Manufacturing and Assembly - AS

As mentioned in the Design Process section, I opted to use LEGOs as they were the only resource available to me. After settling upon the dimensions of my mechanism through some trial and error, I created a "mount" that would hold the mechanism and prevent it from hitting the ground. I attached a gear to one of the links to be able to turn it by-hand until I motorized the system. An image of this setup can be found below.

At this point, I realized that mount needed to be sturdier at the top and the foundation needed to be extended to better distribute the forces along the ground. I began by extending the top of the mount and attaching a beam between the extended sides to reduce motion in the direction perpendicular to the mechanism's rotation. I then extended the base of the mount and added pieces that would better stabilize it. 

My next goal was to motorize the system. I hooked up a simple LEGO motor to one of the links and powered it via a LEGO Power Brick. Unfortunately, I did not have the necessary pieces to gear the motor down and was forced to tape my mount to the floor to prevent it from slipping. The motor rotates at about 380 RPM. This finalized setup can be seen below.

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