Introduction: Mechanical Wings

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Are you fascinated by the concept of soaring through the sky like a bird? Even though our mechanical wings can't quite make your flying dreams come true yet, you can certainly look like a true aviator! With the power of engineering and creativity, you can take your cosplay to a whole new level that will leave everyone in awe. If any of this intrigue you, then read on and be ready to spread your wings and become the star of any convention or event!

Our mechanical wing was inspired by the Genshin Impact character Venti, and we made this project for our Principle of Engineering class with Ms. Berbawy at Berbawy Makers

Go check out my awesome partners Sey and Belle's instructable!


Shoutout to Ms. Berbawy for helping us throughout this project and allowing us to use her amazing maker space!

Special thanks to Axceleration for her instruction videothat allowed us to bring our vision to life and our mentor Harminder for her guidance throughout the decoration process!

Supplies

Supplies:

Wing frame:

Decorating (fabric feathers):

Tools:

Wing frame:

  • drill
  • drill press
  • screwdrivers
  • electric sander
  • soldering kit
  • sewing machine
  • pvc cutter
  • protective gloves

Decorating (fabric feathers):

  • iron
  • palette knife
  • hot glue
  • Caulking gun
  • sewing machine

Step 1: Planning

CAD model of the frame

Firstly, we mapped out our design by creating a CAD model using Fusion 360. The frame is the most important aspect of this project so planning ahead will ensure that all the materials are correct and help with the assembly process later on.

1) We located premade CAD files for each individual part and changed the measurements to reflect the real-life version

2) By using the assembly tool on fusion 360 we were able to assemble the separate parts and mapped out the relative location of different parts, serving as a reference for our final project.


Step 2: Cutting/ Molding PVC Pipe

1) We gathered and marked the PVC pipes into 3.5ft and 2.5ft sections (main wing structure). As well as, 5-inch connector pieces for the 3inch strap hinges and a little extra space for the part of the pipe that will rest in the PVC connector

2) By using a PVC cutter we were able to cut the pipes based on the markings

3) Before we shaped the pipes we located a reference image of how we wanted the final product to look like and marked where we would have to bend to achieve the ideal shape (marking can also ensure that both sides of the wings will come out identical)

4) We used a heat gun set at 1000-1100°F and concentrated the heat towards the marked area on the wing, rotating it like how you would roast a marshmallow to prevent burning the pipes (wear heat protective gloves throughout this whole process)

5) Once it is bent to the desired shape, by using a cold damp towel we were able to mold it into the desired shape

Step 3: Backplate

Planning

1) We traced out the estimated shape and size we wanted for the backplate and created a paper stencil.

  • Sintra board dimension: length: 16.5 inch / width: 14.5 inch
  • practiced on wood pieces first to learn how to use the electric saw

Cutting

1) By using the stencil we traced the shape we wanted onto the Sintra board, creating an offset line to get the feel of the board before we cut out the official shape

2) We clamped the Sintra board on all sides and attempted to cut the offset line. It turned out to be much easier to cut in comparison to the wooden pieces, after we felt confident with the electric saw we attempted the official cut line. Due to the practice cuts the board was significantly smaller than when we started which made the clamps unstable, in order to counter the shakiness we had to use scrap pieces of wood to maintain the levelness of the clamps. We got quite close to the official line but we were not satisfied with the roughness of the texture.

Sanding

1) In order to smooth the edges of the backplate we used an electric sander starting with the roughest attachment of the electric sander (P80 - the smaller the number the rougher the grain). By using this we sanded down the board to our exact cutline and the sharp corners that we were not able to curve with the electric saw. Similar to the cutting process we had to clamp down the backplate with scrap pieces of wood to secure it in place which we initially attempted to hold down by hand.

2) We then used a smoother attachment (P240 - the higher the number the smoother the grain) to smooth down the rough edges that still remained till we were satisfied with the shape and texture.

Shaping

1) Our original plan for shaping the backplate was to bake it but we were unable to find any available ovens so we attempted to mold it with a heat gun which we were semi-successful, we were able to bend the outer boarders but it doesn't fit the arch of a person's back.

  • heat gun temperature: 1100°F and heated the board in ~6inch sections until whole boarder was bended

2) In our second attempt we heated water to just below boiling point and put in the backplate which we held down with tongs. Initially, we tried letting the backplate boil for a while before attempting to mold it in hopes that it will remain moldable for a longer period of time. But we figured out that the amount of time we boiled the board has no impact on the period of time in which it remained moldable so we attempted to mold it as best as we could within 1-2 minutes

  • it is easier to mold the board when the person is in a more relaxed posture as it is unrealistic to assume the wearer of the wings will be posing for a long period of time


Step 4: Strap Hinge Attachment

Connector pieces

1) To start off we added PVC connectors to both of the shorter sides of the main frame (2.5ft) by using Loctite glue then attached the 5inch pieces to the short end of the wings which is where the strap hinges will rest and serve as the connector for the two main frame pieces (3.5ft and 2.5ft)

Planning

1) Based on our reference images we estimated where the strap hinge, mounting brackets, and linear actuator would go, and marked places that we needed to drill in order to attach everything.

Drilling

1) By using a drill press we were able to create holes in our previously marked location where we could attach the hinges. To start off we used a 6/8 bit which was a bit smaller than our screws so we went over it again with the 9/64 bit

  • We did not pay attention to the orientation the first time we hand-screwed the screws in so we accidentally created a separate hole on the side which made us restart the process with one person holding onto the screw to ensure that the orientation would be correct
  • after the hinges were attached we decided that it was too shaky and drilled another hole in the center of the strap hinge with a 11/64 bit which allowed us to increase the overall stability significantly.

Step 5: Mounting Block Attachment

Planning:

1) We referenced the placement of the strap hinges and marked where the mounting brackets would go. Learning from the strap hinges we drilled an extra hole into the brackets to ensure that it will be stable enough after we add on the extra weight of the linear actuator

Drilling:

1) When we attempted to dill the PVC pipes we realized that we had to take apart the hinges first since the entire wing frame was extremely difficult to work with

  • It was difficult to align the pipe in the vise of the drill press so with the help of our mentor we secured the drill with clamps in order to keep the vise in place and added foam boards underneath for better traction and finally tightened the nut on the back of the vice with sockets to better the overall movement. With these improvements, we drilled new holes on the back and had much better results!

Assembly:

1) We lined up the brackets and the holes that we drilled on the wing frame and hand screwed the parts in

Step 6: Linear Actuator Attachment

Assembly:

1) We aligned the actuator with the bracket and attached it

Testing:

1) After attaching the linear actuator we wanted to make sure that it was working properly so we tested it with a variable power supply. The blue cables on the actuator were positive whereas the red cable was negative which was the opposite of what we initially thought, after matching the right cable to the power supply it worked perfectly, once we switch the currents the actuator went back down to its original place.

Step 7: Remote Control

Planning:

1) After testing out the manual switches we decided that we wanted to upgrade them, our first idea was to use an Arduino with a wireless module to accomplish this, but after our research, we discovered that the IR sensor wouldn't be the best course of action because it needs a clear view to receive and send signals and our sensor will most likely be hidden behind feathers so with further research we decided on using a transmitter that is compatible with the Arduino

  • We ended up using a 433MH2 Transmitter/receiver and 2 Arduino (one for the transmitter and one for the receiver)
  • We also needed an hbridge to switch the polarity of our circuits which we achieved by using the L298N motor drive controller board module

Step 8: Attaching Wing Frame to Backplate

Planning:

1) Before we attach the wing frame to the backplate we lined everything to make sure we left enough space for the Arduino and battery pack in between. We also marked the PVC pipe so all the drills would be evenly spread out between each one to achieve maximum stability.

2) While we tested out placements we also realized it would be really hard to attach the PVC pipe so we decided to flatten the bottom part which allowed it to adhere to the backplate more

3) We also decided to spray paint the backboard black just for aesthetics :)

Assembly:

1) By using a 5/32 drill bit we created 3 holes that were 5inch apart and used a socket to attach m4x45 screws and washers to assemble everything

Improvement:

1) After we assembled everything we noticed that the screws we used for both the wing structure and the back plate stuck out too much which makes it hard to hold on to the wings without being poked by them, so we used an angle grinder to cut off the excess parts of the screw. There were a lot of sparks emitted from the angle grinder so we had to take safety precautions by wearing safety goggles and doing this away from everyone else.

2) The angle grinder did a great job cutting down the screws but the remaining parts were sharp so by using a dremel with a sanding bit we were able to smooth out the metal.

Attaching the battery pack

1) We attached the battery pack and wireless relay switch to the back plate using adhesive velcro

Step 9: Straps for Backplate

Planning:

1) We created a mock-up version of the straps with yarn so we could determine a good length

  • Our mentor suggested that we make the bottom straps into an L shape to increase the comfort and overall function of the straps which we included in our first version

Version 1:

1) Based on the yarn mark up we decided on 8.5 inches for the length of the straps excluding the loop part which is an estimate of 3-4 inches, we intentionally left it kind of loose due to how heavy the finished wings will be so when we wear it, it won't cut into our shoulders and armpit

  • stitch setting: cross stitch with a width of 1 and length of 1 to secure the beginning, switch to single stitch with a length of 5 and width of 3 for the middle, switch back to cross stitch, and reverse twice to secure

2) The straps ended up being too long so we folded and sew them shut together which worked but was not the best. After we tested it out we decided to add a hip strap and decided that we would make it adjustable.

Version 2:

1) We used the same measurement for the 2nd version since it was adjustable. But we ran into some issues with the fabric since it was too thick the sewing needle broke which resulted in us switching to a softer fabric and adding on the adjustable buckle.

Step 10: Fabric Feathers

Planning:

1) We started by cutting 5 by 30 inches of rectangles on both the white and purple fabric, based on our reference we would need 14 feathers on each side and each feather is 2 layers (white + purple) so we needed 48 pieces

  • ended up only needing 11 feathers on each side of the wing frame

Making process:

1) First we spread out the loctite glue equally by using a pallet knife to make sure that the glue was evenly spread on one of the pieces of purple fabric (which color fabric doesn't matter, we chose one to be consistent)

  • can't be too thin or there will be no definition, making the wings floppy

2) We positioned the 16 gauge wire down the center of the glue-covered fabric and layered the second fabric (white) making sure that they line up

  • Ironing out the fabric before gluing is key to making the overall process and results better
  • we also ran into an issue with not being able to get the glue out at first but we started using the caulking gun which made the process significantly easier

3) After the glue was dried we shaped and spray-painted the feathers

Attaching feathers to wing frame:

1) After laying out where the placement for each of the feathers is we drilled holes in the wing frame and added screws that were sandwiched between two washers which allowed us to wrap the end of the gauge wire securing the feathers

Sewing feathers together:

1) After the individual feathers are attached to the frame they will be attached to each other to make sure there will be no gaps when the wings are expanded

  • reference diagram to see how to sew it together

Step 11: Decorating

Covering the wing frame:

1) By using the leftover white fabric we cut out large rectangles that covered the wing frame and secured it by using zip ties

2) After it was secured we rounded the edges and made it look more like feathers to better integrate it with the rest of the feathers

Faux feathers:

1) We started with plain white feathers then spray painted the rest either an ombre of white to purple or completely purple which we glued onto the fabric feathers with hot glue

Step 12: Final Result

You can find a demo of our final project at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N59MlB2AH38

  • Opening and closing the wing (0:28 - 1:06)