Zoo Makeathon - 3rd Place
2026
Choosing the right idea.
Before opening CAD, I compared a few concepts against the Makeathon criteria, including execution, originality, purpose and remixability. I wanted to build something mechanically interesting that could still be adapted and developed further rather than just existing as a one-off model.
For me, it also had to be something in aerospace, which eventually led me to the idea of a three-blade foldable drone rotor.
Designing the mechanism.
I started with quick sketches to work out how the three blades could fold around the hub without interfering with each other. From there, I moved into Zoo Design Studio, which was completely new to me, and developed the rotor as a complete CAD assembly, including the hub, folding joints and mounting geometry. Part of the challenge was learning the software while building the design and figuring out how to use its workflow effectively.
The main focus remained getting the mechanism to actually work as an assembly rather than simply modeling something that looked pretty. The joints were designed around real fastening elements such as bolts, nuts and pins so that the rotor could realistically be assembled and the folding mechanism could function as intended.
First competition, first podium.
In the end, I was awarded 3rd place out of over 60 entries for a “detailed, functional and thoughtfully constructed” design. It was my first engineering competition of this kind, so finishing on the podium made for a pretty good result.
Toolkit
- Software
- Zoo Design Studio
- Engineering Methods
- Concept Sketching · Assembly Planning · Kinematic Testing
Media Gallery
