Stackable Maze With Nesting Feet For Small Animal Enrichment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Small animal habitats lack customizable and decorative accessories that allow for varied exploration and exercise opportunities beyond their confines, limiting enrichment for pets like hamsters, gerbils, and mice.
Innovation Solution
A stackable maze system with modular components, including a base with slots, notched dividers, and L-shaped feet that nest for easy assembly and reconfiguration, allowing for multiple levels and customizable pathways within or attached to small animal habitats.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If accessories are placed within the habitat bounds, then the habitat structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the customization and decorative potential is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The maze is divided into multiple detachable modules (base unit, additional levels, dividers) that can be independently manufactured and then assembled in various configurations. This segmentation allows for simplified individual component manufacturing while enabling complex customized assemblies through combinatorial design of the modular units.
Solution Approach 2:
The maze extends vertically by stacking multiple levels one on top of another, transitioning from a two-dimensional floor plan to a three-dimensional structure. This dimensional expansion allows for increased customization and decorative potential without complicating the manufacturing of individual level components.
2Adaptability or versatility
If accessories are coupled to interior base or wall portions, then the accessories are stable and reliable, but the small animal remains confined within the habitat bounds
Solution Approach 1:
Additional maze levels are stacked vertically on top of the base unit, with each level nesting onto the one below it through complementary geometric features (square openings aligning with vertical posts). This nesting arrangement expands the animal's exploration space outward and upward while maintaining structural stability through the interlocking geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The base unit is designed with pre-formed square openings and vertical posts at specific locations before assembly, creating predetermined connection points that guide the stacking process. This preliminary configuration ensures that when additional levels are added, they automatically align and connect reliably without requiring complex adjustment or modification during assembly.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple levels are added to the maze, then the exploration opportunities increase, but the assembly and cleaning access becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The multi-level maze is segmented into detachable modules that can be easily assembled by stacking and disassembled by unstacking. This segmentation maintains ease of operation despite multiple levels because each connection point uses simple geometric interlocking rather than complex fastening mechanisms, allowing quick assembly and cleaning access.
4Adaptability or versatility
If dividers are added to create customizable pathways, then the maze complexity and engagement increase, but the number of components and assembly steps increase
Solution Approach 1:
The dividers are designed as universal components that can be inserted into slots on any maze level and positioned at multiple locations along the perimeter. This multi-functionality allows a single divider type to create various pathway configurations across different levels, reducing the need for multiple specialized divider types and thereby reducing overall component variety while maintaining high pathway customization capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A maze for a small animal habitat is provided. The maze includes a base having a floor and a plurality of sidewalls. The floor includes a plurality of slots therein. In another aspect, a plurality of dividers have a notched area on a bottom portion that are configured to be inserted into the slots. The bottom surface of the floor includes one or more feet positioned at the corner of adjoining sidewalls. Each of said feet are configured to be received in a nesting relationship into an upper portion of a lower maze at the corner of two adjoining sidewalls such that an outer face of each leg is coincident with an inner surface of each adjoining sidewall.