Robotic Assembly Line Class Challenge

For my and Ryan's assembly line challenge project, we were to print the number "2" on the dice. Beause the numbers 2 and 4 are on opposite sides of the cube, we combined our project with the group that was to print the number "4" on the cube (Gustavo and Nick Robles). From there we worked together to make a machine that could print the numbers 2 and 4 on opposite sides of the cube, with a very high success rate that was able to print the numbers 2 and 4 on all six of the die.

Here is a picture of our skethed design of our project:

How we solved the problem: We solved the problem using the Fischertechnik parts and the motors that are included. We used photoresistors and motors to the measure the light and with the values command the motors to turn and thus a red piece pushed the dice on both sides.


Here are the team challenges we got:
"Flash of Inspiration" - Brainstorm a solution for your section of the assembly line with a sketch.
"If you Build It..." - Implement a solution for your section of the assembly line.
"Proof is in the Pudding" - Implement a solution for your section of the assembly line that successfully operates with adjacent sections.
"Round and Round We Go" - Iterate on your initial implementation. Explain the challenge you discovered off the first effort and what you did to overcome it.
"Round and Round We Go... Again" - Iterate again on your implementation. Explain the next challenge you discovered with your design and what you did to solve it.
"Leave no Trace" - Return your fischertechnik to their appropriate storage locations/clean your work space.

My own individual achievements that I received are:
"Share It" - Provide feedback (Sustain, Change, Question, Idea) for another team. Who did you provide feedback to and what was it? We provided feedback with our surrounding groups (Nikki and Morgan, and Jon Henry and Nick Wiley), because we had to coordinate how our projects would be compatible with one another.
"Keep the Customer in Mind" - Your blog post is formated in a readable, professional manner. Writing is short and concise. Spacing is used to break up thoughts/concepts. Lists and/or bullet points are used as appropriate. No "monolithic" paragraphs.
"Nice One!" - Identify a student from outside of your team that was most helpful to your efforts. Be specific about how they were helpful. Marco helped us with aligning the drop to transfer the dice to the following team.
"Helping Hand" - List a student that you helped outside of your team. How were you helpful to them? I helped Jon Henry get his part of the assembly line set up when he needed a lot of help.
"And the Winners Are..." - Recognize class participation by selecting one person other than yourself for each of our five activity awards (Initiative, Sportsmanship, Collaboration, Humor, ...what's the fifth one we have up on the board?!) Improvisation is the fifth one we have on our board. Initiative - Gustavo. Sportsmanship - Jon Henry. Collaboration - Nikki. Humor - Robles.

Lever Activity

Today we experimented with finding different force measurements at different points of a lever with a weight hanging from the end. The x axis represents the distance from the edge of the lever in centimeters, and the y axis represents the force that it takes to keep the lever level in Newtons.

Maching Control Capstone Project

Achievements:

Marble Sorting (some achievments scored multiple times):Sort one marble (x1)
Sort two marbles (x1)
Sort three marbles (x1)
Sort four marbles (x1)
Sort four marbles (x2)
Sort five marbles (x1)
Sort five marbles (x2)
Sort five marbles (x3)
Systems (not including motor or piston used to charge your pressure vessel):Use one motor

Total: 9 out of 12 We were unable to use a valve because we were one short, so we used all motors.

Pictures:
1. Close up of the four motors that push the glass marbles.
2. Final project with Ryan in the background.
3. Unfinished project.
4. Program we used in RoboPro for our marble sorter.

Engineering Program Investigation

College/University of interest: I haven't looked seriously at colleges yet, but so far I would definitely love to go to a UC or tech school, perhaps UC Davis or Cal Poly. I know UC Davis has a great engineering program, and I also know that Cal Poly has a good aerospace engineering program, which is the field that I want to get into.

Why does this institution appeal to you?: It appeals to me because the UC and tech schools are very prestigious and are great schools. Also, most of them have great engineering programs.

Which engineering program is most interesting to you and why?: Definitely aerospace engineering. Even as a little kid I was interested in airplanes and spaceships, and as a kid I wondered how they work and what makes them do what they do.

Which undergraduate engineering elective is most interesting? Describe the course and its appeal to you: The engineering elective, again, would have to be aerospace engineering. Like I said earlier, it interests me the most. I would love to take one or more engineering courses in college. In an aerospace engineering class, their goal is to educate the students about aerospace engineering with a written aspect and a hands on aspect. Here is a link to the aerospace engineering course description at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo: http://aero.calpoly.edu/about/

I would love to go into the subfield of aerospace engineering listed on the website linked above called aircraft and spacecraft design.

Glider Challenge: Design Phase

1. Our final design is the white and blue hanglider second from the far left.

2. 1) What's the challenge? The challenge is to build an efficient glider given the materials of some balsa wood, glue, and tissue paper.

2) Brainstorm solutions:
-What are the rules of brainstorming? (oxymoron) I'd say there are no rules to brainstorming; the only thing that would even come close to being a rule would be "nothing rediculous", but that would defeat the purpose of brainstorming, as brainstorming is listing anything and everything that comes to mind when confronting a problem.
-List your ideas Hanglider, stealth bomber design, airplane design
-Sketch at least two of them

3) Specify:
-Criteria Has to be able to fly, has to have wings, should be designed to achieve the most hangtime and distance, should be somewhat accurate
-Constraints (be specific about materials available) Only given a few materials, I don't know the exact amount of materials, but I could guess that we got about 3-4 square feet of tissue paper, and maybe a total of 1.5 meters of balsa wood, weight, must be hand thrown

4) Develop Solutions:
-Sketch (with labels)

Bonus) Prototype with Paper
We made a prototype with the yellow plastic arms from the robo kits (picture of the prototype is included in my previous glider blog post).

3. As far as results go, our glider did pretty well despite our terrible and fatal test runs. We finished 3rd in distance and 1st in hangtime. If we did this again, I think we would defnitely change the wing size, as the stregnth of the balsa wood was not enough to support the massive wing size, and other groups with more of an airplane approach with smaller, more rigid wings seemed to work better than ours.
Worked with Ryan.

Glider Challenge

Before you're ready to "compete" with your glider, you probably want to try your design out and see how it goes. Use this format for collecting notes.

What did you learn from your test flight?We learned that our wings were too big and that the balsa wood frame was not as sturdy as we thought, and not nearly sturdy enough to support the size of the wings.

What are your goals for your glider and how will you adjust your design in order to help it better meet them?
We will try to fix the glider, but I'm not sure that it will work seeing as almost the whole frame is broken in several places. Definitely going to be a hard fix if it's even possible.

Here is an extensive gallery of pictures that were taken during the construction of our project:

:

We just tested our gliders today (April 8). Turns out, we actually did pretty well, we got first place in hangtime and third place in distance, which of course is much higher than I had ever imagined for our design, given how much it failed when we tested it last time. 

Worked with Ryan.

Egg Drop Challenge - Iteration #1

Total # of Achievements Earned: 23

The above pictures are part one and two of our "Materials List". I split the sheet into two pictures so it would be more legible. The second picture is a decision matrix that we used to determine which egg drop design we would use.

The above picture is a picture of the paper that we used to draw out all the possible options that we could choose while building our egg drop idea.
Idea Generation Achievements Total: 23

Brainstorming (4)
-Create a sketch of one possible solution. Include labels.
-Create a sketch of another possible solution. Include labels.
-Create a sketch of a third possible solution. Include labels.
-Use a decision matrix to justify the approach you chose.

Material Prep (2)
-Generate a list of materials required for build day.
-Document a plan to ensure materials are brought in on block day.



Build Achievements

Material Size: (2)
-Your materials fit inside a printer paper box
-Your materials fit inside a shoe box
Material Weight: (5)

(your egg is not included in material weight)
-Your materials weigh less than 500 grams.
-Your materials weigh less than 300 grams.
-Your materials weigh less than 200 grams.
-Your materials weigh less than 150 grams.
-Your materials weigh less than 100 grams.


Drop Achievements

Drop Accuracy: (2)
-You hit the butcher paper!
-You hit inside the third ring!

Egg Resilience: (6)
-Your egg broke but the yolk remained intact.
-Your egg cracked but the yolk stayed inside and intact.
-Your egg cracked but was still together.
-Your egg didn't break in any way! (awarded three times)
-Your egg didn't break in any way! (awarded three times)
-Your egg didn't break in any way! (awarded three times)


Calculation Achievements (0)



Communicate Results Achievements (0)



Other Achievements (2)
-Help set up the Bullseye.
-Design an Achievement Mr. Olson approves for next year's Egg Drop Challenge.



Some designs that did well in our class were ours, of course, Michael and Ocheer's, and Brett's. We could've done better in accuracy and weight, so I would have improved those possibly if we had had more time. As far as accuracy was concerned, I don't believe that the target was in the ideal location. It was too far off the ledge so even if you reached out as far as you can and dropped something on a line it wouldn't hit the bullseye. Also, there was a bit of a breeze the day we dropped the eggs, and that was obviously a factor.

TED Part 1 - Ideas Worth Spreading?

1) What is the TED organization about?
The TED organization is a small nonprofit organization devoted to ideas worth spreading. They put videos on their website regarding technnology, entertainment, and design.
2) What is the purpose of their website and how does the functionality of their site support that?
The purpose is to spread ideas that are reflected in their videos. The functionality of the site supports that by showing presenting videos that spread their ideas.
3) As Engineers and Problem Solvers, which topic areas (the choices from the "Show talks related to:" section on the sidebar) are of most interest to us? Justify your answer.
I think the topics that are of most interest to us are science, technology, and design. To me, these are three crucial elements of engineering, and I'm sure lots of other people would agree.
4) Based on your previous answer, what are 3 talks (videos) on the site that appear like they would be of most interest to you as an Engineer/Problem Solver? Justify your choices.
Three videos that would interest me would be Deb Roy: The Birth of a Word, Patricia Kuhl: The linguistic genius of babies, and Cynthia Breazeal: The rise of robots.
5) Each student will watch a unique video. Claim your video on the following period specific posts: 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th. If no one else has claimed your video there yet, leave a comment on that post to call the one you want. If someone else has already claimed the talk, go back and pick another one. Watch the video. Create and post a bulletized outline of the key issues presented in the talk.
-He talks about how smart crows are and how much we underestimate them

-Gives many examples on the intelligence of crows
-Introduces his "vending machine experiment" which has three levels to test the crows' intelligence
6) How could you get involved in the field/technology/issue you chose to hear about? What experience/skills/training/education would you need to learn to get involved with this field?
I thought the talk was very interesting. I could get involved by testing the intelligence of other various animals, preferable whale sharks. I would definitely need some background information on whale sharks and marine biology.

3.1.4 Branch Functions

Today, Wednesday, we used ROBO PRo once again. Today we started working with switches and it actually became a little harder. We got it under control and were able to do it. Here is our picture of a light with a potentiometer. When you turn the potentiometer, the light will turn on. Pretty cool stuff.

My team consisted of Ryan, Nick, and I. Although we used the software on my computer, we all helped to built the module and take pictures. I think all of us made an even contribution.

?'s.

1. Describe why it is important to include branches in programs

-----It is important to include branches in your program because if you want to be able to turn things on and off, you need to have switches and branches in your program.

2. Describe an everyday application of a normally open switch that has not been given as an example.

 ----An everyday application of an open switch is a railroad switch. When you turn the switch it changes to a different track.

3. Describe an everyday application of a normally closed switch that has not been given as an example.

------A normally closed switch would be a faucet. When you open the faucet the water will flow.

Copied from Colin.

Activity 3.1.2 Flowcharting

Today, Thursday, we created a flowchart using Microsoft Word. I haven't created a flowchart before so this is a new experience for me. Actually it is a very easy task. Below is my flowchart.

And here is another:

Questions:

1. How is flowcharting similar to using a map to plan a route for a trip?

--- Flowcharting is very similar to using a map for a trip. You start at the beginning and follow the road (arrows in chart) until you get to a checkpoint. Then you follow another road to somewhere else. If at the end you are at the correct place, you stop. If not, then you turn around and take another route to try to get to your destination.

2. Describe a process that you perform every day. Develop a flowchart that illustrates the process.

--I'm going to do a flowchart for my getting up process in the morning.  Here it is::

Copied from Colin.

RoBo Pro: Variables and Branch Functions

Today I was tasked with making a program using some given elements as an introduction to visual programming with variables. The task was to make a program that would make the value of a variable increase until it was 5, and then have the program end. This is what I made:

This information is from Gustavo's blog.

RoBo Pro: Subprograms and Meters

In this activity, we were on the program called RoBo Pro. We learned about subprograms and meters and constructed our own using the program. Here are the pictures from my program:

The first one is the main program, and the second is the subprogram. Subprograms help because it makes the main program page less crowded, so you can have multiple subprograms with less space used; basically a good way of organizing.

Activity 3.1.1 Inputs and Outputs

1. Examine the wire diagram on the mini switch and describe how the diagram relates to the concepts of normally open and normally closed.

2. If computers only understand digital signals, then how is a computer able to interpret the analog signals coming from the interface?

3. Why does resistance decrease as the NTC Resistor becomes warmer?

Mini Switch:

-when plugged into 1 and 3 and not pressing button:

unchecked

at zero

not present

-when in 1 and 3 and pressed

checked

at one

present

-when plugged into 1 and 2 everything is flip-flopped

Potentiometer:

-range: 38-4945

NTC Resistor:

-1668

-while warm was at 1318

Motor:

-one way to change the direction of spin is by switching the wire ports

Electromagnet:

When reed switch is touched the box becomes checked

Photo transistor:

-closer light gets the number goes down

--This information is Jackson's--

I was sitting next to Jackson and observed what he was doing, but I did not participate.

Opt In

What technologies facilitated the regime change we witnessed in Egypt today? List 3. Describe how each technology came about and how each were used in support of the protest.

Technologies used to facilitate the regime change in Egypt:

Facebook – This helped the regime change because it was a way of socially networking with other people of the same interest online.

Twitter - I'm not very familiar with Twitter, but from what I understand it is like Facebook but with only statuses, so you can follow people and see what is going on in their lives. This could possibly help because leaders of the uprising could post statuses so that their followers (both literally and virtually) could see what they are doing/thinking.

Cell phones - Cell phones helped because it facilitates communication when you're out, so you can talk to almost anyone almost anywhere at almost any time.

Q - List each of the items displayed in the image. Make your best guess about how they could be repurposed to support peaceful demonstration in the face of an authoritarian regime.

Goggles - These could be used to protect your eyes against tear gas thrown by the riot control and such.

Shoes - Used to protect the feet.

Jacket - To protect the torso from the cold.
Scarf - To protect the neck from the cold.

Rose - The thorns could be used as weapons. If not, then it might be a symbol of some kind of the rebellion.

Spray Paint - Used to convey the message of the rebels all around town.

Shield - Protection from the riot control and to shield the body.

Content is King

Q- What is a field/hobby/something you have a passion for (surfing, sailing, robotics, painting, etc.)?
 A field or hobby that I have a passion for. I really enjoy playing sports with my friends, especially baseball. Even though I'm not too great at other sports, I still enjoy playing them just for fun.

Q- What person or organization in that field has used blogging to promote their brand?
I did not find a person that plays baseball blogging about baseball, but I found an eigth grader blogging about the San Francisco Giants. He linked the Giants winning the World Series directly to reduced crime in the area. A likely interpretation is that auto theft and auto burglary went down because there were more people on the street walking to and from bars or restaurants, standing outside between innings or celebrating. Because of this presence on the street, people had less opportunity to break into or steal cars.





Q- What is a field you might see yourself blogging about?I hope to get a career in engineering, especially aerospace. I could possibly see myself blogging in that field.

Tennis Ball Game

Yesterday we did a teambuilding excercise involving two groups and two tennis balls. Each group was assigned a task, which was to get the tennis ball to touch each person in the group and make it back to the initiator as expediently as possible. Our first idea was quite creative, but not incredibly quick. Each group member held one hand in the circle, alternating between facing up or down. We could then hand off the tennis ball without having to flip each individual hand. Our next idea, (which the other group claimed we copied, which is obviously not the case) was for everybody to put their hands in a circle, resembling a cut pizza. We could then simply roll the tennis ball across everybody's hands in a second or two. The next task was the same, except the ball could not touch two different hands at the same time. We came up with the idea to organize our hands to resemble stairs, which was quite effective.

Metric Units

Length - m (meters)
Time - s (seconds)
Mass - kg (kilograms)
Area - m^2 (meters squared)
Velocity - m/s (meters per second)
Density - kg/m^3 (kilograms per meters cubed)
Gravity - m/s^2 (meters per second squared)
Force - N (newtons) = [kg(m)]/s^2
Energy - J (jules) = [(kg(m)/s^2)]m
Power - W (watts) = [kg(m^2)]/s^3

Survival Activity

Survival Activity:
We were given the situation that we were on a lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific (in groups), and we were given a list of 15 items that we had on our lifeboat. The items were:

A sextant 10,15
A shaving mirror 12,1
A quantity of mosquito netting 6,14
A 25 liter container of water 1,3
A case of army rations 3,4
Maps of the Pacific Ocean 11,13
A floating seat cushion 14,9
A 10 liter can of oil/petrol mixture 9,2
A small transistor radio 7,12
20 square feet of opaque plastic sheeting 4,5
A can of shark repellent 8,10
One bottle of 160 per cent proof rum 13,11
15ft nylon rope 5,8
2 boxes of chocolate bars 15,6
A fishing kit 2,7

The first number after the listing is my team's rating of the item (1-15), and the second number is the U.S. Coast Guard's opinion. As you can see, we misjudged the sextant, shaving mirror, and the transistor radio. We didn't realize that the sextant would be of no use regarding the fact that we would have no tools to use it including star charts, and none of us would know how to use it. We didn't realize that the shaving mirror was paramore for signaling, and we picked the transistor radio as rank 7 because we figured that we would use it for entertainment, but the coast guard said that there would be no radio reception in the middle of the Pacific. I do think the Coast Guard underestimated the fishing kit, however. If six people are in a life raft, one case of army rations and some chocolate won't last very long, and of course, the fishing kit is the only way to obtain food once we exhaust our other resources.

Our plan for survival was first to eliminate one of our group members (who shall remain nameless) who would eat our supplies and suck up too much of our air. We planned to execute him three different ways. 1) Lasso a seagull and turn it into a makeshift gallows, and lynch him from the seagull. 2) Pour shark repellant down his throat, ultimately poisoning him, then using him as a bobber to keep the sharks away. 3) Lighting him on fire with the oil and using him as a signal fire. I know it seems a bit harsh, but I assure you it was completely necessary for our survival. I personally planned to lasso a whale shark and use it to tow our boat and to be our pet.