected by a flexible center that can be used for slopes
  • We decided these caused a lot of trouble and we tried to stay away from them
• Straight: Basic rails that can be integrated into the structure
• Curved: Rails shaped into 45, 90, and 180 degree curves

Base Parts:

• Blue poles: Plastic poles used for building the foundation of the structure
• 5 Way connectors: A part that can connect five poles by inserting a plastic piece in each
• Black connectors: Connects the rails to the poles
• Ball drop: Allows ball to drop directly down onto another platform
• Baskets and Funnels: Catch falling balls and direct then to a specific point

Sensors:

• Color: Detects the color of a ball passing by
  • We used to sort light and dark colored balls
• Touch: Detects when a mechanism has hit a wall or when someone touches the sensor
  • We used as a button so that humans could control the sculpture
• Sonar: Detects position of a ball
• Light: Detects when a ball is passing by noticing the difference in light

Integration

We used the main build pieces for the structure of the sculpture. The rails can easily connect to the blue poles using the connectors. We utilized the ball drops and baskets for directing the ball down into one specific spot and eliminating error. Lego pieces were used to attach and stabilize the sensors and motors to our sculpture. We used the sensors to add more variation to the sculpture. For example, we use the color sensor to sort different colored marbles onto different tracks. The touch sensors were used as a button that allowed human interaction with the different parts of the sculpture.