Hawkeye Science Fair – What Is a Rolamite?

Background

I admit it - I think I've always been a geek. I used to design space ships as a little kid. I remember watching the Mercury (yes, really), Gemini, and Apollo space launches on my parent's black & white TV. I clearly remember the first episode of Star Trek which aired on September 8, 1966.

Since I was in love with all things extra-terrestrial, it seemed perfectly normal - to me - that a 12 year old kid should read NASA Tech briefs.

So when I decided to enter the science fair computation, I thought I should browse back issues of Tech briefs for ideas. That's when I saw the Tech brief on the rolamite.

Problem

This was my first science fair, and even then I guess I was more of an engineer type than scientist. To me the thrill was in discovering the technology, learning how it worked, and then explaining it to others. I wasn't developing anything, or experimenting; I was helping people understand technology and how it could be put it to work.

Solution

I built several models of rolamites, even ordered some pre-made tension bands from a company. By changing the material of the band, creating shaped cut-outs in the band, or even using bi-metalic material for the band - you could change the behavior of the rolling action.

Tools & Resources

n/a

Discussion

I created the display board you see in the photo above, then explained how it worked as my visitors played with the models I'd built. Looking back on it today, my approach at the time was definitely a "Tell-Show-Try" methodology.

I must have done OK because I won honorable mention. For a state-wide competition, I thought that was pretty good. Interesting point though. The guy who won first place that year got a big article in the Des Moines Register & Tribune newspaper. He built a voice activated typewriter. In 1969 the kid was working on voice recognition. I wonder where he is now?

I think there was 250 or so exhibitors at the science fair, which was held at Veteran's Auditorium in Des Moines. From those 250, about 15 of us got selected to take our exhibits to the Iowa State Fair.

You had the option of either 1) setting up your display and not spending the week with it, or 2) be there with your exhibit during the fair. I chose to be there. But it did seem like I must have explained hundreds of times what a rolamite was and what you could do with it. I had my pitch down so well that I literally woke up one night giving it in my sleep! To me it was fun helping people understand something that at first seemed to make no sense at all.

The following year I started working on an experiment with my pet hamster (Hammy) and understanding how biological clocks worked. Unfortunately, I didn't have the success I did with the rolamite project in '69.