Moving Automata Walking Buffoon

I always Like Automtata not only me all of us like automata. We all see by rotating a wheel to animate a scene, I plan with out rotate the wheel why dont move the wheel on the floor and it trigger the mechanism. We all see lot of toys working on this same principle. I made one with easily available item and kids like it very much, because i make a walking Buffoon, its a two wheel automata. Its very very simple to make. Its has lot of science also. Its very useful for kids in their STEM education to.

Materials

1) Single Ply Corrugated cardboard (Its from crackers gift box)

2) Rod (I got it from sparklers crackers after burn)

3) Weight for balance (I use Steel Ball)

4) Fevicol (Glue)

Tools

1) Scale

2) Craft Knife

3) Nose Plier

4) Compass from geometry box.

5) Hot Glue gun

6) Color sketch, Poster Color and water color.

all the items are very common items found in everey home.

1) In a Single Ply Corrugated cardboard draw four lines gap between lines is 25mm. Height of the line is 350mm.

2) Divide the 350 mm height in to 14 parts by put lines in every 25mm.

3) Lowest 1st part left and right sides for shoes. Leave the center portion for leg.

4) Next 6 parts for Legs and center is the knee.

5) Next 4 parts for Body.

6) Next 1 part for shoulder and Neck

7) Top 2 parts for face and hair.

8) Draw the hands as per the requirement. the hand bend must be the end of the third part from the shoulder.

1) Cut the corrugated cardboard as per design is a tedious process. Cut it very slowly, be careful with craft knife its very very sharp.

2) Leave the center block for leg to 10mm its for hold the buffoon straight.

3) Fold the leg joint, Knee joint and foot (shoe) joint zigzag as shown in the figure.

1) Cut 120mm dia circle 4 nos in the corrugated cardboard. While cut the circle use only the tip of the craft knife so that the circle come out neatly.

2) Cut 60mm X 60mm square 8pieces.

3) For one wheel 2 X 20mm circles and 4 X 60mm square, Put the square between the circles.

4) Glue it all together using fevicol. Keep all the center straight.

5) Like wise make another wheel.

1) Required Rod length for crank shaft is 26cm. Calculation is shown in the second image.

2) As per dimension bend the rod to make Crankshaft. Use hard rod so that it hold the weight and not bend.

1) Insert the wheels on the two sides of the shaft.

2) Bend the last 2cm on both sides opposite to the Crankshaft.

3) Paste a paper (hard paper Is tare paper from the corrugated board) with the rod band and the wheel so that the soft never rotate with out wheels.

1) Paste the legs on the crankshaft. Paste the lowest position on the shaft and allow it to move freely.

2) Now hold the center board and rotate the wheel it move the legs.

1) Make a square pipe of 1cm with height 30cm. use glue and make it the square.

2) Make a slot in the pipe above 25mm.

3) Fix the body with the shaft center using this square pipe. Keep the shaft in the slot of the pipe and paste the while back side of the Buffoon with the square pipe.

1) Now the Buffoon Fall down because over weight in the Top, The shaft if the center and above the shaft almost 1 foot Buffoon nad below only 25mm. So we want to compensate he weight even more weight than the top to make it stand.

2) Also only the gap is 35mm and also want to leave some gap for floor.

3) First I hot glue a single metal ball and found its still down.

4) Then no gap below so i paste another metal ball in the front of that ball. Now the weight pulls but due to weight on one side its not straight.

5) Add another ball on the back side of the center ball and now its stand.

6) Move it on the floor and found its walking.

7) All is completed successfully but want to add some flavor. Want to color it.

1) Buffoon must be colorfull then only kids like it.

2) Use any colors and make it look beautiful.

Not different poses by buffoon but different angle.

See how it balance in a 7th foot of the stairs.

Push it to move or make a Small ramp and put it one the top to move.

Actually its a nice STEM project. Kids ask lot of questions about how the legs move and why need weights like that. Its a nice parent and kid project with very cheap resource. You able to teach your kids about basic mechanism.

Any age peoples smile on seeing this project.

Lot more to enjoy...............Don't forgot to comment and encourage me friends.