Use of a Rube Goldberg Design Project for Engineering Dynamics

Presented at the 2015 ASEE Annual Conference in Seattle, WA. 16 June 2015

Transcript

1. ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
   Inspiring Innovation Learn more at www.uwstout.edu/et/
   Use of a Rube Goldberg Design
   Project for Engineering Dynamics
   Devin R. Berg
   Engineering & Technology Department
   University of Wisconsin – Stout
   16 June 2015
   Twitter: @devinberg, #ASEEAnnual, #T239
   

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2. ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
   Inspiring Innovation Learn more at www.uwstout.edu/et/
   Slides available online!
   https://speakerdeck.com/devinberg
   

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3. ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
   Inspiring Innovation Learn more at www.uwstout.edu/et/
   What do I hope to accomplish?
   • Creativity and challenge
   • Demonstrate an example of how a course topic is
   achieved
   • Interpersonal communications and collaboration
   • Planning and execution
   • Report writing and presentation delivery
   

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4. ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
   Inspiring Innovation Learn more at www.uwstout.edu/et/
   An Initial Pilot Project
   Task: Design one stage in a multi-stage
   Rube Goldberg machine.
   Constraints: -Must demonstrate course topic
   -2’ x 2’ x 2’
   Deliverables: -Final design report & presentation
   -Working stage
   -Assembled “class” machine
   

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5. ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
   Inspiring Innovation Learn more at www.uwstout.edu/et/
   Provided Course Topics
   1. Relative motion
   2. Fixed-axis rotation
   3. Potential energy
   4. Kinetic energy
   5. Newton’s 2nd law
   6. Projectile motion
   7. General planar motion
   8. Impulsive motion
   9. Instant rotation centers
   10. Natural frequency
   11. Damped vibration
   

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6. ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
   Inspiring Innovation Learn more at www.uwstout.edu/et/
   Students come from a variety of
   backgrounds.
   Many students had never built something before.
   One had won the regional Rube Goldberg
   competition…
   [Link]
   

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7. ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
   Inspiring Innovation Learn more at www.uwstout.edu/et/
   Project Logistics
   • Materials were “scavenged”
   – > Dorm room construction
   • Some in-class work time, mostly out-of-class
   • Intermediate deadline
   – Week 6: Verbal design proposal
   – Week 9: Brief written project update
   – Week 12: Draft of written report
   – Week 14: Final report and presentation
   

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8. ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
   Inspiring Innovation Learn more at www.uwstout.edu/et/
   Student submissions showed variety.
   

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9. ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
   Inspiring Innovation Learn more at www.uwstout.edu/et/
   Student submissions showed variety.
   

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10. ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
    Inspiring Innovation Learn more at www.uwstout.edu/et/
    Student submissions showed variety.
    

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11. ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
    Inspiring Innovation Learn more at www.uwstout.edu/et/
    A trial run.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJj6U_R0fA0
    

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12. ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
    Inspiring Innovation Learn more at www.uwstout.edu/et/
    Assembled machine had 39 steps.
    

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13. ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
    Inspiring Innovation Learn more at www.uwstout.edu/et/
    At our STEM expo.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNVy9bM84os
    

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14. ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
    Inspiring Innovation Learn more at www.uwstout.edu/et/
    Concluding Remarks
    • Constructed a machine with 11 stages/39 steps.
    • Students overcame limited materials/tool access.
    • Many lessons about effective communication.
    • Final reports strong in theory and performance
    prediction. Weak in experimental validation.
    • Worked well as an outreach activity.
    

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15. ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
    Inspiring Innovation Learn more at www.uwstout.edu/et/
    Possible Revisions
    • Increase structure > less open ended.
    • Introduce low-level shop training.
    • Better access to materials and workspace.
    

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16. ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
    Inspiring Innovation Learn more at www.uwstout.edu/et/
    Acknowledgements
    The author would like to thank the UW-Stout
    students for their hard work.
    

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17. ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
    Inspiring Innovation Learn more at www.uwstout.edu/et/
    Thank you for your time!
    

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