Stephan von Muehlen / Ben Cohen

We will introduce the delightful possibilities of simple machines and fundamental mechanical concepts–such as levers, gears, and linkages–through examples from the history of kinetic sculpture, interactive art, and manufacturing. Look to Alexander Calder’s Circus and Theo Jansen’s Strandbeest as examples.

This class will teach the students the joy of making things that move, the pain of watching them fail, and the knowledge they will need to ensure that what they design won’t fail when it’s most important. Students will quickly engage these concepts with their own initial projects. We will share the challenges professional engineers and artists face when making something move and begin to identify and address those challenges.
Discussions will focus on best practices in designing mechanical systems, determining requirements, simple prototyping, specifying, resourcing and manufacturing components, and testing. The students will find examples of things that work, and things that have failed. Site visits to shops where things are made will put these concepts into a real­world context. Students will also be required to design and build a final project that meets a basic set of requirements (e.g. includes at least 2 “simple machines,” is resettable, works, and looks good).