MECHANISM DEVELOPMENT

We often do top secret mechanical engineering development work for clients that we can’t talk about. But, here’s a story we can share with you that helps illustrate our engineering expertise.

In 2006 and 2007, we built a series of gravity powered race cars to compete in the IDSA Ultimate Derby Car Challenges. Held as an annual national competition, the IDSA Derby is a no-holds-barred contest to see who can build the fastest gravity racer. The only rules are that the cars have to fit a designated size and maximum weight, and they must be powered only by gravity. The real point of the contest is to creatively interpret the rules without breaking them.

For the 2006 Derby, we knew relying solely on the initial ramp descent would not be enough to win. So, we decided to give our car a mechanical “kick” that increased its speed while still remaining gravity powered. On top of this idea, we decided making one fast car wasn’t enough. So we made two—each having a completely different mechanism that shot the car ahead of the competition. Out of 24 entries by the nation’s top industrial design groups, we had the top two fastest cars but each had a mechanical failure in the final round which placed them 2nd and 3rd.

For 2007, we refined the design of each car for better reliability and then added a third car with a new, more radical design. The result — We swept the competition, winning both 1st and 2nd places and setting a new speed record!