Body Island or body outline

The mouse trap power design challenge

 


By Robert Kelly (2016) Creative development transforming education through design thinking innovation and invention

The mouse trap power design challenge is time intense and more concentrated.

The goal is for each group to create a design that uses a mouse trap as a source as a soul source of energy to break a balloon location at the opposite end of the room. Groups are given materials and preliminary rules to start a challenge. 

Each group is given a bag of raw materials that contain the following mouse trap, a wooden paint stick, 2 metal eyelets, a short wooden dowel that fits through the eyelets, a ping pong ball, some string, two CDs some duct tape, balloons and the plans to make a mousetrap powered car HERE.

The most trapped powered car plans we are may not provide the solution to the problem. The plans are merely a design starting point that each group has access for viability of potential design depending on how the rules of the design challenge are set up.

Each group is given preliminary rules for the challenge. For example groups most place the balloon on the floor on the opposite side of the room. 

Other possible rules include the following:

  1. The balloon is placed one meter off the floor of the opposite side of the room
  2. The mouse trap has to be on the opposite side of the room from the balloon
  3. The design sequence starts with the Trap Bean sprung that is the only physical contact allowed.
  4. Nothing can be attached to the balloon
  5. Nothing can be above the level of the balloon
  6. Whenever breaks the balloon has to somehow be attached to the mousetrap
  7. No projectiles allowed
  8. Balloons may be used as a source of energy to complement the power of the mousetrap
  9. Only materials provided maybe used in the challenge

Group members develop their own preliminary list of ideas in response to the balloon breaking challenge. They bring these ideas to the idea exchange forum to grow their lists of alternatives. Working groups are not created until after the exchange. Once working groups are formed they then go through the divergent convergence sequences of prototyping and refinement. Experiment with variations of this challenge. Use balloon power only. Allow use of two mouse traps per group. Allow other materials. Keep it fun. Have students track their prototyping journey to document their design path and better understand the collaborative process