The Badge Archive

Safety Design Build

Fulfills Steps 3, 4, and 5 of GSUSA Brownie Automotive Engineering badge requirements.

Items Needed

  • 1 vehicle body (small box, plastic container, or lightweight material)
  • 4 wheels (plastic lids, bottle caps, or foam circles)
  • 2 axles (wooden skewers, dowels, or plastic straws)
  • Thin cardboard or cardstock for extra vehicle features
  • Modeling clay, rubber bands, sponges, or hot glue to attach wheels
  • Duct tape, glue, markers, scissors
  • Safety Feature Materials:
    • (Optional Material) Bubble wrap, foam, or cotton for impact protection
    • (Optional Material) Reflective stickers or bright paper for visibility
    • (Optional Material) Roof or roll cage structure for stability
    • (Optional Material) Small parachute or braking system idea for controlled stopping

Instructions (Estimated Total Time: 45–50 minutes):

  1. Step 1: Identify the Problem & Plan the Safety Features (10 minutes)
    • Scouts brainstorm ways vehicles protect people, like seat belts, air bags, and reinforced structures.
    • Choose at least two safety features for their prototype (e.g., impact protection, visibility, stability).
    • Sketch a plan, marking where safety features will go.
  2. Step 2: Build the Vehicle Prototype (15 minutes)
    • Attach axles by taping straws across the bottom of the vehicle body.
    • Connect wheels by inserting skewers through straws and securing with clay or sponges.
    • Add chosen safety features using bubble wrap, foam, or structural reinforcements.
  3. Step 3: Test & Improve the Safety Features (15 minutes)
    • Scouts roll their vehicle on a flat surface to check movement.
    • Test safety features:
      • Drop a light object on the vehicle to see if impact protection works.
      • Shine a flashlight or test visibility to check how easy it is to spot the vehicle.
      • Apply slight pressure to test stability or reinforcement strength.
    • Record results and adjust features if needed, reinforcing weak points or improving protection.
    • Recording Methods
      • Checklist – Scouts mark whether their vehicle stayed upright, rolled straight, or handled obstacles well.
      • Sketches & Notes – Scouts draw what happened during testing and write observations (e.g., “The wheels fell off when rolling over rocks”).
      • Comparison Chart – Before vs. after testing results to see what improvements worked.
  4. Wrap-Up Discussion (5 minutes)
    • Scouts share their safety designs and test results. Discuss what worked best.
    • Talk about how real engineers design vehicles to keep people safe.
Tia Kennard