Look Ma, I can Fly!
Well, kind of. Our wings don't actually allow the user to take off, but they sure look out of this world. Check out the aesthetics page for info on the work behind making our wings look fly.
So, What's the Project?
For our final project, we decided to create a wearable set of articulated wings that respond to environmental stimuli. Comfortable, lightweight, sturdy, and sparkly... What more could you want? Take a look at our About page to learn more about what we did.
Who is Daedalus
Surprisingly, our team is not composed of a mythical Greek inventor. However, we sure have the smarts of Daedalus with our team members Christina, Sophie, Margo, Siena, and MJ. More info on our roles and contributions can be found on the Meet the Team pages.
The Building of Our Articulated Wings
A simplified timeline of our two-week Sprints
Sprint 1: The Basics
We sketch modeled a basic 4-bar linkage and decided our first iteration linkage geometry in CAD. Using a servo, we could actuate the sketch model and make it flap up and down.
Sprint 2: Improvement and Iteration
We mainly focused on finalizing our desired linkage size and motion in CAD. For this sprint we laser cut a full scale model and attached it to a backboard.
Sprint 3: Integration and MVP
For this sprint we integrated the subsystems and assembled our final MVP. To accomplish this we improved the backboard, created sturdier motor mounts, integrated unltrasonic sensors, laser-cut thicker plywood wing 'bones', attached feathers, and sewed comfortable foam filled harness straps.
Our Final Product
The final push involved working on all the problems from sprint 3. After improving the aesthetics of the feathers, we created a more robust motor mount and electronics box. The code was tested and tweaked to incorperate the flex sensors and a switch was added.