Cat Automata

For this week, I want to finish the cardboard automata. Instead of using a lot of finger joints. I decided to use 4 deep finger joints to build the box and using 4 slots for adding the base and the top of the box. Also by adding 4 holes for screws, I can secure the box without glue.

As shown above, the placement of USB cable, Servo, motion sensor, and potentiometer is not ideal. During the second iteration, I measured the size using digital caliper and updated the .ai file. The updated version looks more fitting for all of parts.

For the servo powered automata to work, I needed a way to drive the middle rod that has the cam attached. I initially tried to use cardboard as well, but it did not work well. Talking with people give me an idea of using bottle caps. Plastic bottle caps are designed to create friction when rotated on the side. It’s perfect for what I wanted to achieve. I used drill press to create a hole in the center of the cap for the servo and the middle rod.

After some adjustments, I have a jumping/turning cat automata.

Future Improvements

I want to make the box taller so the jumping motion can be more pronounced. Also I want to laser cut different shapes of the cam, so to test out different movements.