For a few weeks, I had this spontaneous obsession with DIY vending machines. I just had to have one. No reason why, I just had to. I started off simple, trying to just randomly create one without any instructions or videos. This is what I got.

It's not exactly what I had in mind, but it was a "candy" dispenser. The tab sticking out is supposed to be pulled, thus releasing the food into a bowl or cup. It kind of worked, except the seeds sometimes fell through with the tab closed.

Being adventurous and all, I made a second attempt, but changed the design using some online videos from this guy It worked pretty well overall, but the candy bars I put in sometimes got stuck. It works by pushing the button, which pushed the bar, into the opening and letting it fall through. There are rubber bands on the sides that put the button back in its original position.

Seeing that this Kleenex box vending machine did in fact work, I knew I had to make one that was not only sturdier, but also more accurate. I did not use rulers or measurements on the last two prototypes, so I decided that the last one should include them. I asked my Dad to help me with this task since he knows his way around the designing/building/planning field (and also to spend time with him!). After about three-to-four hours (total) working on the cardboard and paper clips I bought from the FedEx store, we reached a working vending machine!