Final project
Spiral development
Spiral development
In the student bootcamp Miriam Choi talked about spiral development and explained how the idea should be developed from a basic idea and then add details and further development one step at a time. This image from the slides explaines it visually. Rico Kanthatham created this image:
I will try to use spiral development when working on my final project.
The idea
I live in a small town in the east of Iceland, Neskaupstaður. The town is in a fjord called Norðfjörður. We are surrounded by tall mountains and the sea is so close. Sometimes whales, small and big, appear above the surface and I am so faccinated by the thought about everything that is hidden under the surface.
I find the Humpback whale very interesting. It is beautiful and playful animal. It is a large whale and i don't think it has visited our ford but it can be found all around Iceland. Fortunately, this is not an endangered species. It is common for the Humpback whale to travel all the way to the Caribbean ocean and back to Iceland. You can read about a research on it here.
Map of Humpback's traveling routes. Mackay, 2015.
What will the final project look like?
In Week 02 I developed the idea and here you can see what it could possibly look like:
As you can see, the idea is to 3D print a model of a whale and make it hover over a map. To be able to let it float in the air I wanted to use a levitation module that uses magnetic force to let a float hover in the air. Then I would design the model in a way that the float would stay inside the model. I would rasterize the map on to a plexiglass plate and maybe mould and cast a small replica of Iceland, where I live. Then I would use LED that would light up one by one to show the traveling route of the whale.
This project would be made for people who want to visualize, and in a certain way connect themselves to an animal or species. It should also be an reminder that we, the human kind, should respect and care for our nature and the living beings that share it with us. This could also be used by teachers in STEM education.
Levitation
As I mentioned in Week 01, I saw a levitation model used in the final project called Cloudio in Fab Academy by Wim Lance and it made me want to use levitation.
My instructor, Svavar Konráðsson sent me a link to this video. Here it is explained how the levitation module works, where it can be bought (Bambu Lab) and how to make 3D printed models levitate. it also has links to other information on using a levitation module with different types of 3D models. In the video it is also shown how a 3D module can be balanced with steel balls that Bambu Lab suggests using when it is difficult to balance models.
This video gave me important information because in the beginning I was worried that it might be hard to find the right balancing point. I bought the levitation module before Fab Academy began and tested it. When trying it out I found that when I didn't find the right balance everything collapsed. Since I want to 3D print a whale, which is very irregular in shape, I might have problems with balancing it right. Maybe it might be a good idea to make room for steel balls to be able to balance it if necessary.
Here you can see information about the levitation model and how it works. I bought my levitation model Here.
Tracking of whales
I contacted the Marine and freshwater research institute in Iceland and they were so kind to send me GPS information on the travels of Humpback whale and a Mink whale. I was surprised to see that the paths didn't show their travels further south, but I was told that the batteries run out. After the batteries run out the whales can be identified by taking photos of their tail and over 1000 individual Humpback whales have been identified, as you can read about here. I find that very interesting.
On this Tracking map for whales - website you can see the tracking routes map that the the Marine and freshwater research institute sent me. It is the North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commision, or NAMMCO, that does these researches on the Humpback whale. You can read more about them here.
When I looked at information on Mink whales, I started to think about changing from Humpback whale to Mink whale, because I like the too, but I have to make a decision soon. Updated: I have decided to go on with the Humpback whale.
Travels of Humpback whales, Marine and freshwater research institute, 2025.
Travels of a Mink whale, Marine and freshwater research institute, 2025.
Videos of mini model of final project
In week 05 I made a mini model of the whale, the box and the plexiglass map (in blue and matt clear).
Video of the mini whale model that was 3D printed
Here you can see the 3D model that I printed in Bambu Lab X1 Carbon. With the model I was trying to visualize what the final model should look like. If the whale is supposed to hover in the air with the help of magnetic force, the levitation module will be placed in a base and the float has to be placed inside the 3D model. The float is round and flat, so the bottom part of the ocean in the 3D model, should contain the float. I think I made the sea too tall because if the model is too tall it might be hard to balance it. In the final model I need to create space outside and around the float so that I can add steel balls or something alike in the right places to balance it. P.s. In the background you can see the fjord where I live; Norðfjörður. We often see whales appear, not the Humpback whale but other species.
Mini whale model that I 3D printed
Video of the mini model
This video shows a mini version of the base, the whale and the plexiglass map.
Mini model of the final project
Files for final project
File for tracking of whales
File for webpage with the tracking of whales
This webpage with information about the tracking of different species of whales comes from the North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commision.
File for mini 3D model of whale
File for mini 3D model of whale
This model was made in week 05. It was first sculpted out of clay and then scanned with the Kiri Engine app. Next it was resized and painted in Bambu Studio and finally 3D printed in Bambu Lab X1 Carbon.
This is a link to the .stl model on Sketchfab.
File very large
I downloaded the .3mf file from Bambu Studio after painting it and it was very large, or 10.2MB. I could neither upload the file to SketchFab nor my Repository. For that reason I uploaded it to my personal drive and here is a link to it. It is a read only file:
File for mini plexiglass map
File for mini plexiglass map
These mini plexiglass maps were made in week 07 (not as a part of the schedule). This small version of the final project helped visualizing how the final project could be done. I used a world map that I found on this site.
PDF file for mini plexiglass map with rounded corners_1
svg file for mini plexiglass map with rounded corners_1
File for mini 3D printed base
File for mini 3D model of base
I made this model in week 07. It was not a part of the schedule, but I wanted to see how it would turn out.
Box file 2
File for mini 3D model of base
This is a file of the first version of the base for final project.