So my engineering notebook is MIA. Therefore, brainstorming was done on my engineering pad. You can see my ideas below.

Once I finally got down to building, I used some of my more complete ideas from the left page. I also used some of the ideas from the right page that didn’t make it into drawings on the left page.

Solution 1 is based on the fact that in the wild anteaters are often viciously attacked by ants as they feed. This solution would be a fake anthill made up of a tube. There will be a false bottom in the tube upon which lies food. Below that bottom will be a battery. Two wires will be connected to the battery and will run up the sides of the inside of the tube. When the anteater sticks its tongue in the tube, it will complete the circuit and experience a relatively small current to replicate the stinging effect of ants in the wild. You can get a good view of the overall structure from the Solution 1 prototype. To get a better idea of the wire/battery system, look at Component 1.

The tube in Solution 1 is made from construction paper that was taped together with duct tape and placed into a bottom of a foam block. Component 1 was made by stapling a foam block to a cardboard bottom. The “wires” are made of red and black pipe cleaners to represent positive and negative wires respectively. Not visible in this photograph is a yellow play-dough “battery.”

 

Solution 2 focused more on fostering interaction between the anteater and the enrichment device. As you may be able to see in the photo, Solution 2 is essentially a box with different buttons at the bottom. Depending on what button the anteater presses, an action may occur. Some possible actions can be seen in Components 2 and 3. Component 2 is a water dispenser. It is being used, in this case, to fill a water bowl. It could also be used by the animal to wash or play. Component 3 is a sound emitter. Pressing a button could either elicit a specific noise, with different buttons producing different noises. Other options include only one button causing sound to be emitted when pressed, but this button could be programmed so that different sounds are played when the button is pressed again. One last wrinkle that could go with this solution is the possibility of having buttons that previously caused some sort of stimulus to occasionally do nothing when pressed.

I made Solution 2 primarily out of cardboard. I cut five squares of relatively equal sides and duct taped them together. Two smaller slats of cardboard are also duct taped across the top in a + pattern. The buttons are made with pom-poms of various colors. Component 2 was made out of a foam block with a straw stapled to it. Play-dough was used to create the bowl and to represent the water flowing from the nozzle to the bowl. Component 3 was made from stapling a mesh to a foam block.

Solution 3–although it may be difficult to see from the photo–is a maze. The purpose of the device is for the anteater to use its tongue to guide the red ball (which could also be a treat) out of the maze. The mesh on top would keep the ball from falling out while still allowing the anteater to use its tongue to guide the ball.

Solution 3 was made by using Play-dough to construct the outline of a maze onto a square cardboard bottom. A red pom-pom was glued to the cardboard bottom and then a square mesh top was cut into a square and glued on top of the play-dough.

Solution 4 is designed to be ripped apart by the anteater’s powerful claws. The green mesh represents paper or cardboard. I used mesh to prototype because it allowed you to see the inside of the box. The sides of the box, but not the back, will be made of cardboard as well. The back will have clips for the cardboard walls. Inside the box will be a combination of wadded up paper (perhaps newspaper) and copies of Component 4. Component 4 will be small cardboard boxes that would either contain food or some other stimulus for the anteater.

Solution 4 was made by making a basic frame with some sort of connecting sticks whose name I do not know. The sides were made by duct taping construction paper onto the frame. I crumpled up white tissue paper and put it inside to simulate the filling. The green mesh was then taped over everything. Component 4 was made by cutting out 6 squares of cardboard and taping them together with duct tape.

Solution 5 is a device designed to make the feeding process in the zoo feel more natural. The four tubes would be filled with food and the anteater would interact with them in a way similar to how the anteater would feed in the wild. Component 5 is designed to give a better idea of the intended scale of the tubes in a final design.

Solution 5 was made by gluing popsicle sticks together in a 3 x 3 pattern three sticks high. I made two of these. I then cut construction paper in half and rolled them up before stuffing them into the holes between the popsicle stick frames. Additional popsicle sticks were then duct taped between the two popsicle stick frames to provide additional support. Component 5 was made by rolling up a piece of paper and taping it with duct tape.