At the end of October, the students of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Technologies in cooperation with the students of Business Administration Faculty made a kinematic sculpture which has a non-standard visual format: its rotation creates an optical illusion. Sculpture is mechanically wound and is able to operate up to 45 minutes.
The project team acted as designers, process engineers and economists. During three months, students developed designs, made drawings, elaborated on the design of the model and made the sculpture with universal machine tools and CNC machines. According to the designers, the unusual format of the art object might be used for decorating the interiors of cafes, restaurants and shops.
The sculpture was made within the obligatory discipline ‘Project work’ which has been introduced into the curriculum of all faculties of the Flagship NSTU this year. The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Technologies launched the project "Design and manufacture of kinematic sculpture." Its goal is to give the students an opportunity to acquire professional knowledge and get hands-on experience to become successful engineers after graduation. The team members are nine fourth-year and third-year Bachelor program students.
As Vadim Skeeba, the project manager and Associate Professor, says: "We understand the difference between traditional way of getting a pass for a discipline and the pass, which depends on going through all stages of a production process and understanding the consequences of your design mistakes. For example, if you get incorrect parts because of the incorrect design, it might take more time to develop the product. The project allows students to gain the experience of taking responsibility for making decisions”.
The basis of the visual image of the sculpture was inspired by the work of the famous American designer and author of dynamic sculptures Derek Hugger. The students faced some problems in the process of creating the sculpture. The basic elements of the American analogue are made entirely of plywood, but the domestic plywood was not strong enough, so the design of the product required structural changes, and a number of the details ware made of metal and plastics.
NSTU students are ready to make kinetic sculptures of various forms, if potential customers express their interest in this project.