The egg drop project involves building a contraption to safely lower an egg from a high point without cracking it. The goal is to use common household materials to create a vessel that cushions and protects the egg on impact. There are all kinds of clever and innovative ways to absorb shock, decrease velocity, or provide a soft landing for the egg.
From packing materials to parachutes to suspensions, many everyday items can become part of an egg protection system. Things like bubble wraps, cardboard, string, paper and foam pieces redirect force, create drag, or act as bumpers without breaking the egg.
The designs also make use of aerodynamics and physics principles like momentum transfer and elongation of springs to dissipate energy. Below is a list of different Egg Drop project Ideas.
Now I can list out and describe the specific project ideas as you had requested earlier.
- Padded box – Cushion the egg by placing it in a cardboard box filled with padding like crumpled newspaper, cotton balls, or foam. The padding helps absorb the impact when the box hits the ground.
- Parachute – Attach a small parachute made from a plastic bag or light fabric to the egg. As the egg falls, the parachute catches the air which slows down the descent and provides a soft landing.
- Streamers – Attach long streamers or ribbons to the egg. As the egg drops, the streamers will catch the air causing drag which slows the fall.
- Bungee egg – Make a harness to attach several rubber bands to the egg, creating a bungee cord. When the egg is dropped, the rubber bands stretch to absorb the force of impact.
- Egg sleeve – Place the egg in a plastic sleeve, straw or other tube slightly larger than the egg. The tube glides over the egg, protecting it when it lands while the tube takes the force of the fall.
- Tires – Stack a few used bicycle or car tire inner tubes on top of each other. Place the egg in the middle. The tires cushion the landing.
- Popcorn/packing peanuts – Fill a box with popcorn, packing peanuts or other foam pieces. Bury the egg in the middle. The light foam absorbs shock.
- Soccer ball container – Cut a round hole in a soccer ball slightly larger than the egg. Remove some stuffing and place the egg inside. The ball’s round shape can better handle impacts.
- Backpack suspenders – Make a pouch for the egg and use backpack suspenders to hang/suspend it. Allow the egg to swing as it falls, dispersing energy.
- Hot wheels car – Attach the egg to a toy car with good wheels/axles. At landing, the wheels spin rather than transmit all impact to the egg.
- Helicopter descent – Make paper helicopter blades and attach them to egg. The rotor spins as it falls, providing drag and a softer landing.
- Balloons – Blow up balloons and wrap them tightly around the egg in layers. The compressed air in balloons absorbs shock.
- Suspension cables – Tie strings to each end of the egg and suspend it like a bridge between two anchors. As the egg drops, the strings will stretch to slow down and cushion the egg before it hits the ground. The anchors could be books, boxes or poles to attach the strings to.
- Bubble wrap sleeve – Wrap the egg gently in bubble wrap and place it in a cardboard tube or pipe insulation sleeve. The bubble wrap protects the egg, while the sleeve glides over the bubble wrap on impact to prevent direct force on the egg.
- Tetherball spiral – Wrap a long string or rubber band into a spiral around a basketball. Attach the egg to spiral strings and dangle it inside the basketball. As the ball falls, the strings spin around dissipating energy. The ball bounces with the egg swaying inside, protected.
- Skateboard platform – Place egg on top of a mini skateboard deck. At either end attach springs or bands to posts. As the skateboard base hits the ground, the springs/bands stretch to reduce impact on the egg.
- Water bottle pontoons – Tape plastic water bottles on either side of the egg as pontoons. Fill lightly with water or sand. Attach a parachute too. The pontoons orient the egg upright when landing while their contents reduce impact.
- Pencil box slider – Place the egg in a pencil box or small plastic container. Tape the box to a ruler or a few pencils so it slides up and down. As it drops and hits the ground, the slider mechanism allows the box to glide over the rulers to cushion the landing.
- Party hat decelerator – Tape party hats or paper triangles upside down to create wings. Attach the wings to the egg so when it falls the hats catch air to slow descent. The hats crumple on impact, absorbing some shock.
- Umbrella glider – Tape an upside down umbrella to the egg. As the assembly drops, the umbrella catches the air allowing for a slow glide down, protecting the egg. You can tape some crushed foam or cardboard on the tips and handles for added cushion.
- Helicopter – Make paper helicopter blades and attach via paperclips and tape to the egg. As it spins downward, the rotor provides drag for a softer landing. Foam at the tip of the rotor and bottom of the egg can help too.
- Container ladder – Place some foam at the bottom of a cardboard box or plastic jar. Rest a stick ladder on the foam and wedge the egg securely between the rungs. As the container hits ground, the foam and ladder structure cushion and distribute impact.
- Corkscrew descending egg – Wrap thin foam around an egg. Next, cut corkscrew shaped grooves down the length of pool noodles. Fit the foam-wrapped egg snugly into the pool noodle corkscrew to cushion and spin the egg as it falls.
- Egg on springs – Place an egg in a small box filled at the bottom with springs stacked vertically. As opposing springs compress on impact, the egg stays protected in the middle while the springs absorb kinetic energy.
- Egg jar bumpers – Fill the bottom of a glass jar with marshmallows, then place the egg gently on top. Cap the jar tightly. The marshmallows provide cushioning upon impact while the jar retains the egg inside post-landing.
- Suspended box – Tape egg securely in a small box. Use rubber bands to suspend and slingshot the box from a ruler “catapult” aimed at a soft target like a pillow or foam. The bands provide g-force damping.
- Helicopter bar debut – Attach a paper cross-shaped “heli-bar” via tape on two sides of the egg. As the assembly spins downward, increased drag and surface area provide a cushioned landing.
- Egg shock absorber capsule – Make a small capsule out of cardboard and place the egg inside on a bed of cotton. Using rubber bands, suspend the capsule within a larger box filled halfway with loosely crumpled packing paper or foam pieces. As the outer box hits the ground, the suspended capsule shifts within, protecting the egg as the packing material absorbs impact.
- Egg on a raft – Blow up multiple balloons and tape them together to create a balloon raft. Place the egg securely in the middle. The raft should just barely hold the egg’s weight. As it falls, air resistance slows descent while the balloons cushion and distribute force on landing across the whole raft.
- Egg bumper roller – Place egg in a small tin box filled halfway with marbles or ball bearings. Tape box shut. The momentum of the rolling spherical objects buffers the egg on impact while also evening out force dispersion across the surface of the box.
- Egg-on-a-rope trick – Tie a long rope to a horizontal stick. Attach egg securely to the other end and toss rope over a tree branch, dangling egg in mid air. On dropping, the rope elongates, reducing g-forces during quick deceleration while the egg swings to bleed momentum.
