Santa Claus arrives, accompanied by his elves, on his sleigh pulled by reindeer
Traditionally, Santa’s Sleigh has been depicted as a country sleigh pulled by flying reindeer.
The design magazine Core 77, always has great information, pictures, articles and some crazy contests. The December 2012 issues is no exception. The subject for their regular feature – 1-Hour Design Contest was to redesign Santa’s Sleigh. And the winners were…
- Santa’s Sleigh design for the 21st century
Read about the winning entry and several others that were selected because they demonstrate some great ideas and provide a good explanation of the improvements that are suggested. Following the steps in the [/Engineering%20Design%20Process Engineering Design Process], these creative designers have introduced new features and technology to update Santa’s “ride.”
- Ask (What? Ask questions, understand the need, identify the problem)
It is time for an upgrade for Santa’s transportation. The problem is still the same – delivering presents all around the world on Christmas.
Q: Are there new requirements that need to be considered?
- Imagine (So what? Imagine, brainstorm, explore)
There are lots of ways to make improvements. Propulsion, form factor, materials, fuel for example.
Q: Is the sky the limit?
- Plan (Now what? Plan, design)
Each of the designers provided sketches. These are very effective for communicating the proposed designs. Parts are labeled as necessary for further clarification.
Q: How was the design challenge affected by the one hour limit on the design time?
- Create (Do it. Create, try it out)
This was a design contest, so no one actually built any of the designs.
Q: Could the winning designs be built?
- Improve (If this then what? Improve, make it better)
At any point in the Engineering Design Process, you can come up with ideas for improvements. However, some times you just have to take the best design and make it work. Part of the design process is deciding when it is perfect enough, so there will be enough time and resources to build and deliver the design.
Q: What was the most significant improvement suggested in any of the designs?
Engineering ideas
- rapid visualization (viz) techniques, silhouette technique
Show and Tell
Now it is your turn. Here are some challenges for you to work on…
- design and draw your ideas for a redesign of Santa’s Sleigh
Learn more…
- Core 77 – provides a gathering point for designers and enthusiasts alike by producing design competitions, lecture series, parties, and exhibits.
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