The penguin model was assembled using the templates provided in the Karakuri book. I printed the templates out on cardstock paper and after cutting out all the parts I added thin carboard cut out from a cereal box and glued them to the cam and flat-face pieces to make them more rigid. For the vertical portion of the follower and the crank shaft I added small pieces of toothpicks in order to make them stronger and less likely to bend or bow while in motion. I also added toothpicks to the flat portion of the snail cam so that way they would be strong enough to move the follower without breaking. It was important to reinforce the cam and follower pieces because those are the parts that make up the “bare bones” of the mechanism, and would allow the mechanism to function as close to what is expected through a mathematical estimate. Given that this still was made up of paper, cardboard, and glue, there were definitely limitations in the model compared to how it would perform in a simulation, as errors in folding, gluing, or cutting cause uncertainty in measurements taken later on. The cardboard and toothpicks were included to try and minimize uncertainty and sources of mechanical failure.
I also added two unit circles to the model in order to take measurements of the arm position at certain input rotation angles. These were used to conduct a position analysis of the penguins arms and body at every 10 degree turn of the angle shaft.
Figure: Penguin Mechanism Parts After Being Cut-out
Reinforcing Parts with Toothpicks
Adding Unit Circles on the crank shaft and on the penguin wings.