Toy Concept 1 - Catapult Hammer
Toy Concept 3 - Tabletop Roller Coaster
The speedboat works on a windup mechanism. The winder, located at the front of the boat, is connected to a ratchet gear. When the winder is wound and released, the ratchet gear turns. This causes the gear that is attached to the ratchet gear (labeled gear A in top view of the windup mechanism above) to turn. A simple belt system, involving 2 belts and 3 additinal gears is activated by gear A. The belt system causes the rudder in the back of the speed boat to spin and create the impending forward motion of the boat.
Children interact with the Windup Speedboat by simply winding the toy, releasing in the water, and watching it soar across the water. This is a great toy for playing in the shower or the pool, but it is compact enough that children could also use it in sink to conserve water or if a pool is not available.
The production cost of the Windup Speedboat is relatively low. It consists of a relatively cheap plastic frame and the gear/belt system. An estimated production cost for this toy is around 5 dollars.
Durability is not a problem for the Windup Speedboat either, as it is made up of a durable plastic exterior and the gear system is sealed up on the inside and cannot be accessed. Therefore the gear system should stay together. The entire toy, obviously, is water-resistant.
The Windup Speedboat is very safe and is recommended for ages 3-10.
Sarat Mikkilineni
Department of Mechanical Engineering