The idea
Inventory cardboard, cups, fasteners, and elastic bands, then search a constrained set of buildable mechanisms and assembly plans.
How it works
- Scan and measure the materials at hand with a ruler or known-size reference.
- Search a bounded set of tested mechanism families and explain their required parts.
- Build, test, and revise using explicit steps that fit the measured materials.
AI’s role: Recognize and measure available materials, then propose a plan inside tested mechanism families; the model cannot declare an untested construction functional.
First demonstration
Use a hand crank and a few measured pieces to move marbles into each of three cups. Build and test the mechanism from a household junk drawer.
What to solve next
How can a prototype plan account for material strength, join reliability, and imprecise hand-cut pieces?