Strawbees Catapult

At Leicester Hackspace we entered a challenge and competed with other members to see who could build a Strawbees catapult that could fire a golf ball sized airflow balls the furthest. We decided to go cheaper on our materials in order to save points. We started with 100 points and after having spent points on materials, we fired our ball and it went a reasonable distance. We ended up with 105 points and mange to became joint 3rd.

Step 1: Creating a Base

We created a base consisting of melted straws and a cross to give the structure a more stable feel to it. The base also had 2 strawbees parts to it which we used to melt the straws to. This gave it a stable structure which won't fall apart.

Step 2: The Support Arm

We made a support stump in the middle of the cross where we branched it off with another structure that held the elastic band. It was melted into the middle on top of the cross structure, this gave the arm support. The elastic band was held by this arm so we were relying on it. However this didn't last in our tests as it decided to break. Thankfully, the stump withstood the madness and continued to support us throughout our tests.

Step 3: The Catapult Mechanism

The mechanism was attached to the arm. It was created using a elastic band and some Strawbee parts so we could create a ball holder so it could be launched further. We used 2 elastic bands to give it more force and to make it fire a further distance. The plan went accordingly, it fired far enough and gave us successful results. We added the strawbees mechanism and attached it using stickers (budget reasons :D) so the ball would sit in and be launched easier than having it rest on a elastic band.

Step 4: The Results

The results went accordingly. We set it on a bench with a support on the and we fired it. It went a good distance and gave us the overall score of 105, so our catapult performed amazingly :)!