For this 5 week project I was given the task of designing, presenting, branding and producing a working prototype for a humane mouse trap. The final design was to be no larger than 120 x 120 x 120mm, with an effective mechanism for catching small rodents without killing or otherwise causing harm. The design needed to be reusable, hygienic and safe. All components were to be designed with consideration for mass production by injection moulding, yet simple enough to prototype using simple cutting, fabrication and vacuum forming processes.

 

My final design was very simple. Encased in a mouse-esque/ dog house shape casing is a small see-saw, pivoted at the centre using circular holes in the outer body. Embedded flush against the surface at the opening end are two small (yet powerful) neodymium magnets, attracted towards two much larger block magnets glued to the top of the outer casing.

 

The see-saw is delicately balanced in the 'open' position, because the small weight of the magnets is only just enough to prevent the magnetic force pulling the two components together. As a mouse enters, its own weight holds the see-saw firm against the ground. But as the mouse walks up the see-saw (tempted by bait placed at the other end of the trap), the balance is lost, bringing the magnets together. Once closed, the magnetic force is far too strong for the mouse to push back out, but easy enough for an adult to pull apart when the time comes to release it.

After developing 1:1 scale card board mock ups and experimenting with magnets of varying strength, the protoype was part fabriacted, part double- skin vacuum formed, from High Impact PolyStyrene (HIPS). Thankfully the final prototype worked incredibly well and the overall project complete with developing work, presentation boards was awarded a high 1st rate