Personal Project Portfolio
The design requirements for this project were to create a robot that could complete the following tasks:
To begin, my team met to brainstorm. We had to determine if the rover was going to have:
The next step was to create CAD models and engineering drawings of the pieces of the rover. The models were used to run stress tests and the size of the beams and supports were adjusted accordingly.
After the CAD models were finalized, we began to construct the rover. We had a professional weld the frame together, and then we added the suspension, wheels, and other components. We also added a hinge and clasp in the center of the frame to allow the rover to fold up into a 4'x 4'x 4' box.
The rover design was adjusted throughout the construction process. We had to change the suspension to reduce the turning radius and prevent the support rods from slipping out of the socket. We also had to adapt when the belt we had selected for the drivetrain was on backorder and the deadline was rapidly approaching. We ended up using a smaller width belt which withstood the predicted stress in the ANSYS stress tests, but had a lower safety factor.
Part of the competition was to visit schools and teach students about the rover and the engineering process. I took charge of the outreach portion of the project. I reached out to 10 6th-8th grade teachers in the fargo area. When all of them responsed positively, I met with them to determine times to visit their classrooms. Having so many classes to visit, I began coordinating with the other 3 senior design teams and SWE to find enough volunteers to visit all of the classes. We ended up interacting with 1000 students teaching them about writing clear instructions, communication, teamwork and the engineering process.
Since the trip to Huntsville, AL was cancelled due to COVID, we were unable to compete in the in-person competition. However, we built a shortened version of the obstacle course and recorded a video of us driving the rover through it. The rover sucessfully made it through 75% of the obstacles. We also submitted a final report to the NASA HERC commitee.
Throughout the project, I learned how to work in a team with people who have different work styles than me, how to adapt when issues arise, and how to sucessfully complete a project from start to finish. If the project were to be redone, I would have been more persistent when needing items from the teacher and the sponsors. I also would have ordered spare belts since ours stretched too far after one run. I had an amazing time learning about the design process and working with my team. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this project!