Ocean Food Chain Automaton

thingiverse

The project was to create an automaton in partnerships by researching previously made automatons and brainstorming ideas for our automaton. My partner was Miguel Vasconcelos (MiguelVasconcelos on Thingiverse). After conducting the aforementioned steps, we decided to create an automaton showing a maritime food chain. The Ocean Food Chain Automaton is a hand-operated automaton that displays the predator/prey interaction between sea creatures. The animals included are the orca, the penguin, and the fish. Our automaton worked by rotating a central shaft that rotated cams of varying shapes. The cams were also controlling the movement of small shafts which were connected to the animals or animal parts. Using hexagon, eccentric, and circle cams, we were able to replicate the different movements of the animals with greater accuracy. Whether you just love the ocean and its animals or you just want a nice contraption to toy with, the Ocean Food Chain Automaton is a perfect print for you.