Maker Fair Role

For the Maker Fair game project, I think I could be one of the programmers/ coders. I am currently learning JavaScript through weekly Girls Who Code meetings, and the different code camps they hold on the weekends. I have coded some basic games and animations (link below), and I am always learning new methods and techniques in coding that I could help implement in our game. I am still a beginner in JavaScript but I really think I could be a great addition to the coding team.

Here is a link to one of my projects:

Link To Tic-Tac-Toe

Inventor 7.1 Project Reflection Post

These are the drawings of the three parts I made in Inventor for the 7.1 activity with dimensions.

1. The difference between size dimensions and location dimensions is that size dimensioning determines how large or small the object is while location dimentioning determines where the object is on the page.

2. Datum dimensioning is where a single reference point is used for all dimensions in a single direction. The problem with chain dimensioning is that each measurement relies on the accuracy of the previous measurement.

3. Communicating about an object through dimensioned drawings shows visually and directly the dimensions, sizes and shapes that are present in the construction of an object while a written description wold have to be sketched based on what the description outlines. 

Interviewing an Engineer: Jessica Pauley

Today we interviewed a chemical engineer from SpaceX named Jessica Pauley. She told us about the launch of Dragon, and SpaceX's future plans to send a manned space craft to Mars. Pauley explained to us how working with a new company like SpaceX is a lot of hard work, and putting in extra hours is very common. However she said that when you work with a mission like that of SpaceX, and you know you are working towards such an important and amazing project that the work becomes more enjoyable and exciting.

Maker Faire Game Research: MARIO KART RACING

              Mario Kart is a racing game where the characters from Super Mario Bros. race against each other through different courses that are either easy hard, or very difficult to race on. The development of the first game was conducted by Shigeru Miyamoto, the Japanese video game designer who helped create the original Super Mario Bros., as well as many other successful games for Nintendo. Darran Jones of NowGamer suggests that the original success of Super Mario Kart was the result of including characters previously seen in Mario Bros. games, while also being a new type of racing game.


This game was created as a spin-off of the Super Mario Bros games, and made as a fun racing game that people can play with friends. I like this game because it is a racing game, and racing games are really exciting. 

Visual, Functional, and Structural Analysis & REFLECTION: Automoblox

Visual Analysis:

This picture of my Engineering Notebook
 has my visual analysis for each of the 5 sides
of the Automoblox car.

Functional Analysis:

In this Analysis we answered questions that asked
 about the functional use of the Automoblox car. At the end
we created an input output table with different functions the
car has. There is a larger picture of the table below.

This is a closeup of the function table with inputs,
product functions, and outputs.

Structural Analysis 

REFLECTION

How do visual design principles and elements impact the commercial appeal of a product?

The visual aspects and overall aesthetics are very important to the appeal of the product to potential customers. In this case, the product has to appeal to children ages 4-10. So a realistic looking car that can be broken apart and rebuilt would be very interesting to a child in that age group.   

What does a black box represent in the system input/output model?

It represents what the functions of the car are and how they will work.

Why do engineers perform reverse engineering on products, and how would you describe it in your own words?

Engineers perform reverse engineering so that they can further increase their knowledge on the engineering/design that goes behind the construction of a product, and give themselves ideas on how they can improve on a design. 

If given the opportunity, how would you improve the Automoblox design (visually, functionally, or structurally) while furthering the mission of the company at minimal cost?

I think that the wood used to create the blocks of the car is an unnecessary cost, and could be easily switched out for a higher end plastic. This would make the car cheaper and more affordable, as it currently costs $39.99. Also I think the car would be even more appealing to children if the car could be pulled back and then released to make the entire car move by itself. This functional improvement would definitely increase sales because children could then race their cars.