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The Ferris Wheel Challenge
Design Brief:
A new planet that supports human life, named "Pern," has been discovered. NASA is sending 5 scientists on an expedition to learn more about the planet. Since the scientists are going to spend at least 5 years studying the planet, they are taking their families. There are 15 children on board the spaceship and NASA does not want the children to become homesick during their stay on Pern. So, they want you and your design team to create a Ferris Wheel.
Design Features:
You could make a Ferris Wheel that looks like all the others you’ve ever seen, must be able to do the following:
- Have room for passengers (LEGO people) and be able to support their weight
- Turn
- Be strong enough and stable enough to be unaffected by wind
- Be operated by a person on the ground
- Be able to stop and start on command
- Does not turn passengers upside-down
Getting Started on Design:
Go to the Conexiones Web site. Look at what other people have created. Soon you’ll get a sense of the great potential of Lego Robotics. But other people’s ideas aren’t going to match all of NASA’s requirements. So this is only a place to start.
http://conexiones.asu.edu/curriculum/roboticideas.html
Think About the Client:
NASA will look for a Ferris wheel that works. The kids will be even more excited about it if there’s something that makes the Ferris Wheel unusual, different from all other Ferris Wheels.
Brainstorming:
Look carefully at those design features (above) and start asking yourself some questions. For example, how does a Ferris Wheel work? How is it affected by wind? Make a list of questions and use the Internet to search for answers. But don’t get lost while you‘re surfing the Web. Start with key words that relate to your questions. For example "Ferris wheel." Search the Web until all your questions are answered.
While you’re doing your Web searches, think ahead to the presentation you’ll be giving.
Sell the Idea:
Selling the idea is part of the design challenge. NASA isn’t going to be build it you don’t convince them that you’ve done your research and you know what you’re talking about. So, you’ll have to make your ideas clear to a lot of people.
You’ll create a project Web site to get your ideas across. These are the things you must include on your project Web site:
- Describe the design challenge
- Describe your research (the questions you came up with while brainstorming a and the answers you found on the Internet
- Describe how the mechanics of the Ferris Wheel satisfy those design challenges
- Include plenty of details about those mechanics.
- What are the major components of a Ferris Wheel?
- What are the mechanics that make it turn?
Be sure to include interesting facts about Ferris Wheels:
- Why are they called Ferris Wheels?
- When was the first one built?
- What’s the largest Ferris Wheel in the world? The Smallest?
- Have any historic events occurred on a Ferris Wheel?
What challenges did you come across while designing and programming the Ferris Wheel?
What research information helped you design and build the Ferris Wheel?
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