Once we knew the mechanism worked, we talked about making it look and feel more organic.  One observation we made with Prototype No. 2 was we only needed one side to make the mechanism work.  So we moved the supports into the middle and thought about a stegasaurus.  

Utilizing the Rhino software, we laid out our parts (5 planks, 5 trapezoids, and supports).  We used the laser cutter to cut our parts on cardboard.  At this point in the process, we felt going into Rhino would be beneficial because, if Prototype No. 3 was successful, then we could make modifications in Rhino then go to the acrylic cut.  

After we received the parts from the laser cutter, we assembled our new prototype.  The "spine" model worked!  Then we trimmed the tops off the final two trapezoids to create a tapering effect.  We then sketched, on the currently square prototype, a tail-like shape and cut it into the final version of Prototype No. 3 (see pictures).

What we learned from Prototype No. 3 was that it is a little too short, so Adam is working in Rhino to scale it up a bit.  And he's working on the taper of the tail as well.