RGB Googly Eyes

Preliminary Design

I began by sourcing two sets of RGB ring lights and testing them with loose wiring and an Arduino library. I then imported models of the ring lights into Fusion 360 and modeled a series of compartmentalized components to house the lights with openings for wire feeding. For the "googly" eye effect, I implemented a pendulum to allow the center pupil to swing freely.

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Fabrication

After 3D-Printing all the components, and using half a popsicle stick with an M3 bolt for the pendulum, I carefully epoxied all components together one-at-a-time as I fed all wiring through, soldering and shrink wrapping along the way.

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Reflection

This project was both fun to work on and fulfilling to give as a gift. On top of that, I now have a much better understanding of designing for assembly as this project contained many more module components. If I were to revisit this project, I would want to explore the use of elastics/springs for the "googly" pupil as there were some issues with the pendulum design. Additionally, I would try and improve access to the electronics so that future repairs/modification could be more easily achieved post-assembly.