“We were developing these really tiny 0.3 mm gears in both the suspension and drive gear boxes to save space and with our internal 3D printers it just wasn’t going well.” A look at the gears inside Ultimate Lightning McQueenĪt this point, the team turned to Fictiv to expand their prototyping capabilities. “We were having non-stop issues with gear teeth breaking and not coming in smooth,” said Webster. So prototyping these subsystems received many man-months of attention. Smooth, emotive suspension and high performance driving characteristics were considered two of the highest priority subsystems for bringing this product to life to give the robot smooth motion that could truly recreate the animator’s intent was absolutely critical.
“We were looking for a partner that could help us expand our material choices, and that’s where Fictiv stepped in.” Partnering with Fictiv to Expand Prototyping CapabilitiesĪs part of these initial subsystem prototypes, the Sphero team faced a challenge with the very small, complex gear teeth - part of Lightning McQueen’s driving and suspension gear boxes. “It was too complex to go from zero to a complete product, so each subsystem had its own prototyping effort.”įor the initial prototypes, the team started with FDM 3D printing to build a chassis to mount breadboards onto and attach a variety of sensors and microprocessors to control and steer the wheels.
“Subsystem prototypes are really important,” said Doug Webster, Senior Mechanical Engineer at Sphero. To build toward a proof-of-concept for Lightning McQueen, the Sphero team approached the prototyping process as a series of subsystems. Managing Complexity with Subsystem Prototypes Components inside Ultimate Lightning McQueen, from the Fictiv teardownįictiv and Sphero have partnered together on several projects-most recently, Sphero chose Fictiv’s Polyjet 3D Printing Service to expand their prototyping capabilities and develop Lightning McQueen’s small, complex gears. After winning hearts with the lovable BB-8, Sphero partnered with Disney to release a range of dynamic new toys including their app-enabled R2-D2 and BB-9E droids and the Ultimate Lightning McQueen race car. Since the launch of their BB-8 droid, Sphero has built a reputation as a company that delivers some of the most detailed, life-like robotic toys on the market.
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