Robotics

Robotics Challenge 

Autonomous Challenge 01 - "Straight Line" race

• Create an autonomous vehicle with Lego Robotics parts (task) in order so that it will traverse a 3ft straight line course. This activity serves as an intro/familiarization to your Lego Robotics kits (purpose).
• Design, build, document and share your solution.

Autonomous Challenge 02 - "Bent" course race

• Modify your design so that it can navigate a course with a turn in it (see layout at the back of the room). This change is designed to make you implement a solution that requires some sort of sensor input.
• Design, build, document and share your solution.

Share your experience to this point on your online portfolio:

• The team of Corin, Connor, Quinn, and Lauren, designed and built a Lego robot which traversed multiple courses. The design was small and quite maneuverable enabling it to achieve the fastest time in both of the obstacle courses. 

• Challenge Review
• Course 1
• Our video demonstrates the robot in action on the first course. It preformed significantly well enabling us to hold the first place position for the entire challenge. No modifications except wire holders were required.

• Course 2
• We have no photos of the second course, however, our robot preformed exceedingly well and attempted the bonus section containing a triple curve track. While most went for the longer two turns, we did quite well in the triple shorter track. 

Bridge Design Challenge

Our team consisted of Connor, Quinn, Lauren, and Me. The bridge building design took many revisions. We started out building two main pieces and connecting them with angled supports. We then copied that design and built supports between the two sides. The first design held around 400 batteries before it broke. Then we revamped it adding more supports, at about the weight of two batteries it held around 1200!!! That showed a 1:600 ratio while following the constraints. Unfortunately we are missing the one person who has pictures, however we do have pictures of cats.(and a sketch i guess)

Free Body Diagrams

We created force diagrams of different pictures. Some of the forces were applied force, tension force, force of gravity, and normal force.

CENTROIDS

Beam Deflection Lab

Marks attempt

My team members were Connor, Lauren, Conner, Quinn, and Mark. Using a 2x4, a few phone books and magazines, and a measuring tape we would use beam deflection to try to calculate the weight of a group member.

Conner L's attempt

I was amazed at how accurate it was.

We finished part II of the centroids packet today with our table groups. Connor, Lauren, Conner, Quinn, and Mark were in my group.

The first part was to make a complex shape out of a manila folder or some foam board

Sadly part of our shape was cut out of the picture

Then using a thumb tack, sheet of foam board and plumb bob made out of string and a roll of tap

The process of drawing lines where the string hung in front of our shape

We finished drawing lines from all of the corners using the plumb bob

This is the first side we tried

Turned out our approximated centroid location was off so we tried again

We redid the lines on the other side

This time we made a little bigger holes to allow more free movement

Our new approximated location for the centroid was much more accurate

Using a finger on the centroid we could balance the foam board shape

Mouse Trap Race Car

Using the knowledge we attained in class,  Connor and I made a car using a mouse trap as the cars main source of movement. Here is the criteria and constraints: 

Criteria:
Design, build and compete with a Mousetrap Race car (A "car" uses at least two axles).
Maintain a clean work space.

Constraints:
One mousetrap
No more than 12" of masking tape
Fischertechnique robotics parts
No more than 24" of string
All materials used must travel with your vehicle
You must work through the stages of the event (see Achievements below)
Additional materials by Instructor approval

I am claiming 3 achievements. 

1. "Visualize it"- Connor and I sketched what we wanted our car to look like and how we would incorporate the mouse trap to make it as efficient as possible. 

2. "Re-Work"- After Connor and I made our car we improved it by increasing the overall distance that the mouse trap covered with it's action arm. We did this by attaching a pole onto the action arm and then tying the string to the top of that.

3. "Leave it cleaner than you found it"- Immediately after the races we dismantled our car and put all the pieces in the correct places. We trashed unused tape and string.

We forgot to take pictures to document our process.