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JPL Invention Challenge: 2004
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Team Members (from left to right): Peter Xu, Eric Huang, Aaron Mayeda,
Robert Navarro, Ben Zhou, Justin Hsieh, Jeffrey Cui
This year is the seventh year of JPL's
Annual Invention Challenge. The title for the 2004 competition is
the Bowling Ball Drop. The objective of the challenge is to get a 10
pound [4.5 kg] bowling ball from a 1.5 meter high platform to a
spring-loaded pan approximately 6 inches off of the ground and not
crush an egg 2 centimeters below the pan.
Our plans for the device had changed over
the course of several weeks ranging from using springs to slow down the
ball to a trap door above the pan. We decided to go with the trap door
idea because our initial idea was not feasible considering the size of
available space to work with.
At the competition, we found out that we
could not use our hands to push the bowling ball so that greatly altered
our strategy and left us with a disqualifying entree. After last-minute
improvisations, we created a legal starting motion and took 3rd place
and Most Creative Entree.
Information on JPL's Annual Invention
Challenge can be found on their website
here.
Images related to the competition are
shown below. Click an image to view in its full size.
Our trap door with a
cereal box as cushioning. |
The motor that opens our
trap door. |
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Our contraption.
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It works. For the most
part. |
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Peter accepts the award
for Most Creative for the team.. |
Team Picture at JPL. |
The viewers. |
The Anticipation |
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VividNET.
