The Makebox.
Overview
The Makebox is a student startup working on SnapBots. Modular cube shaped robots that snap together and teach young STEM students about basic programming in a reusable kit.
Categories
Robotics
Product Design
Date
Jun 2022
-
Ongoing
What I did at the Makebox
My time with The Make Box has been a whirlwind of innovation, late-night prototyping, and the kind of learning that only comes from being around talented people. I wanted to share a bit about this journey, from our early days designing summer camp robots with Kavya to becoming an award-winning startup.
When I first joined The Make Box, our main focus was on creating engaging summer camp experiences. As one of the robot engineers, I had the chance to contribute to the curriculum and even pop in as an occasional guest, but my main project during that first year was developing the "waving robot" for our 2022 summer camps.
I had to design a user-friendly, compact, and 3D-printable robot that would wave in response to an ultrasonic sensor. Designing such a robot wasn’t too difficult at first glance as I had designed more complex ones before, but when creating a design that was both functional and easy for kids to assemble things become a lot more tricky. The final version, loosely inspired by Eve from the movie Wall-E, came together within a tight two-week timeline. Beyond design, I also oversaw the manufacturing and quality control of the 3D printed parts for all 15 robot kits.
Of course, no project comes without its hurdles. Halfway through manufacturing, disaster struck – my 3D printer broke down! With our schedule already tight, buying a new one or waiting for repairs wasn't an option. This was a huge potential setback. In a scramble, I reached out to my network of robotics friends across the Bay Area who had 3D printers. Thankfully, they came to the rescue! We managed to outsource batches of parts, paying them for their printing time and coordinating pickups.
After a successful year of camps, Kavya, our founder, envisioned something bigger for The Make Box. We wanted to evolve into a company that created accessible robotics kits. An idea for a cube-based robotics kit started to form, and after validating its potential at Maker Faire, we decided to take the plunge.
We started by posting flyers around UC Davis, inviting students to join The Make Box team. The interest was encouraging, and with a newly formed team, we were accepted into the PLASMA Startup Accelerator. Each week of the accelerator program, the feeling of being a real company grew stronger. The engineering team, myself included, spent countless nights in Bainer Hall and the Engineering Student Design Center (ESDC), fueled by Panda Express and passion, manufacturing parts for our first proof-of-concept: Snapbots.
The culmination of the 6-month PLASMA program was Demo Day. True to the startup spirit, we showed up with a prototype we had literally finished the night before! My role had focused on prototyping the mechanical connections between the cubes and designing the enclosures for all five unique Snapbots modules. A key requirement was durability – these cubes needed to withstand being handled (and likely thrown around a classroom) by children without damaging the internal electronics. Our prototype wasn't the prettiest, but it powerfully conveyed our core idea and our belief in it. The judges agreed, and we were ecstatic to win 2nd place and $5,000!
While this initial win was validating, we knew it was just the beginning. The following academic year, our electronics-focused team members, mostly 4th-year students, decided to channel their senior design project into Snapbots. This was a game-changer, leading to all-new custom PCBs for our next iteration – one that felt less like a proof-of-concept and more like an initial product prototype.
With new electronics came new design challenges for me. I developed updated 3D printed housings for each sensor cube. I also collaborated closely with the electrical team to design the geometry for a novel magnetic connector system. Thanks to the prize money from PLASMA, one of our first investments was a new multi-material 3D printer for The Make Box! This exciting new capability allowed us to create more sophisticated and robust cube designs.
Eager to showcase our progress, we entered the UC Davis Big Bang! Startup Competition. The hard work paid off. We won two prestigious awards: "Best Education Startup" and the "Inventopia Residency Award," bringing in an additional $12,500 in funding! Our new iterations of Snapbots is set to be unveiled this summer.
The Makebox.
Overview
The Makebox is a student startup working on SnapBots. Modular cube shaped robots that snap together and teach young STEM students about basic programming in a reusable kit.
Categories
Robotics
Product Design
Date
Jun 2022
-
Ongoing
What I did at the Makebox
My time with The Make Box has been a whirlwind of innovation, late-night prototyping, and the kind of learning that only comes from being around talented people. I wanted to share a bit about this journey, from our early days designing summer camp robots with Kavya to becoming an award-winning startup.
When I first joined The Make Box, our main focus was on creating engaging summer camp experiences. As one of the robot engineers, I had the chance to contribute to the curriculum and even pop in as an occasional guest, but my main project during that first year was developing the "waving robot" for our 2022 summer camps.
I had to design a user-friendly, compact, and 3D-printable robot that would wave in response to an ultrasonic sensor. Designing such a robot wasn’t too difficult at first glance as I had designed more complex ones before, but when creating a design that was both functional and easy for kids to assemble things become a lot more tricky. The final version, loosely inspired by Eve from the movie Wall-E, came together within a tight two-week timeline. Beyond design, I also oversaw the manufacturing and quality control of the 3D printed parts for all 15 robot kits.
Of course, no project comes without its hurdles. Halfway through manufacturing, disaster struck – my 3D printer broke down! With our schedule already tight, buying a new one or waiting for repairs wasn't an option. This was a huge potential setback. In a scramble, I reached out to my network of robotics friends across the Bay Area who had 3D printers. Thankfully, they came to the rescue! We managed to outsource batches of parts, paying them for their printing time and coordinating pickups.
After a successful year of camps, Kavya, our founder, envisioned something bigger for The Make Box. We wanted to evolve into a company that created accessible robotics kits. An idea for a cube-based robotics kit started to form, and after validating its potential at Maker Faire, we decided to take the plunge.
We started by posting flyers around UC Davis, inviting students to join The Make Box team. The interest was encouraging, and with a newly formed team, we were accepted into the PLASMA Startup Accelerator. Each week of the accelerator program, the feeling of being a real company grew stronger. The engineering team, myself included, spent countless nights in Bainer Hall and the Engineering Student Design Center (ESDC), fueled by Panda Express and passion, manufacturing parts for our first proof-of-concept: Snapbots.
The culmination of the 6-month PLASMA program was Demo Day. True to the startup spirit, we showed up with a prototype we had literally finished the night before! My role had focused on prototyping the mechanical connections between the cubes and designing the enclosures for all five unique Snapbots modules. A key requirement was durability – these cubes needed to withstand being handled (and likely thrown around a classroom) by children without damaging the internal electronics. Our prototype wasn't the prettiest, but it powerfully conveyed our core idea and our belief in it. The judges agreed, and we were ecstatic to win 2nd place and $5,000!
While this initial win was validating, we knew it was just the beginning. The following academic year, our electronics-focused team members, mostly 4th-year students, decided to channel their senior design project into Snapbots. This was a game-changer, leading to all-new custom PCBs for our next iteration – one that felt less like a proof-of-concept and more like an initial product prototype.
With new electronics came new design challenges for me. I developed updated 3D printed housings for each sensor cube. I also collaborated closely with the electrical team to design the geometry for a novel magnetic connector system. Thanks to the prize money from PLASMA, one of our first investments was a new multi-material 3D printer for The Make Box! This exciting new capability allowed us to create more sophisticated and robust cube designs.
Eager to showcase our progress, we entered the UC Davis Big Bang! Startup Competition. The hard work paid off. We won two prestigious awards: "Best Education Startup" and the "Inventopia Residency Award," bringing in an additional $12,500 in funding! Our new iterations of Snapbots is set to be unveiled this summer.
The Makebox.
Overview
The Makebox is a student startup working on SnapBots. Modular cube shaped robots that snap together and teach young STEM students about basic programming in a reusable kit.
Categories
Robotics
Product Design
Date
Jun 2022
-
Ongoing
What I did at the Makebox
My time with The Make Box has been a whirlwind of innovation, late-night prototyping, and the kind of learning that only comes from being around talented people. I wanted to share a bit about this journey, from our early days designing summer camp robots with Kavya to becoming an award-winning startup.
When I first joined The Make Box, our main focus was on creating engaging summer camp experiences. As one of the robot engineers, I had the chance to contribute to the curriculum and even pop in as an occasional guest, but my main project during that first year was developing the "waving robot" for our 2022 summer camps.
I had to design a user-friendly, compact, and 3D-printable robot that would wave in response to an ultrasonic sensor. Designing such a robot wasn’t too difficult at first glance as I had designed more complex ones before, but when creating a design that was both functional and easy for kids to assemble things become a lot more tricky. The final version, loosely inspired by Eve from the movie Wall-E, came together within a tight two-week timeline. Beyond design, I also oversaw the manufacturing and quality control of the 3D printed parts for all 15 robot kits.
Of course, no project comes without its hurdles. Halfway through manufacturing, disaster struck – my 3D printer broke down! With our schedule already tight, buying a new one or waiting for repairs wasn't an option. This was a huge potential setback. In a scramble, I reached out to my network of robotics friends across the Bay Area who had 3D printers. Thankfully, they came to the rescue! We managed to outsource batches of parts, paying them for their printing time and coordinating pickups.
After a successful year of camps, Kavya, our founder, envisioned something bigger for The Make Box. We wanted to evolve into a company that created accessible robotics kits. An idea for a cube-based robotics kit started to form, and after validating its potential at Maker Faire, we decided to take the plunge.
We started by posting flyers around UC Davis, inviting students to join The Make Box team. The interest was encouraging, and with a newly formed team, we were accepted into the PLASMA Startup Accelerator. Each week of the accelerator program, the feeling of being a real company grew stronger. The engineering team, myself included, spent countless nights in Bainer Hall and the Engineering Student Design Center (ESDC), fueled by Panda Express and passion, manufacturing parts for our first proof-of-concept: Snapbots.
The culmination of the 6-month PLASMA program was Demo Day. True to the startup spirit, we showed up with a prototype we had literally finished the night before! My role had focused on prototyping the mechanical connections between the cubes and designing the enclosures for all five unique Snapbots modules. A key requirement was durability – these cubes needed to withstand being handled (and likely thrown around a classroom) by children without damaging the internal electronics. Our prototype wasn't the prettiest, but it powerfully conveyed our core idea and our belief in it. The judges agreed, and we were ecstatic to win 2nd place and $5,000!
While this initial win was validating, we knew it was just the beginning. The following academic year, our electronics-focused team members, mostly 4th-year students, decided to channel their senior design project into Snapbots. This was a game-changer, leading to all-new custom PCBs for our next iteration – one that felt less like a proof-of-concept and more like an initial product prototype.
With new electronics came new design challenges for me. I developed updated 3D printed housings for each sensor cube. I also collaborated closely with the electrical team to design the geometry for a novel magnetic connector system. Thanks to the prize money from PLASMA, one of our first investments was a new multi-material 3D printer for The Make Box! This exciting new capability allowed us to create more sophisticated and robust cube designs.
Eager to showcase our progress, we entered the UC Davis Big Bang! Startup Competition. The hard work paid off. We won two prestigious awards: "Best Education Startup" and the "Inventopia Residency Award," bringing in an additional $12,500 in funding! Our new iterations of Snapbots is set to be unveiled this summer.
