How do you get a mouse trap car to go forward and then backward?

[dxmichelle]

I need to build a mouse-trap car that goes forward 3 meters and goes backwards 3 meters by Monday... is that even possible? Pls, help me with ideas...

 

[enigma]

By Monday? You'd better get cracking.

Best guess is use 2 mousetraps... Fire them off one at a time.

 

[Tom McCurdy]

Why not have one wind a rubber band or something... you will have to adjust the tension but have it wind up then it should be able to get back..

 

[Tom McCurdy]

my suggestion is to find a mousetrap car online and mondifty it with the wind up sequence

here is a site claming to have links to good directions on straight foward car
http://www.hypography.com/topics/mousetrapcar.cfm

 

[Tom McCurdy]

here is some students who created a mousetrap car that went forward and backward with 2 traps like enigma said
http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/ejl/?M=D

 

[Tom McCurdy]

Another two trap foward/backward design
http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/alauer/MecheDesign/mouse2.html

 

[NoTime]

Tie the car to a string suspended from the ceiling?

 

[pack_rat2]

Fix the mouse-trap FIRMLY to a little car. Fix the trap in a position such that when the wire thing comes to a stop, the momentum of anything attached to it will be in the direction the car will travel. Attach a weight to the end of that wire part. Put a spring on the front of the car. Put a firm support behind the car, so it can't jump backwards. Place a hard surface in front of the car, 3 meters away...