In the spring of 2019 I took the class 2.007 Introduction to Robotics. The premise of the class is to learn many principles of robotic design - from relevant mechanic and electrical calculations, to rapid prototyping, to autonomous vehicle dynamics - while designing and building a robot for a class-wide competition. My final robot is shown.
I enjoyed this class immensely - not only because I find the entire design and building process quite exciting but because I was able to work with other students along the way in a highly collaborative way. Almost daily in lab I would show other students how I performed some calculations, or how they could overcome a design issue, or how to use a certain tool - and in turn they did the same for me. This type of uplifting work environment is something I am excited to contribute to at any and all of my future work engagements.
My robot made it to the round of sixteen (out of almost 200 robots) and I won an award for “Outstanding Mechanical Design.”
Skills Used: Design, Engineering Analysis, Design for Manufacturing, Rapid Prototyping, Presenting Projects to a General Audience.
The cornerstone of my robot is it’s ability to produce far more wheel torque than any other bot. This is due to my wheel design - each of the two drive wheels is actually driven by two motors, with an internal differential accounting for differentiation in motor speed. A huge benefit of this design is that for situations when less torque is desired (such as driving uphill and not having wheel slip) only one motor can be driven and the wheels will still move at the same speed. The following images show some of the prototyping process for these wheels - from proof-of-concept modeling (purple background) to intermediate models (yellow and blue backgrounds) to final design (green background).
Pictured are several design iterations I explored along the path to my finished design. Some were wildly successful - Adding an iron weight to adjust the robot’s center of gravity facilitated going up steep hills and adding a front, upward-facing claw allowed the robot to better interact with its environment. Some were less successful, such as trying to add a remote-controlled backpack to my dog and trying to train her to follow a toy on the end of a stick. In the end, I believe all of these iterations were of utmost importance in my road to success.