A novel approach in integrating product design into curriculum: Toy and entertainment animatron design

This paper presents a novel approach in integrating the product development process into curriculum by utilizing the complex toy and entertainment development areas. A cross-disciplinary course targeting engineering, technology, and art students was designed and offered to accomplish animatronic toy development and entertainment job-shop practices within educational settings. The curriculum was comprised of the following content in the following sequence: introduction to product design, project management and team-work basics, concept development, artistic and industrial design, material and manufacturing process selection, mechanism design and assembly, actuators, sensors, controls, and programming. Mini-lessons were complemented by laboratories sessions, leading to an open-ended design project. Analytical tools and visual means such as engineering graphics, videos/animations, or working models were employed to address different learning styles during the mini-lessons.