Mechanical

Animation and Rendering

In this task, I used Fusion 360 to bring a Lego Man figure to life, focusing on both its movement and final visual presentation. After modeling the individual parts—head, torso, arms, and legs—I assembled them and added joints to mimic realistic movements, like arm rotations and leg swings. Using Fusion 360's motion study tools, I set keyframes along a timeline to animate the figure in a way that felt natural, with proper joint constraints to avoid unrealistic motion.

Once the animation was in place, I applied materials to give the Lego Man its iconic look and set up lighting to make the scene pop. The final renders, both still images and a motion video, really brought the project together, showcasing the figure in action. This exercise gave me hands-on experience with Fusion 360’s animation and rendering tools, making the whole process feel more creative and interactive.

Here LEGO Man, Steve, is posing for a new DP pic in Italy!

Assembly

In this task, I focused on assembling a mechanical gripper in Fusion 360. The gripper was divided into several key components, such as the fingers, base plate, and mounting structures. Each part was modeled separately with attention to dimensions, ensuring the overall design would fit together accurately.

Using the Joint Tool in Fusion 360, I assembled the components to visually represent the mechanical gripper without focusing on functionality or movement. The task involved aligning the parts correctly and ensuring that the gripper appeared cohesive as a complete structure. While the design didn’t include any operational elements or moving parts, the visual assembly provided insight into how the gripper would look and be organized in a real-world scenario.

This exercise helped me understand the basic workflow of assembling a mechanical design in Fusion 360, focusing on the visual layout rather than creating functional mechanisms.

Generative Design

In this task, I delved into Fusion 360's Generative Design tool to create an optimized structural component tailored to specific performance requirements. I began by defining the key areas that needed to stay intact and those where material could be removed, along with specifying load conditions and material options.

Electronics

Short Circuit Protection Using DPDT Relay

Short circuit protection is essential in electrical circuits to prevent damage to components and ensure safety. One effective method to implement this protection is by using a Double Pole Double Throw (DPDT) relay. A DPDT relay can isolate both the live and neutral lines in case of a short circuit, helping in minimizing the risk of electrical hazards. The use of a DPDT relay in short circuit protection offers a simple, reliable, and cost-effective way to safeguard electrical circuits. Its ability to completely isolate the faulty circuit helps prevent damage to the load and enhances safety. This method is ideal for basic electronics, small-scale industrial applications, and household appliances. Link to TinkerCad

State flow Onramp

The Stateflow Onramp course teaches the essentials of using Stateflow to model state machines, event-driven systems, and decision logic in dynamic simulations. The course includes projects like controlling a robotic vacuum and car driving modes, which rely on mathematical formulas to manage transitions and conditions between states.

Example Project: Robotic Vacuum

In this project, a robotic vacuum is modeled with various states such as Cleaning, Returning to Dock, and Idle. Transitions between these states are triggered by sensor data (e.g., detecting dirt or battery level) and time-based logic.

• Cleaning Logic:
  • if dirt detected → Transition to Clean
  • if battery low → Transition to Dock