1997 ASME Design Contest - Design of James Nelson

Entire design fits into receiving box (of specified dimension) and must be assembled in 5 minutes as per contest ruling.

Poly carbonate panels form a bridge over which a cart pushes the balls as it is towed by a winch.  The cart, bridge and wheels are all poly carbonate for rigidity and durability.  The transparent quality of the poly carbonate permits the viewer to see the "mechanics" of the design and makes an aesthetic impression, but unfortunately it also abstracts the design in photographs.  The winch has a planetary 16:1 gear reduction from the 1.5V DC motor.

The panels form two side walls and a floor between the wooden platform and receiving box.  Beams in compression and tension hold the Poly carbonate panels together.  Wheels of the cart rotate on frictionless micro bearings.  At the bottom of the photo is the on/off switch with its wire going into the motor base.

Transportation in progress.  Four spoke wheels were manufactured on a C-N-C milling machine.