Start by choosing a toy and document how it works in your blog. Make sure you document well how it moves and which parts are involved in this movement. For this, try to decipher the mechanism of the toy and draw sketches to explain.

Take apart the toy completely, investigate its various parts, how it was built (was it sustainable), how components are connected together, and what each one does. Label and document all the parts and explain how the mechanism really works and what is the purpose of each part.

Finally, suggest at least 3 design improvements and write a reflection about your experience and what you learned.

In terms of sustainability it can be considered good because it does not use glue, it contains locks so that it stays secure, and screws that we could take apart. If we used a screwdriver then it can open up. It doesn’t use materials that makes it unable to be recycled, it is only made of plastic and metal.

Design improvements:

• need to push the body down/ wiggle the leg for the toy to activate (move continuously)- maybe move the winder to the side and move both legs instead of relying on one feet
• add wheels so that it moves smoothly
• the winder grip is small and short, makes it hard to grasp (make it bigger)

Our experience was like a roller coaster ride. Every act of dissembling the toy makes us more curious about what is inside. At first we didn’t know how far we could take apart the pieces, in the end we went all the way through opening up 3 sections, exposing the most naked part of the mechanism. At times we thought we couldn’t open it up but after using the screwdrivers we pushed it open. After testing out the gears inside, we thought it was really interesting how every piece worked together and one piece pushed another (how the gears pushed in opposite directions) and finally moved the leg.