By: Mahla Aghapour, Kaitlin Uribe Pawlowski
Course: IAT 106 Spatial Thinking and Communicating

Description: "Playful Magpies," an Animated Beautiful Machine (ABM), captures the essence of nature’s playfulness through a mechanical interpretation of magpie birds. Inspired by the playful nature of magpies, this project brings to life two mechanical birds positioned opposite to each other, swinging back and forth through linkages. Their tails, animated by additional linkages, add a layer of dynamic motion, simulating the lively interactions seen in nature. At the heart of the ABM, an acorn rotates between the birds, driven by the rotation of a crankshaft, symbolizing the playful essence of these creatures. Additionally, a cloud, connected to a follower, moves up and down in sync with the cam’s rotation, further enriching the scene with movement.

Designed using a mix of sketching, CAD 3D modelling, and physical modelling, "Playful Magpies" exemplifies the iterative process of creation, embodying revision and refinement at each step.