I am still unclear on exactly what I want to do, but I have a few ideas. I am still looking for a great aesthetic to fit my project so any advice would be greatly appreciated. I have good ideas for modes of function, but I still need to determine the actual function for the project.
Here are some of my ideas for the project:
- At first I wanted to do something with hydraulics. Since large actuated hydraulics were likely to be expensive and out of scope for this project I looked at syringe hydraulics. I have already gotten some suggestions to implement the syringe hydraulics as a toy for children, but I don’t know what it would do. Online there are plenty of examples of hydraulic arms or cranes, but I wanted to do something unique.
- My second idea was to use ion propulsion. You may know this from the simple iono-crafts that only float a few feet above where its tied down. To understand what I am talking about follow this link, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ionocraft. The iono-craft is an interesting artifact, but I am not sure if it serves any purpose, and finding an aesthetic to fit it would be difficult. After some searching I found someone who has used the technology to propel their model of the star ship enterprise. In dark light a purple gas can be seen coming out of the model. If I choose this project I plan to take advantage of this effect. A video showing what I am talking about can be seen below.
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That looks like a really cool project idea. It’s hard to imagine a design using what you have described above without it being too much of an imitation from the video. You could combine the two, and just use syringes instead of more sophisticated hydraulics. This makes the project also adjustable for the user depending on what he/she wants.
Brandon, these are nice thoughts. I have never seen or heard of the ion propulsion before. Good job on finding that. The video you attached is very helpful and instructive. I have googled for some time about ion propulsion but didn’t find an application for it either. I found a nice NASA article about it though check it out here http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/about/fs21grc.html. For the hydraulics ideas it might be safer and more feasible building and prototyping with it. I imagine both might require 3D printing. Let us know how we can help. Good luck!