What can be improved? What lessons were learned from this project?Skelebot achieved all of our primary design goals and presents the desired effect that we were looking for in the final product. The mechanism was challenging to build, design, and test but ultimately proved fulfilling and fun. The primary sources of trouble during the manufacturing can predominately be attributed to the prototyping process. Most of the components on Skelebot were only in their first or second versions, meaning that the designs, while potentially effective, were still very immature in the grander design process. These early models, while adequate for a once-off prototype, could be vastly improved in additional iterations and testing, thus providing further leeway for easier manufacturing and development. Additionally, due to the time constraints associated with the project, there were multiple instances where errors in design or manufacturing would prove too time-consuming to completely red (see the bearing size discrepancy in the manufacturing section)
One such example is the bearings on the fixed 0.375" shaft, which were listed as a smaller outer diameter on the original spec sheets from the Amazon supplier. This diameter was what the receptacle on the skull was designed for, and when the bearings were delivered were found to be a different size than what was already integrated and manufactured on the base of the skull. Reprinting the lower section of the skull with the amended size was an option, however it would've proven materically wasteful and too time consuming. As such, an adapter was rapidly designed and printed that fixed the size discrepancy for the prototype. Further iterations of the model would not call for such adapters, but with the presented time constraints, many such small fixes and adjustments in manufacturing were required.
In the future, were a better model desired, there would be a number of fixes integrated into the full Skelebot design. Aside from the aforementioned one-off fixes, there are a number of design adjustments that could be incorporated into the design to improve the effect, quality, and manufacturability. For one, the auger system could be redesigned such that the size and slope of the auger path better matches the dynamics of the candy that is desired to move. In the current design, the auger is able to move skittles but struggles to fully fight against gravity and as such requires the entire mechanism to be tilted. Additionally, the current jaw is effective and snappy, but could use improvements to refine the dynamics and better mimic human speech through quicker articulation. The base is rather rudimentary in it's current state, but allows for easy access to the major electrical components. In future versions where prototyping is not necessary, the base could be designed to be less bulky, fully enclosed, more visually appealing, and more stable with alternative manufacturing designs and methods. For general effect, additional lighting and sounds could add greatly to Skelebot's appeal and introduce new capability and customization.
