For my honors research in Integrated Product Design at the University of Technology Sydney, I designed an interactive log splitting device intended for children to use in daycare centers. The machine explores the child developmental theory of risky play through harnessing mechanical principles, cause and effect and mimicry.
‘Stop That!’ 'Watch out!’ 'Be Careful!’

These phrases are pervasive among modern parents. Increasingly, however, research shows children benefit from risky play, and over-protection can be counterproductive. Risky play is the combination of fear and exhilaration. It permits children to test their boundaries and flirt with uncertainty. Moreover, it offers valuable lessons for life, and for this reason fire pits and other higher risk experiences are being trialled in early child-hood centers around Australia.
Chop is an interactive log splitting device, designed for children, allowing them to contribute to the first step in the fire-making process.

Safety is paramount. The notion of danger is key.

Children work together to rotate a spring loaded axe into a log. The spring compresses, building anticipation and offering a visualization of the force involved. Eventually, the pressure reaches a critical point and as the log begins to split, the spring unloads, shooting into the log, providing an exhilarating reward for the children’s hard work.