Vacuumed Treasures!

David D'Achiardi-2.744 Concept Sketches

The vacuum is the central object in the game. The players must "vacuum" by rotating a lever and draw bills out of lockers on the walls of the room by connecting the hoses on the vacuum. This 1/3 size sketch model addressed the mechanism used to show the bills within the vacuum and reset the room after the team leaves.

The red lever on the left of the box was made by modifying and painting a roll commonly used for pinting walls. When it is turned, a fan within the box is powered. As the players connect the hoses (which are permanently attached to the sides of the vacuum) bills start appearing in the top, clear portion of the vacuum.

If the vacuum is succesfully connected to a safe that has money in it, the fan will push bills out of a hidden compartment. In this sketch model, the mechanism for pushing the bills out of the compartment is tested. The bills are initially placed between two metallic screens. As the connections to the lockers are made, the top screen slides, rolls up within the vacuum box. This allows the bills to travel throughout the top, clear portion of the vacuum. At the end of the game the fan shuts off, dropping the bills to the hidden compartment. The screen is rolled back and forth to ensure no bills remain in the clear container.

This model allowed us to identify some of the key technical considerations in designing the vacuum for the room. First and foremost, the fan must be apropriately sized to push significant amounts of air and lift the bills. Initially, we intended to lift fake paper bills, but these turned out too heavy, even for the large box fan. We had to resort to green tissue paper and a larger fan. The main impediment to airflow is the sealed clear container. In order to overcome this issue, air must be channeled through the box such that a proper airpath is developed for the bills to move within. In upsizing the fan, the internal air channel was closed, impeding bills to move about the box unless it was picked up midair, revealing an air intake and outlet. In furture iterations, we recommend larger outlet channels, and a larger fan.