The Sandcrawler

This small vehicle uses the potential energy stored within a mousetrap to move itself across a surface, which in this application is sand. Wheels and body were specifically designed adapted for traversing the sand effectively, whilst also taking good advantage of the energy from the mousetrap. Pratt School of Engineering contest factored weight and distance traveled to rank team's results against competing designs. The Sandcrawler ultimately traveled 43.75 inches with a weight of 0.712 pounds

The 3D printed body has two parts: a rectangular body with an indent in the back for the string to attach to the axle, and a wedge at a small angle to elevate the mouse trap and prevent interference between the pencils connecting the mousetrap to the spring and the front wheel. The wedge also provided an extra slot to be used for the addition of washers for more weight during testing.

Several mechanics were added to optimize performance and make iterative tests as efficient as possible. For instance, the mousetrap hammer was extended with two wooden pencils as rods to increase the number of rotations the axle can perform, corresponding to a longer potential distance traveled. Moreover, adjustability was desired to add changeability to the tightness and length of the string. This was achieved through zip ties that were easily slidable and removable for string manipulation.