Creaform’s Put Us to the Test 2010 Challenge – All 3 engineering services projects are completed!

Last August, we launched the Put Us to the Test 2010 challenge. The 3 most challenging entries shared more than $25,000 in 3D engineerng services. Here are the highlights:

Nothing is Impossible – The Walking Horse $20,000 grand prize winning project

The main goal of the “Walking Horse” ideaman Benjamin Julian was to build a mechanical horse that would faithfully reproduce the fluidity of the equine walk.  So, our mechanical engineers developed an acrylic and aluminium prototype able to walk on a straight line while keeping its balance, and also turn to the left and right. 
A living horse’s leg has 8 degrees of freedom (DOF), but our prototype’s leg will have only 4 DOF to control in order to decrease the complexity level of the robot. Moreover, another servomotor has been embedded in the structure to simulate the hip movement.
All the servomotors are controlled by a servo controller programmed using the LynxmotionVisual Sequencer software to define the angular position of each joint in time. Watch the prototype in motion!

Consider it Done! – $2,000 prizes

FP Innovations’s Aboriginal Totem Pole involved 3D scanning of an Aboriginal totem pole and post-treatment of the 3D file generated. Using the high accuracy data file obtained, the company carves reduced-scale totems using a 5-axis CNC machine.

Lastly, Globe Composite Solutions’ Hand-Made Diving Helmet project involved 3D scanning of the hand-made helmet, and reconstruction under CATIA to create a 3D file for manufacturing of an aluminum mould for ongoing production.

Read the complete press release!