The MouseTrap

The Mousetraps project

Requirements for this project were: Create a chain reaction in a 2′ by 2′ area, beginning with a mousetrap and ending with a mousetrap that will continue for as much as 30 seconds.

The idea is that every project will connect to the next project and there will be a long chain reaction.

This project I made in collaboration with Xi and Tommy. We started at a whiteboard throwing ideas using drawings to explain each other what we mean. This proved to be effective only to a certain extent where we needed to explore ideas (from whiteboard and new ones) using physical aids- materials, different structures, examining existing machines.

This gave us a more firm idea of how this will work, how to prolong an action to a longer one, how to trigger an action, how to trigger “strong” action using a “week” one etc.

A lot of experiments were required in order to find if an idea can actually work. From sketches to paper prototypes, back to sketch then a wooden try that might be the final model then adjustment until it finally worked.

Wanting to tie all these actions we ideate to one concept with meaning, perhaps even a narrative, we started to look for a connection between the actions. From directions that relate to the actual mousetraps used to the idea of delay, slow down and slow motion. Eventually the idea of distraction rose from the fact we had actions happening while other actions are still in act. Taking this forward we started to come up with interesting directions for the actions we have created such as a massage that reveals when a pulley unravel a roll of paper.

The result was series of actions triggered by the first mousetrap and after 26 seconds triggering the last one. The fact we couldn’t get to 30 seconds made us create a funny solution of a timer that shows a count of 30 seconds in 24 seconds.

  1. first mousetrap triggered by privies project
  2. pulling a string
  3. moving a lever
  4. releases a roll of paper
  5. connected to a weight (AA battery)
  6. unwind the paper (massage on it)
  7. winds a string connected to a piece of would and a weight
  8. releasing a glass ball on an incline
  9. hits a lever
  10. rotate a wooden wheel
  11. releases a pin connected to a weight
  12. pulls another pin that is holding a tension rubber band
  13. upon release hits a paper plane and makes it fly
  14. plane connected to a string
  15. pulls out a marble into incline surface
  16. twisting into a set of 3 bowls
  17. directed through a pipe to touch the second mousetrap

Heres a video of how it went:

 

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