We experimented with another possible mechanism where the egg would be dropped from a height.
[Insert Image of Ammar’s drop mechanism]
This mechanism did not work out for several reasons:
- Design Flaw in Claw Mechanism:
We overlooked the need to leave a gap for the prongs to slide past one another, and, as a result, the claw was unable to open as the pieces would be pressing against each other. To get around this, the highlighted portion of the claws will have to be removed to allow the claws to slide past each other without obstructing movement.
- Impossible to control egg when falling from a large distance:
As the egg is not perfectly symmetrical or aerodynamic, it has a tendency to tumble when falling from a large height. This tumbling makes it impossible to control the position of the egg when it lands, and as such, makes it impossible for us to guarantee that the egg would land cleanly on the beak like we envisioned.
- Insufficient drop height to mount egg on blade:
At shorter drop heights, where the final position of the egg can be controlled, the beaks were not sharp enough to crack the egg properly. Short of adding a launcher mechanism, it would not be possible to use such a mechanism to crack the egg.