The Mega Marble Maze

The Mega Marble Maze was a group project for Engineering Design Studio 1. The goal of the project was to design a toy to assist reach services a group that helps children with disabilities. Through a series of presentations and votes from classmates and the therapists of reach my project idea was chosen. The project idea that I presented was the Mega Marble Maze an accessible marble maze that would use magnets and design parameters to make the creative fun of the marble mazes to all children.
My group worked to create a system that was easily 3D printed with as little waste as possible while still retaining form and function. This was done by using prior knowledge of 3D printing design to create pieces that print with no supports. We also created design rules that meant each block was interchangeable.
To ensure that the blocks were as safe as possible we imbedded the magnets in the print during the printing process. We also tested many different balls for our marble so that they would be safe for children to play with while still moving at a good speed.
The largest learning experience during this project was working with a client and a team at the same time. While many of the projects I have done had a team and some had a client none had both. This was very difficult as it was a new process to me. information would come from many different places and ensuring that everyone's ideas and visions were represented was something that took time to learn how to do. By the end of the project I had learned this skill fairly well.
I am very proud of the final product of this project. It feels amazing to design something with a team the really shows everyone visions and can help others. In Studio 2 I am no longer on the Mega Marble Maze however I hear that the children at reach love the project.