The Time Machine Design Contest

On the Saturday night before the first day of fifth grade for Lily (daughter, 10 years old), she and I decided to have a contest. We would each design a time machine and a winner would be declared. Since dad was the only one around to judge, you can guess who won (he's partial to anything Lily designs, and to be fair, she's quite an artist). Below are our designs, done completely independently with no input from one another or anyone else. Feel free to voice your own favorite in the comments :)

Mom's (my) Design...Pretty self-explanatory.

Lily's design requires more description:

Paraphrasing Lily's verbal description: This time travel device is portable and is designed to be worn on the wrist. The map is a touch screen and used to select where you would like to go. There is a B.C./A.D. selector to go along with the year/month/day selector. There is also a "Change History Mode" with an on/off indicator, used when you would like to alter the past, or, as Lily put it: "If you want to go back in time and warn yourself about something, like, 'hey! don't do that!'" The back of the device offers a way to take others with you; finger pads allow up to two friends to go along. You will also notice the color selection she offers (located at the top of the page above the design), and, she points out, when not in use, the device is designed to be worn on a belt. Lily's is similar to mine that it has a "wormhole finder," but hers is located in the device much like a modern smart phone.

:) :) :) :) :)

Lily and I had quite a bit of fun designing and explaining our time machines, and I am pleased to share them with you. Perhaps, when we have a finished product, we will also share video of our time-traveling adventures!