Machines that Draw

We were given two weeks to create a scribble bot (without tape) and a drawing machine. I'll admit that I was initially skeptical that I would be able to accomplish these tasks - but I did! The first machine I worked on was the scribble bot. In class I came up with the idea of using a cup to essentially throw in all of the major components and then anchor the markers on the outside. That, I would soon learn, was the easy part. The difficult part was creating a propeller that would stay on the device. Ultimately, I tried several different approaches including a (dangerous) piece of pencil, a piece of styrofoam, and (my final design) the lid of a cup. You can see the evolution below.

Afterwards, it was time to make another drawing machine. I decided to use my laser cutting knowledge to make a couple of different spirographs. To make the gears, I used inkscape. Here are some pictures of the process:

 Now to answer some questions:

1. What did you learn from the first activity that helped in subsequent iterations?

One of my first discoveries, with regard to the scribble bot, was that the easiest way to deal with all the wiring was to throw the components into a cup. This would make sure that they were contained and decrease the risk of them breaking. I ultimately carried this idea through to my final prototype.

2. Did historical examples influence your design? How?

Yes, I saw the scribble bots that were made before our class and I also looked to my classmates for ideas. I used what I saw to make informed decisions about how I should approach problems like finding a good propeller. I initially used a small sharper object for my propeller, but after seeing that my peers had propellers with larger surface areas, I gave that a try and it worked significantly better.

For my spirograph, I definitely relied on examples I had seen in class and online on DIY sites.

3. What about your design worked well/didn’t work well?
My design was very stable, but the downside of that was that if the markers were balanced just right, the scribble bot wouldn't move because the markers were stable enough to resist the motion of the motor. If the markers are moved just a little bit the machine will begin to draw again. When it does move, it moves pretty slowly and in an unpredictable way (which can be good or bad depending on how you look at it!).

Overall, my spirographs turned out well. One issue though was that many of them broke when I was detaching them from the extra acrylic after laser cutting. This made the designs they made less smooth.

4. What expectations were realized or changed in your process? Were you surprised at anything?
I was definitely surprised that the propeller was so difficult to make. When I was using a broken pencil for it, I actually had to cover my eyes when I turned the motor on to make sure I wasn't hurt by the propeller (which would fly off). I was, however, ultimately able to make a successful propeller.

I also underestimated the amount of materials I would need. Luckily my friends had a ball of rubber bands and other random supplies that I was able to use. At one point, my drawing machine was too light, so I took a small pill bottle and filled it with water to weigh it down. There was definitely a lot of bricolage and creativity in this project.

5. What materials or processes would be useful to extend your drawing machines capabilities?

Tape and propellers would be extremely helpful for the scribble bots. The spirograph was pretty straightforward (and there isn't much room for changes), which I think is the beauty of it.