Southern Union Inc has been working on a project with MouseTrap Racing. We have been involved in the design of a mousetrap car, which should undergo full-scale production in 2011. This car is to have no complex gear mechanisms, and should be propelled by its built in mousetrap only. The design of this car should also allow it to travel a minimum distance of 1200mm in a single recharge, with a maximum speed reachable as well.
The lever arm of the mouse trap is attached to the drive shaft using a fishing line mechanism. The fishing line is wound round the drive shaft with the lever arm locked in position. As the lever arm is released, the fishing line unwinds in the direction opposing the tension in the string, rotating the drive shaft and moving the car. This is due to the principle of conservation of energy, whereby the potential energy stored in the spring is converted to kinetic energy as soon as the lever arm is released.
The design by the consultants in Southern Union Inc allows the car to be built easily under a small budget, as most of the materials are easily accessible. Also, the biodegradability of those materials ensure an efficient and environment friendly construction and disposal method.
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