Interactive Modular Environment Toy

This project explores the design of a modular, interactive diorama toy built around a centralized mechanical and systems architecture. The goal was to determine whether a single core platform could reliably support multiple environmental effects, such as lighting, water, and motion, while remaining safe, intuitive, and mechanically robust in a toy context.

The design emphasizes mechanical simplicity and passive system behavior, using centralized actuation, shared effect distribution, and interchangeable scene components to enable user-driven reconfiguration without rewiring or internal access. Key innovations include a centrally driven rotational actuation system, a shared light–water routing network, and a mechanically actuated, attachment-driven routing mechanism that enforces mutually exclusive behaviors without sensors or complex control logic.

Developed through research, concept iteration, and CAD-based system integration, the project builds on lessons from an earlier working prototype to demonstrate coherent subsystem interaction at the architectural level..

A full technical report documenting the full system design and mechanisms is available below: