![]() This was an improvement, but we still had a problem(?) to solve. The day after we saw this, we started using wooden blocks instead of clothespins. We liked the size, it looked much more manageable especially for young children. He was using a 1x1 wooden block with a hole as a frame to build the crank mechanism. He is an artist in residence and spent two weeks with us during the Curious Contraption show. Also, using clothespins without taking advantage of their open/closing function was counter intuitive for people to understand what this was about.Īnother big hint came from Carlos Zapata’s automata. ![]() However, after trying it out for a couple of days in the Tinkering Studio, we found that it was not so easy especially for children to bend wire precisely around such tiny clothespins. We also liked that it lets people experiment with lever and linkage-based mechanisms which have more possibilities than the spinning cams or the up & down cams that people use in cardboard automata. The first big hint came from a twitter feed: A clothespin automata! This gave us the idea to use a familiar object, such as a clothespin, as a frame for the mechanism so people can quickly start making the animated sculpture. #automata #junkAutomata #seagull #maker /teuSmjPUQl Instructions for construction will follow in due course. While we enjoy different materials for making automata, we have always considered how to shorten the time spent making the frame so that visitors can quickly get to the point where they can tinker with mechanisms and animate the sculpture. Using cardboard is our classic way of making automata, but we’ve also tried making one entirely from food, trash, wire, and wood. How Cranky Contraption has been developed:įor a long time, we have been making automata in the Tinkering Studio with many different materials. Here we go! 'Cranky Contraptions' automata motion prototypes with variations #CuriousContraptions #automata #R&D /kpdPltqT4R You can see how each motion example works in the video below. ![]() They have a little crank handle and each of these samples in the photo creates a different motion when you crank it: some goes Up & Down, or side-to-side, some swings or flaps, and so on. Now that it’s been about a month that we have been testing the activity with the visitors, I wanted to take a moment to share about this new activity, how it all started, and what people have been making.Ĭranky contraptions are a type of moving toys that utilize a 'crank slider' motion mechanism. We have been prototyping a new automata activity called “Cranky Contraptions” using simple materials such as wooden blocks, wire, and foamies. ![]()
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