Skills
High-fidelity Prototyping, Testing, 3D printing, Laser Cutting, Woodworking, Welding, Material Sourcing, CAD
Juggling Machine
Club passing requires both catching and throwing a club to a partner. The throws need the perfect amount of spin and power to be catchable. In between passes, each person also juggles individually, but I just focused on throwing and catching for my machine.
As a juggler who loves club passing, I built a machine that somebody could juggle with to sustain a six-club passing pattern.
​
Determined to see this idea through, I worked on this project on my own, with occasional guidance from mentors.
Prototyping
I started by prototyping the throwing mechanism as a proof of concept. The cradle that holds the club gets aggressively stopped, which sends the club spinning and flying.
​
Iterations of my prototypes focused on adjustability and the method of power. When considering scaling up, I decided that elastics would be better than springs due to cost-effectiveness and customizability.
Construction
I built a scaled-up frame for the throwing mechanism, learned how to use woodworking tools, and made design decisions as I progressed. As I began testing throws, I realized many aspects of this wood frame were not robust enough, so I added reinforcements. I ended up welding the cradle that houses the club out of aluminum to withstand the impact of each throw.
​
I used bungee cords initially but switched to hyperelastic bands to provide throwing force. A big part of the project was sourcing the individual components I'd need, and evaluating the forces required to complete throws.
Club Catcher
For the catching mechanism, I designed a big curtain that catches and funnels the club into the throwing mechanism. I made cardboard and fabric prototypes, testing shapes that would work the most consistently to filter the club downward.
I also tested different fabric compositions and settled for a satin fabric with low friction backed by a padded quilt-like material to give it some force absorption. PVC pipes provide some elasticity and tension can be adjusted by moving the curtain with binder clips.
Catcher Progression
Final Design
Automation
The next major prototype I built was to figure out how to motorize the throwing of the club, specifically such that it would launch at full force once every 3 or so seconds. I built rough prototypes of multiple mechanisms designed to disengage and reengage with a motor at a set time with whatever cheap materials I could find: cardboard tubes, used 3D printing filament rolls, and wood scraps. I constructed other models in CAD and evaluated the results.
​
Using a 50 lb motor I bought used, I first used a belt and pulley system but switched to a chain and sprocket
system to reduce slippage. I designed quick tensioning mechanisms because I often had to take apart the components to make adjustments.
​
​
This project was not at all a straight shot. Many of the prototypes I thought would work had failed when I scaled them up — the motor automation mechanism I was most excited about would not work the way it wanted it to and I ended up having to pivot.
After one test, the whole frame of my machine tore itself apart, and I had to find ways to fix and reinforce it. I did not end up getting the machine to work consistently enough to pass clubs with me, but I had successful isolated tests and I’m proud of what I did accomplish!