Die Jargd

Die Jargd, 2016. Chassis, suspension arms, motor mounts: polylactic acid; shell: acrylic; purchased parts: wheels, DC gearmotors, Lego shock absorbers, Arduino Uno R3, Adafruit Bluefruit LE, Adafruit Motor Shield v2, AA battery holders, rechargeable 5V battery, 13 in. x 12 ½ in. x 7 ½ in.

Die Jargd is a four-wheel drive remote-controlled car with differential steering and a fully independent suspension system. The electronics consist of an Arduino Uno and Bluetooth and motor control shields from Adafruit. The car has two separate power supplies; 8 AA batteries to power the motors, and a 5V rechargeable battery to power the Arduino. The chassis, motor mounts, and suspension arms were designed using CAD software and printed with a 3D printer. The upper shell is made from acrylic pieces that were cut with a laser cutter, heated and shaped over a wood form, then glued together. The build lasted seven weeks, starting with simple cardboard prototypes, and ending with the finished vehicle shown here. Our car is controlled by a cellphone app (provided by Adafruit) that uses Bluetooth to communicate.