Concept 1
Rubberband Boat
Ages 6+
How it works
-The rubberband boat combines the principles of elastic potential energy and buoyancy into one toy
-Children will be able to put a rubberband onto the boat and wind the paddles to store energy. When children release the boat in water the paddles will use that energy to propel the boat.
-The boat has compartments for items to be placed in and lines down the side of the boat to let children easily track water levels.
-Children will also be able to learn about buoyancy by placing other objects in the boat and watching how the water levels change.
Construction and Durability
-The boat can be made out of plastic to keep construction costs down. The boat will be durable as long as the plastic is made thick enough.
Safety
-The only safety hazard this toy would create would be rubberbands snapping. By supplying relativley thick rubberbands with the boat these risks would be reduced.
Christine Appleby
cappleby@andrew.cmu.edu