After further designing our project, we identified several risks. A big concern is actuator reliability. The RC servos may stall, strip gears, or fail to deliver our desired accuracy under load. To mitigate this we will do early bench testing of the servos with the rack and pinion to see if they can deliver the desired results. Another concern is gantry misalignment.
A significant change we made to our design is scaling up our design from 16 x 16 pins to 32 x 32 pins. This change was necessary due to concerns of low resolution. Though you can see Abraham Lincoln with 16 x 16 pins (image below). We originally decide to only have 16 x 16 pins to comfortably afford 16 actuators, but with a more detailed bill of materials we concluded we could afford 32 actuators.
Part A:
The primary purpose of our solution is for entertainment that brings a familiar pin toy concept into a dynamic, automatic form. From a health and well-being standpoint, it offers a playful, low-stress form of interaction. Unlike more physically demanding entertainment technologies, the system is hands-free and does not require repetitive strain, making it safe and comfortable for users of all ages.
Safety is carefully addressed in both mechanical and electronic design. The pins are covered by an acrylic pane to prevent accidental pinching or injury. Furthermore the reset button acts moves the device into a safe state where pins are reset. Protective housing and controlled motion paths further reduce hazards, ensuring that the entertainment experience remains safe and reliable.
Part B:
Our product solution is designed to foster social connection and shared experiences through entertainment. By transforming the classic pin-art toy into an interactive, automated and affordable display, it creates a platform where groups of people can gather, observe, and engage with the visual output together. This collective interaction encourages conversation, collaboration, and bonding. The system therefore becomes more than just a device. It becomes a medium for social engagement.
Culturally and economically, the product is designed to be versatile and accessible. Its modular, scalable design allows it to be deployed in diverse settings, from well-funded institutions to smaller community organizations, ensuring broader access regardless of resources. By supporting creative expression across different cultural contexts, the system respects and enhances how communities organize around shared interests such as art, technology, or education. In this way, the device not only entertains but also reinforces social ties, offering a playful and inclusive means for people to connect across age groups, cultural backgrounds, and social organizations.
Part C:
A big focus of our project was creating a 2D to 3D display while being affordable. As any projects that were done before that had actuating pins were extremely expensive and thus making it out of reach for casual applications and environments, such as schools and homes. To accomplish our goal of a live pinScreen, we had to create a mechanism that would push each row of pins, which is mechanically more difficult, but in the long term it is cheaper and more accessible.
Additionally our design controls cost by using a shared actuator head instead of one motor per pin, so resolution scales mostly with low-cost passive parts rather than expensive motors, drivers, and power. Major cost drivers are the frame/linear hardware, a small set of servos, and the depth-camera/Pi. Operating costs are low , and the architecture lets us scale up affordably by adding pinScreen tiles without redesigning the actuation/control stack.
A was written by Crystal, B was written by Tedd and C was written by Safiya.
