Making blog
Today I went out for a walk with Reuben the Labrador and used the Leashy McLeashy 2000 to charge my phone!
Take a look at the pictures and see what you think.
I'm extremely pleased with how it's turned out which is a credit to how brilliant the original idea was.
A common and sometimes frustrating part of developing an idea is that the first concept doesn't always work as expected!! That's what has happened here; the first prototype of the Leashy McLeashy 2000 worked well for a little while, then it started being a bit noisy, then with one huge pull on the lead from my dog, the generator broke and the lead stopped working!
There's 2 ways to look at this:
(1) It's annoying! It meant I didn't have a finished prototype of the Leashy McLeashy 2000 that I could send to Lilli on time and the quality of the prototype wasn't good enough.
(2) We know how to make it better! Failing a prototype can be a great thing in product design. I was able to identify that the gearbox in the generator I was using just wasn't strong enough for the power of a Labrador. It also gave me the opportunity to make a couple of other parts of the prototype a bit better.
So, I've been back to the drawing board. Here's what I've done:
- Redesigned the connection from the lead to the generator, so there are now no gears that could break.
- Changed the generator to a type that turns much smoother, so now the generator turns almost silently.
- Included a powerbank. In the first design, the phone could only be charged whilst the lead was moving. Now the phone can charge constantly from the powerbank, and when the lead is moving it puts power back into batteries of the powerbank.
- Redesigned and 3D printed a new case which better holds all the components; the generator, an LED (light), the powerbank and all the internal wiring.
The result is a much improved version of the Leashy McLeashy 2000; it's stronger, it sounds better, it works better and it looks cooler. Keep an eye out for some videos of it being tested with my Labrador, Reuben.
We have been working on how Jude and Odin's idea could be realised. Using devices placed under seats, just like microphones, the system can collect the noise being generated by the fans. This is then converted to electrical energy and amplified to power the lights.
Just a little stopmotion clip of the Floral Turbine in action
We invited Jude and Odin to talk through his idea on a Zoom meeting and how we might bring it to life. Jude's idea is very well thought out, linking his creative imagination to his passion for football!
The 3D printed section which holds the dyno generator needed a bit of re-design, so that's changed shape slightly and now includes a lid to hold the dyno in better. This now securely holds the generator in place whilst the lead turns it to generate power.
I've assembled all the parts together, which meant I could get my trusty assistant involved for some testing; Reuben the Labrador! He helped me do several tests of pulling the lead out to generate power. As Reuben pulls the lead out it rotates the generator in the lead, providing power to the USB port. A little red LED also lights up so you can see when Leashy McLeashy is working. A normal phone charging cable can then be used to connect the USB port on the generator to your phone, giving you some extra phone charge when out on a walk.
Here are some photos of the finished prototype along with some details.
I had such fun bringing Rosies idea to life and I hope to see many Floral Turbines sitting on top of tower blocks to bring green energy and fresh smells to our cities in the not too distant future!
Next I made the turbine element around a circle so that it slides on and rotates around the horizontal tube at the top of the base. I was careful to make sure the length of the different blades on the turbine were the proportions of Rosies design. I added extra greenery to the centre of the blades then set about making lots of tiny paper and wire flowers from roses, to daisies to tulips to add to make them just like the beautiful design.
I got carried away and didn’t take many photos as I went!
Next I added the beehive details to the top of the base. Including some tiny bees and a rooftop garden around the hive entrance on the top.
I started by making the solid base to hold up the rotating turbines using a cardboard tube and a wide base.
Details on the base of this element included the on/off button and the door for access to the honey staircase.
After speaking with Rosie about her idea I made some notes on the important elements she covered and details we discussed such as the particular species of flowers she’d drawn before I got started with the making process.
The most important thing to consider was making the prototype look as much like her original drawing as possible. I wanted to make sure the model could rotate like a turbine would in the wind too.
The proof of concept is coming together in this prototype. I've 3D printed a housing for the dyno generator. This holds the generator in place on the retractable dog lead meaning that it can be rotated as the dog lead extracts and retracts without falling out.
The 3D printed part was made using a process called FDM (fused deposition modelling). The FDM 3D printing machine melts plastic and extrudes out into tiny lines. These lines are gradually layered up to make the finished part. This is such a useful manufacturing method as it's quite quick and can make almost any part that it's possible to model in the digital world! For this project that's a great thing, as I was able to measure the generator and dog lead, then design a housing that fits perfectly around both parts. I wouldn't have been able to go online and find a housing that would be suitable for this job otherwise.
My next job is to tidy up the assembly of all the parts, then I'll hopefully be able to share some successful testing in my next blog post.
It was great to have the kick off call with Lilli and hear her explain more about her idea of a dog lead which could charge your phone whilst you're out on a walk. I know from my own dog that there is a lot of energy available from them running about so being able to capture some of that to charge my phone would be great!
I have taken Lilli's idea and plan to develop it on a retractable dog lead. The easiest way to turn motion into power is by rotating a generator. Rotating movement in = power out. A retractable dog lead already does the step of turning linear motion (your dog running backwards and forwards) into rotational motion (the coil inside the handle which turns to retract or extract the lead). I then just need to connect that rotational motion to a generator.
For the proof of concept, I plan to use a small hand-cranked dyno. This is a product already available where you turn a handle to give power to a USB port; perfect for plugging your phone into!
For the initial stage of the prototype I have started joining this hand-cranked generator to the rotating coil inside the retractable dog lead. This has involved some cutting open of the dog lead housing to make space for the generator, and some remoulding of the generator handle to get it to fit snugly into the grooves on the dog lead coil. The generator handle is made from a thermoplastic, so I was able to heat it up to make it soft enough to be reshaped to fit into the dog lead coil.
At this stage the prototype looks quite rough and ready! This is because I'm purely looking to test whether my ideas on how to make Lilli's Leashy McLeasy 2000 functional, actually work. Once I've proven that the general design concept is functional, then I can refine the design to make it look nice as well.
My next steps are to design and 3D print a frame which will connect the rest of the generator securely to the dog lead housing. Watch this space!
I have now mounted the generator vertically.
Experimentation has shown that the generator needs to be turned faster, so I have increased the gearing. The orange cord has now been attached to the centre of the bounce platform and the generator tested successfully as it is generating volts. However, I have decided it will be better to mount the generator board vertically and not directly under the bounce platform. This will also allow it to be covered with a clear lid so the mechanism can be seen working.
The Arduino display needs to work with a SD card reader so that bmp images from a memory card can be displayed. Although challenging I have now successfully displayed a bmp image as shown in my photo. This image is not central - another problem to be solved!
This project and Henry's energy inspired me and made me challenge my self as well. So I tried to make a Cartoon Version of the little turbine, to get it even more playful.
The viewer must decide which one they like more. :)
Now it was all about tying it all together and let Henry's the little turbine become alive!
For the final tweaks, it was all about world building. I tried to find the best combination of realism in the render and playfulness in the props. In the call with Henry I saw him as an energetic, smart, proud and happy little inventor. I wanted the 3D world to reflect this a bit while still making sure it becomes clear that this is an important idea to tackle a problem that is affecting the whole world big time!
Now the animation needed to come alive with a bit of color!
After the amazing video call with Henry where he gave clear insights into what he liked and what was important to him, I got to work to animate a first pass. This is an essential step to get a first idea for timing and to give the little turbine the courage and energy it deserves right from the beginning!