In MEAM 248 lab, we were tasked with designing a lego vehicle capable of climbing either a slanted or vertical ladder. I decided to trend away from the ordinary and designed a grappling hook launcher that interfaced with my group's lego vehicle, so that the vehicle could launch the hook to the top of the ladder and then reel itself in. This allowed us to be certain that the vehicle could climb any angle as long as the grappling hook was aimed correctly.

 

I laser-cut an MDF tower and an acrylic hook with the ability to change the hook's launch angle as well as launch power. Rubber bands provided the energy necessary to launch the hook, and a string in a notch acted as a rudimentary trigger mechanism. The lego vehicle was able to trigger the grappling hook's launch and then reel itself up the ladder using a string attached to the tail end of the grappling hook. While this was simply a fun project, it showcased my ability to find the soluction by thinking outside of the box.