In our previous oral report, we discussed the modification of the clutch/gear system to use clutch plates that engage laterally along the face of the gears instead of vertically. We have been woking to incorporate this design into our SolidWorks prototype and run a quantitative torque analysis.

In the meantime we have also begun brainstorming for our next prototype: the 3 gear system that adds a direct 1:1 drive. Our current plan is to use the same prototype as our 2 gear system but to add in a lever that moves the entire input hub closer to the output. This forces both the input hub and the output hub into connection via the ring gear and allows the sun and planetary gears to spin freely. The hub could then be moved back into the reverse drive position and the user will be able to shift between high and low gears as previously explained.