Unfortunately, over break I did not have all the parts needed for my project and as a result, did not achieve tons more on my project. I have designed an initial prototype part to be 3D printed that serves as a frame for both the solar panels and the magnet wire based off of a thingiverse project posted by user aeropic. This part will be 3D printed shortly to test both the weight of the motor components and to determine the optimal number of loops for the magnet wire.

The magnets arrived today which means that I have all of the parts that were previously constraining my progress. I plan on designing a contraption to figure out the optimal magnet placement to properly dimension the base this weekend. This will determine how I choose to manufacture the base of the project as I still have not settled on a definitive solution.

As far as the aesthetics of the project, it is intended to hinge on people’s fascination with levitation and magnets along with design inspired by the curves of both the F-16 and Blackbird fighter jets. The aesthetic of my influences don’t fall into any of the 20th century design movements, as they were designed almost entirely based on maximizing their function and aerodynamics during the cold war. Generally the aesthetic could be classified as aerodynamic and high tech, with a large use of curves and aggressive styling without appearing stereo typically “military”.