Project SHOVE
Role:
Project Lead, Mechanical Lead
Organization:
Theme Park Engineering and Design
Dates of Involvement:
Fall 2023-Present
Relevant Skills:
- Solidworks CAD
- Mechanical Design
- Arduino Programming
- Electrical Design
- Character Design
Maintenance and Polish
As a long-term club asset, maintaining SHOVE’s reliability and appearance has been a major focus of the project. As project lead, I have spearheaded efforts to redesign and upgrade components to improve durability and serviceability. This has included replacing temporary and wooden components with more robust alternatives and re-engineering damaged elements, such as the wheel mounts, to simplify future repairs. Alongside these mechanical improvements, SHOVE has undergone extensive aesthetic refinement to ensure he remains an engaging and polished club mascot.
Gruebler's Count
The mechanical arm integrated into SHOVE was designed around a single degree of freedom. To achieve this, I used Grüebler’s Count to analyze the linkage and determine how the number of links and joints affected the arm’s mobility. Grüebler’s Count provides a systematic way to calculate the degrees of freedom of a mechanism, making it useful for designing linkages that can achieve coordinated motion with a limited number of inputs.
The arm was simplified from a mechanism with 24 degrees of freedom to a single degree of freedom, allowing one actuator to control the coordinated movement of the entire arm. This approach reduced the number of independently controlled components while maintaining the mechanical robustness and reliability required for repeated operation.
Overall Summary
As a project lead for Purdue’s Theme Park Engineering and Design Club, I am involved in Project SHOVE, an effort to recreate Disney’s iconic “Push the Talking Trashcan.” SHOVE serves as our club mascot, interacting with students across campus through a remote-controlled mobile platform, real-time audio transmission, and integrated mechanical features including an actuated door and robotic arm. Developing him requires a broad range of engineering skills, combining mechanical design with electrical systems for drive, audio, and remote control.
Feature Additions
Continued feature development has been central to expanding SHOVE’s interactivity and capabilities as a character. Recent additions include:
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Audio Monitoring: Allows the driver to hear conversations near SHOVE, enabling responsive interactions from a distant driver.
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Actuated Door: Adds dynamic movement while providing access to SHOVE’s interior.
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Robotic Arm: Enables SHOVE to pass small items to guests, including during special events such as Valentine’s Day.
These additions have helped give SHOVE greater personality and interactivity while expanding the ways he can engage with his audience.
Takeaway
Project SHOVE has been an incredibly valuable engineering experience, providing insight into the challenges of creating interactive, themed characters. Through the project, I have developed a stronger understanding of how mechanical and electrical systems work together to create a cohesive character experience. I have also gained experience maintaining and evolving a long-term project, developing solutions that improve SHOVE while ensuring he can continue to be maintained and expanded by future project members.