1994 MIT 2.70 Design Competition

PEBBLE BEACH

Professor Alexander Slocum Design a machine that can jump over a ledge and also run over a stretch of "sand" (a pit of plastic pellets 6" deep) in less than 2 min utes. The strategy is to grab the stack of orange ping-pong balls on the raised platform before the opponent does. The machine that can push the most balls into a goal at the corners of the playing field wins. This particular design consisted of two pairs of jaws operated by one pneumatic. Bristle brushes lined the jaws to enable the arms to push the lightweight balls forward. The stacking of jaws enabled the machine to scoop up the balls on the platform, and push forward the balls that fell on the floor in front as it drove toward the goal. The tri angle-shaped ridges around the circumference of the wheels were designed to give traction as it drove over the rough terrain.

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