Toothpick Bridge Challenge

In class, for about a week, groups were created and tasked with the challenge of creating a bridge out of toothpicks. The point of the bridge was trying to make a bridge with the best weight to strength ratio; weight of the bridge to the weight of the batteries it can hold. My group was made up of Daniel D. , Dylan B., John R., and I. My group had a 72/1 ratio, strength to weight.

Here were the Criteria and Constraints:

Criteria (Goal!)
Build the bridge with the highest strength to weight ratio (most weight prior to breaking vs the weight of the design).

Constraints(Toothpick version)
-Bridge may not weigh more than 50 grams.
-Bridge must span a 12” gap.
-Bridge must be at least one toothpick length wide.
-Bridge must be at least one toothpick length in height.
-No more than 8 toothpicks touching in parallel at any point.
-Materials:
Construction Materials:
-One pack of 800 Count “Royal” toothpicks.
-Glue guns and glue
-Fabrication materials:
-cardboard and wax paper to prevent glue mess.
-graphpaper to layout design.
-Keep your workspace clean!
-Clean any messes you make!

My team came in third place with the 72/1 ratio; the first place had around a 400/1 ratio(insane) and then the second place team had around a 120/1 ratio.


 Here is a picture of the batteries and our bridge after we first tested it!

Here is a picture of our bridge while it was still in the process of being made! Our rival team leader was in this picture.

Shopping Cart Design

This is the design that our group made for the Shopping Cart Design Challenge. It was created using www.buildwithchrome.com, an app made by Google and Lego. It was very easy and fun to use, and it made a simple 3D model for our design.

Our goal for this cart was to make a "Shopping cart for the 21st century," that is both easy to use and functional. We included 4 battery powered wheels for ease of access and buttons on the handle to control the turns. The pack in front is a cheap, compact battery to power the motors, which would be able to be plugged into a wall to recharge. We also included a screen on the front for directions around the store. You would be able to search for a food, or look up recipes and nutritional values on the cart. There would be a map aisles, showing where food is and how much it costs. This screen uses an antenna on the front communicate its location for navigation and in case they get stolen. 

Pros and Cons

+ Very easy to use because of powered wheels and navigation

- Probably very expensive

+ Easily adaptable for any disabled customers

- Target of theft because of expensive equipment

+ Recipes and Nutritional Values help keep user health conscientious

- Not as environmentally friendly as a normal cart