Fully Rendered Bead Bot Figure

The Solidworks CAD file was imported into Cinema 4D and a chrome material was mapped onto the model:

Final Solidworks CAD images

Here are some images of the first Bead Bot figure, "Bead Bot Dude" captured from Solidworks, the CAD program used to design this product.

Some Early Part Design Images

Here are some additional images of the connecting rod snap-in assembly.  Note the very small size - the connecting rods are 1mm in diameter which requires an assembly that is very tiny.

A Few Other Early Bead Bot Sketches

These were the different joint housing configurations that were possible - we settled on the spherical joint design...

Early Bead Bot Sketches

 Wow it's been a while since I last posted - I thought I'd post a bunch of sketches that were created during the design phase of this project.

We were trying to figure out the best solution for how Bead Bots would function...

Initial Design Using AI CS4

The project began on March 21st when I sat down and knocked out the preliminary design for the first Bead It Kit figure, who I now call Bead Bot Dude.

The connecting rods and joints were not designed to spec (i.e. a particular size) and I wasn't sure where some of the joints should be..

I thought the rods would be threaded and screw into the joints which later I realized would be a pain if you wanted to switch out some beads...

I knew that some of the joints would be omni-directional (for shoulders and legs) and others would be bi-directional (knees, fingers).

The first pass at the hands and feed was shall we say a bit duck-like?   :)

For the second version of Bead Bot Dude I decided to try and size the parts to spec.   I googled "bead hole size chart" and up came a document which showed the different types of beads and the hole size for each in millimeters.


I looked for two different sizes - one for the major "bones" of the figure and another for the  fingers and toes.

I then googled "gauge wire size converter" to find out what would be the best diameter for the large and small rods.

I came up with .8mm for the finger and toe rods and 1.3mm for the larger major bone rods as a starting point -

I also came up with better looking hands and feet by implementing better shapes.

You can already see how delicate the figure is and how small I want the joints to be -

The reasoning is that aesthetically it's important that the beads are the focal point and not the skeletal frame.

The next part of the story involves the hiring of an design and engineering firm which I've never done before.  It's a very interesting process and I started out by creating a free account on mfg.com.

It's a site where designers and inventors can post their projects and engineering firms pay a monthly fee to access the new jobs.   You can require them to sign a non-disclosure form before they can review your drawings and you can put your job out to bid globally or just a specific country (I decided on just the U.S.).

The ironic and cool thing is that one of the firms that contacted me is located in Palo Alto right down the road from where I live!  They're called Focus PDM and have been really great to work with.  Adam is my account rep and is a pro and the owner used to work at Leapfrog Design, a company that does a lot of toy design for Hasbro and Mattel.

I spoke to Adam on the phone and he mapped out the process which involves about five or six phases or steps.  The first one is to meet with the engineering team, 3 guys, for 15 minutes to discuss the product - we did this on March 25th...

Then they spend a couple hours on their own hashing out different design possibilities.  They sent me some sketches which I will upload in my next post -

Mark

Bead Bots Are Born!

I'm an entertainer, composer, web designer, animator and comedian from Palo Alto. A few years ago I was lucky enough to be involved with an amazing artist named Dana Coulston who created these bead dolls that were made out of wire, precious metals and stones, charms, fabric and beads.

They were one of a kind products made by hand and were truly works of art...

I always thought that many people would love to be able to make such a doll, but thought that a necessary feature would be that you could move the figure's limbs into different "poses", like standing, sitting down, or waving.

For several years I've been thinking about this idea, and a month ago decided to try and design, engineer and manufacture an actual product.

This blog will document my experience as I go thru the different phases of development. I'm already on phase three with a local engineering firm so in the next few posts I will bring you up to speed on what's happened so far.

Until then, take care, or better yet, "Bead It!"

M. O'Hara