>> ♪ We've got two days to get this straight ♪ We've got a challenge just won't wait ♪ Our eyes are on the prize ♪ An engineer just set the date ♪ We've got this client can't be late ♪ Oh, no it's go time ♪ Build it, test, fix it debug now and kick it ♪ Got to get it off the ground yeah ♪ Stick around and you'll see what teamwork's supposed to mean ♪ It's so key Design Squad ♪ Design Squad.

♪ >> All right, Design Squads, here's the deal.

Each week you're going to hear from a client who will present you with an engineering challenge.

Now, it's not a make-believe client and it's not a pretend challenge.

This is a real person with a real problem, and you're going to solve it.

Now, to solve the problems we split you into teams.

We've got the Green Team... And the Purple Team.

>> Yeah!

>> And we've give you each workspaces in the back.

You've got all the tools you need and all the materials you need out here in the shop.

Now, at the end of each build, the client will pick a winning team, and each member of the winning team will get 100 points.

Each member of the losing team gets zero.

And remember, the teams are shuffled up each week.

Now, at the end of Design Squad season three, the person with the most points collected over the season will win the college scholarship from the Intel Foundation.

>> Yeah, dude!

>> So with that said, are you ready to see today's client?

>> We're ready.

>> Yeah.

>> Let's roll it.

>> Welcome to the Nerf Father's Day Football Throwdown.

>> Hi, I'm Ben from Hasbro.

We make toys that make kids smile all around the world.

And one of those toys is Nerf and the Nerf football.

Nerf is one of the most popular balls for kids of all ages.

At Nerf, we're always looking to put a spin on an old classic.

Here's where you come in, Design Squads.

I want you to build me a flying football target that is remote controlled, and most importantly, indestructible, like a Nerf foam football.

These two designs will be judged by future football stars.

So good luck, Design Squads.

Don't blow it.

>> That's legit.

>> What do you guys think?

Are you guys ready to go?

>> Yeah!

>> Let's roll.

>> Start brainstorming.

>> All right!

>> Cool.

>> Sweet.

>> Look, there's a whiteboard.

What if we brainstorm ways to make things fly first?

>> You know what I was thinking?

>> Yeah, go for it.

>> A flying basket.

And just fly that around.

>> This isn't basketball.

>> I know.

>> I think if we're going to do that we'd rather do a goalpost, just because it's more footballish.

>> How about a goalpost that looks like this?

And then down here you have your base to make it easy to land on, right?

>> Uh-huh.

>> You can detach something up here with high enough strings or rope or something like this, and then you'd have your propellor that lifts it up and down.

>> That's pretty cool.

>> Cool.

>> That makes sense.

>> Use some parts made out of foam for a target.

Your idea is just one circle.

>> Yeah, just because I was thinking of kind of making, like, a helicopter, and putting the propellor... one propellor right here, right here, that controls vertical motion, up and down.

And then have another propellor, have, like, a little one here and here that controls forward and back.

>> Okay, so we have flying target.

>> ♪ Purple Team.

♪ How's it going?

>> Pretty good.

>> What do we have?

>> We came up with a flying target, and it's going to have a main propellor on top, and two to the sides to keep it stabile.

>> Let's pause for a second and zoom out.

I want you guys to consider ideas for everything, and that includes remote control.

What are other ways you can accomplish controlling something from a distance?

>> We can use pull strings.

>> Electricity.

>> Sure.

See, there's two more things.

So think about as many ways as possible that you can do that before you zero in on what you think is the best one.

Right?

>> All right, thank you.

>> All right, let's think materials, dimensions.

Why don't we just draw it out on a piece of foam?

Get the measurements, draw it out on a big piece of foam?

>> Okay.

>> The red, because you can draw on it.

For now, just draw the length, and then looking at the width.

>> Okay.

>> I think that's a pretty decent size.

I mean, I wouldn't want to go smaller.

>> Let's stick with the design.

Let's build a sketch model with this.

>> Yeah, I think we should definitely stick with this.

>> Yeah.

>> Why don't we cut this out and start making it 3D as a model?

>> Why don't we?

Why aren't we cutting right now?

>> Let's go.

There are scissors right over there.

I brought them over.

>> Okay, guys, I was thinking, instead of making one target that we control, how about we make a machine that throws multiple targests?

Or not multiple targets-- more than one target.

And the targets that it throws can be made out of foam.

>> We can even attach, like, parachutes to them or something, and have them float.

>> Yeah!

>> That's a good idea.

>> We should get a model of the target and see how it flies.

>> All right.

>> Okay.

You cut that and Wes and I will start on the parachute.

>> All right.

>> Duct tape!

>> All right, that was hard.

>> Look at that!

>> It's falling over.

Do you want to try and figure out how to stiffen it?

>> Yeah.

Yeah, we can do that.

>> Let's throw this on there.

>> I don't think you could hit it with a football strong enough to break it.

>> Well, hold on.

Let me get a football.

I missed.

I missed.

>> I almost died.

>> Just look.

Look at the one.

I mean, it's bendy.

Are there any other materials over there?

This foam's nice.

It's really bendy, and it's real lightweight, and it's really thick.

Check it out.

>> Yeah, yeah.

>> Cool.

>> Most definitely.

>> Cool.

>> Foam it is.

>> Yeah, dude.

>> All right, look at your ball of fire.

>> Did you paint it?

>> Yeah.

>> Nice.

>> Let's hook it up.

>> Yeah, this thing?

>> Yeah, our ball of fire.

>> Take it outside.

>> Okay.

Okay, come on.

Pretend we're little six-year-old kids.

Ready?

>> I thought that already.

Don't worry.

>> Good.

Throw it up.

>> Nice.

>> Good shot.

>> One, two, three.

Sorry.

>> The parachute wasn't unwrapping.

>> But do you guys want to stick to the idea of the parachute, we just have to improve it, or do you want to go in a totally different direction?

I think parachutes are interesting, and they're really good, but I think that wasn't going to work, so that's basically why I wanted to drop it.

It took me a little bit of pushing for them to drop it, but at the end it was good.

>> So back to the drawing board?

>> Let's do it.

>> Go.

Back to the drawing board.

>> All right, guys, we have everything for day one.

>> Yeah.

>> All right, we're happy with that thing?

>> Yeah.

>> Our flying goalpost?

>> Yeah, absolutely.

>> Okay, so what's up with today?

We've got to start building the launcher.

>> Yeah, all right, let's work on it.

>> All right, guys, I'll make the target.

>> So we have a fulcrum, and we can add a little cradle for the target at the end.

>> For the ring, right?

>> For the ring.

>> Okay, it looks like a hook.

Wow.

>> We should also have a pole right down the center so the lever will run into it.

>> Purple Team plans to use a lever to catapult their target.

This lever is a rod with a pivot point closer to one end than the other.

When the lever is pushed, the longer arm travels a further distance because it's farther from the pivot point.

And if the target is launched from the end of the longer arm, it will move faster, because the longer arm will travel farther in the same amount of time as the shorter arm.

So the lever pivots, sending the target in a circular path.

Then the arm hits a stop, the ring unhooks, and spins into the air.

>> Okay, before we do this, we have to draw it out.

>> Let's do a sketch model.

>> You guys, I think we should make it out of cardboard.

>> We should put this in here, and then put one...

It only generates... >> Do you guys know how much thrust this thing has?

>> Probably just a pound.

>> It has a pound.

Do you guys realize that that's going to weigh a lot more than a pound, and we only have one propellor lifting it up?

>> We can use both of them, one on each goalpost, one on each post going up.

>> What if they were, like, 45-degree angles, and then... >> I think we need to figure out how to reduce the weight.

>> Annelise is right.

If the propellors spin counterclockwise, they push air downward.

But Newton's Third Law of Motion states that for every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction.

So when air is pushed downward, the reaction force from that pushed air, or thrust, pushes up on the propellors and lifts the goalposts.

If the weight of the goalposts is greater than the thrust, the goalpost won't get off the ground.

So to launch their target, Green Team must lighten their load.

>> We need to build a covering that goes around it.

>> I mean, think of it the hand here, and have it cut.

>> I really don't think that's the point.

I think we should just, like, not even waste time protecting the props, because we're just showing it off.

>> No, safetly is always... should be your number one concern.

It shouldn't be, "Let's let them worry about the kids chopping off their fingers later."

I mean, it's kind of an issue.

>> If we can talk about safety, too, that's another selling point to our client.

Can't we just put, like, a plastic circle and then... >> Like, a whole plastic circle.

>> I could probably use some pink foam over there.

>> Foam.

>> No, we have to open this, because it's falling straight down, because this thing's pretty close.

>> We can bend this.

We can bend this out more.

>> We've got to see this.

Put the finger there.

You ready?

>> Let's do it.

>> This doesn't work, I'm telling you... >> I'm scared.

>> Oh, yeah.

>> Nice, nice.

>> Is it working?

>> It's working.

>> You want to see it?

>> Yeah.

>> I heard a rumor about functional hardware.

Let's see this.

>> Ready for this, Nate?

>> I'm so ready.

>> Yeah.

>> What's the sketch model telling you?

>> It looks like it'll work.

We opened up this hook a little bit, so when it runs into the bar it can fling off easy.

>> Yeah.

>> This is cool.

I'm excited about seeing the real thing launch some rings in the air.

>> I mean, we are cool.

>> I didn't say you were cool.

I said this was cool.

I'll think you're cool when you build some working hardware.

>> Oh.

>> Looks straight enough.

>> Hello.

It fits.

>> Hey, guys, what's the status?

You've got some motors, you've got some shrouds for propellors.

>> Putting the motors in, pop the propellors on, and we'll finish that and attach it, make a complete design.

>> Oh, that looks pretty cool.

>> You betcha.

>> Pretty...

I mean, this thing is stiff enough to stand up by itself, but I'm not sure if you could expect this structure to be able to stand up on this base with these arms and this much weight on top of each side.

>> Yeah.

>> So I don't know if in the process of using it you have a person lift it up off the ground, and then it takes off with them gently throwing it into the air.

>> All right.

>> Just one idea.

So you guys have probably about an hour and a half left today to get this thing flying.

>> Okay.

>> Can you do it?

>> Yeah.

>> Yeah.

>> I think you can.

>> We have to put the wires in before we can glue the blue on.

You need more duct tape?

>> Yeah, can I have a piece?

>> Why don't we plug in power and see if this thing goes?

>> This looks like a good spot.

>> Okay.

Go ahead.

>> This one's not spinning.

>> Could you slow it down for a sec?

Hang on, hang on.

Slow it down.

This blade was spinning this way.

That's clockwise, which is pushing air up and forcing it down.

So this isn't going to fly.

We have to get the motor to spin in the opposite direction.

>> Right again, Annelise.

To turn the props, current flows through a wire from the positive terminal of the battery through the controller to the motor and back again to the negative terminal of the battery.

To reverse the direction of the props, Green Team needs to swap the two wires and reverse the current flow through the motor.

But they need to be careful.

If they connect the wrong wires together, the current will take the path of least resistance and bypass the motor.

Then the circuit will short, or overload with electrical energy, and start a fire.

>> Is someone going to switch the wires to this?

>> Yeah.

I can do that.

We just have to get to them.

>> All right, let's go back in.

>> Okay, let's pick this thing up.

Want to go try it out?

>> Yeah, let's do it.

All right, guys, you ready to try this out?

>> Down!

>> Set, hike!

>> Oh!

>> Hike.

>> I'm going to try next.

>> Hike!

>> Oh, Ana!

>> Too much playing time.

>> We should design what's going to be stopping it.

>> Yeah, what's going to be stopping it, right.

>> All right, let's go.

>> Here.

Here, here.

This one's done.

So if we test this, this should probably work now.

>> Whoa!

All right.

>> So my...

I have no idea.

I have no idea what just happened.

>> It's melted.

>> Yeah, it melted.

>> That thing is done.

>> So it's possible that when you were lengthening these wires that Zach got them mixed up.

>> Do you want to come up with a backup plan and create a kite?

>> Because I don't think this one's working.

You shorted the wires.

We have to fix it.

>> I don't want to say anything, because I'll get in trouble.

>> Say it.

>> No.

If I say anything it's going to be off camera.

Because I don't want to start any confrontation now.

>> I say we do two things at once.

>> Zach, why don't you work on the kite, because that's your idea?

>> We'll go outside.

Just with one person, that's Annalese.

I'm just kind of trying to just bite my tongue and just trying to deal with it.

Even when she says something to me like, "You did this wrong," "Okay, Annelise, whatever you say."

I just can't even look at her, can't even talk to her.

No, I've got to concentrate on this.

Like, that's how bad it is.

She's just horrible.

I just...

I don't like her at all.

>> Look at this.

This is gorgeous.

You made these?

>> Yeah.

>> Very nice.

>> All Ana right there.

>> So I put the hook through the ring, and then how are you going to throw it?

>> Well, we're going to put the string that's here, it's going to go in the pulley, and then we'll get the remote control system going.

We can just make, like, a really, really long string.

>> So if the user's here and the device is there, the user would pull the string, and it's going to launch the target.

>> Yeah.

>> This looks pretty cool.

A little bit more time left today.

Have it under control?

>> Yeah.

>> Okay.

>> Thanks, Nate.

>> Thank you, Nate.

>> No problem, guys.

>> Let's do it.

>> I'm going to put it right there.

>> Nice.

>> This is made for kids.

I say we should wrap it around with foam.

>> Sounds good.

>> Got it?

>> Yeah, that's plugged in, too.

You ready?

>> Oh.

Oh, oh, oh, oh.

We have some destruction.

>> Ah!

>> So this wasn't strong enough.

We can just try to reinforce it right now.

>> You were holding it.

How did it feel?

Was there any upwards lift at all?

>> No.

>> Okay, if there's no upward lift, and those were working at almost maximum power, I think no matter what we're going to do, it's not going to be enough to create upward lift.

All right, Zach, we need to talk to you before we decide what we're doing next.

>> All right.

>> We have both the motors going.

And it didn't create much upward lift.

>> Well, then why would you even go with it, then?

>> What's your alternative?

>> I mean, we've got this.

>> This needs a tail to fly, it needs to be stiffer to fly.

>> Well, then, work on that.

I mean... >> We need to pick now.

>> I can't support changing right now.

We gave it 20 minutes, and we got both propellors to work.

And I think that's initially what we all agreed on, was that.

>> All right, we'll do that again, then.

We'll do that again.

>> I'll cut out weight.

>> I'm really proud of this.

>> It definitely looks really good.

>> I think we're going to make it.

>> All we need to do is tie a string through this, and we're good.

>> I love this.

Looks great.

>> Awesome.

>> Purple.

>> Purple Team.

Purple Team.

>> Okay, we've run out of time, so I guess what we're going to have to do is we're going to have to attach the motors right before the finale and test them there.

I really do think we can get this to fly.

>> Okay.

>> We're almost there, you guys.

Don't give up.

>> Let's go, guys.

>> Ready?

>> Let's go.

>> Let's head over there.

>> I think we've got a good chance at this, dude.

>> We defintely do.

>> Right here.

>> You guys have about 15 minutes or so to test, because I know you guys didn't get to get it off the ground, so do what you can in the 15 minutes, and then it's judging time.

Ready?

>> Yeah.

>> Yeah, we are.

>> Do it.

>> Let's go.

>> All right.

>> Oh.

>> I think that we're too top heavy, and that's why they're tilting over.

I think we'd better take the pink off.

I think that's the only way we can get it to fly.

>> Got it?

>> I hope this is strong enough.

>> All right, looks good.

>> Yeah, let's try this.

>> Ready, set, hike!

>> I think you broke the... >> Okay, we broke the string.

>> All right, better.

>> Putting in the first target.

>> All right.

>> Ready?

>> Yeah.

>> Yeah.

>> Yeah.

>> It's pretty windy out today, so I think it's not going to stay hovering by itself.

At least it looks really nice.

>> How are you doing?

>> Ana, nice to meet you.

>> All right, Design Squads.

I've got Ben here from Hasbro, adn he's ready to see your final builds.

Are you guys ready to show them to him?

>> Yeah!

>> Purple Team, you're up.

>> Do it.

>> This way, Ben.

All right, so what we have here is a target shooting system.

>> Cool.

>> So basically what we do is you hang this on the end, pull the string, it flips this lever up, and this lever is stopped by the string right here.

>> Yep.

>> And in turn it launches the target out.

>> Can we see one of these flip in the air and test it out?

>> Yeah.

You want to try it?

>> Sure.

>> All right.

>> Whenever you're ready.

>> Ready?

>> Oh!

>> Oh, nice.

>> Good work.

>> Now that I've had a chance, I'm going to bring in some other testers to really see how they feel.

>> Design Squads, meet the Arlington Spy Ponders Pop Warner football team.

>> Okay, guys, you ready to throw those Nerf footballs in?

Okay, let's go.

>> So, tell me what you liked about it.

>> It really requires you to get your accuracy just really, really straight, which would make you a great quarterback.

>> Would you like to play with it more?

>> Yeah!

>> All right, Green Team, let's go test your target indoors, away from the wind.

All right, ready?

>> And we're off.

>> All right.

>> All right, Green Team, this looks good.

It's flying, so I think it's time for the ultimate test, the Pop Warner team.

Back around here, guys.

>> All right, you guys ready?

>> Yeah.

>> All right.

>> Yeah!

All right.

>> All right, huddle up, guys.

>> I think it should go a little bit higher.

>> A little higher, okay.

>> And it should be a smaller target.

>> Okay.

That's good.

Could you guys see yourselves playing with a real toy like this?

>> Yeah.

>> Yeah?

All right.

I think we should huddle up and figure out who's going to win.

>> Sounds good.

>> All right, guys, we've got this.

Nice job.

>> We'll see.

>> What did you think of both teams?

>> I'll start with Green Team.

Yeah, Green Team was great.

I mean, the flying aspect of it was great, the fact that they hovered a goalpost.

It was challenging.

The Purple Team flying a disc in the air is a very cool tactical thing.

Kids like to have things move, and throw at things, and be able to change their challenge up a bit, make it easier, harder.

>> Look at that smile on his face.

I think he's happy.

>> That's for me right there.

>> He's happy.

>> We can go over and give them the news.

Let's go.

>> You guys like your little chitchat over there?

>> So, Ben has come to a decision.

>> Ben?

>> Yeah, both you guys had a lot of great qualities in both your designs, and you met all the criteria.

So, you know, it goes to the next level, and which one of those would make a better Nerf and Hasbro toy?

And the winner for the design that would really transcend and make it into the toy world is the Purple Team.

>> Yeah!

>> Yeah, guys.

>> Good going.

>> So to kick off the season, Ana, Wes, and Juan are tied in first place with 100 points.

>> Hey, Lindsey, there's so much more action on our Web site.

>> Yeah, behind-the-scenes stuff like our blogs.

>> Not to mention you can watch full episodes.

>> Play games and build cool projects.

>> Awesome.

Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org >> We are PBS.