OBJECTIVES
Born of Odie
Our walker, affectionately titled “The Black Swan”, and our automaton, named Odie, serve as a combination of the technical and artistic. Uniting the mind’s desire to appreciate the creativity found in the respective fields of engineering and art, our project is a mechanical assembly which pays tribute to the famous ballet classic: Swan Lake. With a linkage mechanism designed as a modification of the Theo Jansen Strandbeest legs, coincidentally another reference to a well-known piece of art, The Black Swan was designed to reliably and leisurely pull itself across the ground.
Credit to Internet
Credit to Internet
Credit to Sunyu Wang
Credit to Sunyu Wang
THE THEME
Elegant vs. Evil
Standing atop the walker stands our proud Odie, a tribute herself to the Black Swan of Swan Lake, Odile. Odie spins and kicks her leg in and out as The Black Swan advances, mimicking the 32 fouette turns famous within the Swan Lake Ballet. Flanking her to both sides are two black swan cutouts, artistically made with a more modern, rebellious touch to balance the stereotypically traditional look of the common ballet.
MECHANICAL DESIGN
Simplistic yet Efficient Design
Enabling all of this artistic beauty is a simplistic, yet efficient mechanical design. With a solid structural base to support the walker and automaton mechanisms and effective mounting for all components, the walker chassis was designed for reliability and serviceability. The system powertrain features a common DC motor to drive a gear assembly which strategically controls the speed of both The Black Swan’s legs and Odie. The walker is also supported by 3 wheeled legs, which are passively pulled by the walker legs and are intended to aid in stability and reliability of the project.
PROJECT VIDEO
When Eternal Classic Meets 4 Aspiring Members
Created by our talented artist, Sunyu Wang, an introduction video was made to show our greatest passion!