I currently have two ideas for my final artifact. The first idea is a watch winder. A watch winder rotates and simulates the effect of wearing a watch. It prevents the watch from using its power reserve, as a result, your watch is always ready to be worn. Watch winders work with automatic winding watches. I have two watches and if I don’t wear them for a few days, they need to be manually reconfigured. I want to solve this problem, without purchasing a watch winder myself. Watch winders are very expensive and I want to create my own version of it, with a minimalist aesthetic to it. My inspiration for the final artifact would look like the image below. It’s minimalistic, but functions perfectly. I think this would be a really interesting artifact that would definitely challenge me. I will have to figure out a way to hide the motor that rotates the watch itself. I would also want the artifact to be as quiet as possible.
The next idea I have is creating a rotating hourglass. I would like to achieve a modern aesthetic for this. I think this would be a super cool artifact to put on my desk. Below is an image for the inspiration for the project. Ironically, both of my ideas revolve around “time.” I’m not sure how the manufacturing process would look like for this though. I have never worked with glass before, so this would be very new to me. I definitely want to go to the machine shop and talk with Chase and Greg so I can get some further detail on their glass capabilities. It’s a brittle material and I’m worried that it would easily break.
Overall, I’m super excited to pursue one of these ideas. The minimalist and modern aesthetic really stand out to me and I look forward to piecing this together.
https://www.google.com/search?q=watch+rotator+how+does+it+work&source=lmns&tbm=vid&bih=760&biw=1536&rlz=1C1JZAP_enUS861US861&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiqjsm998L9AhU-wckDHSc_D48Q_AUoAnoECAEQAg#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:f1706f55,vid:CZSl7TrZhpQhttps://www.versawatchwinders.com/versa-round-automatic-single-watch-winder-p-3.htmlhttps://www.walmart.com/ip/LYUMO-Sand-Timer-Decor-Hourglass-Decor-15-Minutes-Metal-Rotating-Sand-Glass-Timer-Clock-Hourglass-Table-Ornament-Home-Decor-Gift/119997522
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Both project ideas have great potential! If you choose to make the watch winder, do you know if it needs to rotate 360 degrees, or will it rock back and forth? Im interested to see how you could mechanically achieve a smooth motion, which might be difficult with just an electric motor. For the hourglass, would you try to make the whole hourglass (including the glass and sand) or just a rotating stand? Excited to see what you decide to do!
Hi Peter,
I really like how you’re designing an artifact that solves a problem you currently have. I think this idea is creative and seems like an engineering task that you’ll be able to apply a lot of skills too. I also appreciate how you’re already anticipating potential setbacks and how you’ll solve them. Really looking forward to seeing the final product!