Design Air Racer Cars Using Tinkercad
A student-designed maker racer ready for testing.Copyright 2018 Beth Podoll, RET Program, North Dakota State University
Students use the engineering design process to assemble an electric racer vehicle. After using Tinkercad to design blades for their racers, students print their designs using a MakerBot printer. Once the students finish assembly and install their vehicle’s air blades, they race their vehicles to see which design travels the furthest distance in the least amount of time. A discussion at the end of the activity allows students to reflect on what they learned and to evaluation the engineering design process as a group.
Throughout this project, students apply various engineering design concepts to design, build, and test a maker racer. Students begin their design by sketching out a plan for their maker racer car. They employ novel technologies in the form of 3D printers to build prototypes and components. Students also reflect on what worked well in the design, what did not, and brainstorm on how to iterate. Just as engineers use the engineering design process to invent and innovate, students have the opportunity to engineer their own unique maker racer while sparking their creativity and collaborating with their partner and groups.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Design and prototype an air car racer.
- Test the racer in a controlled environment.
- Use the 3D modeling software Tinkercad to create blades for their vehicle.
- Print 3D generated blades using a MakerBot printer.
- Apply the engineering design process to their project.