Design Specification for Robotics Design Project

1. What is you group’s ultimate goal for the project, is it getting the best grade or winning the competition?

 

We want to be the biggest, badest robot there is.  Through superior engineering and well thought programing, we want to create a robot that definitely will finish the course.  We would also like to create a defender that is a pain in the side of the groups we face.

 

1. What is the strategy for winning the competition?  How do you go about getting the fastest time without getting stuck somewhere in the course?  Do you have a weapon or plan for fighting off unfriendly robots?  Provide text and drawings to illustrate the design.

Our strategey is to build a durable four by four that handles almost any obstacle.  We are not going for speed, but powerful torque and a heavy weight.  Also, we plan on using well working programming that slowly puts our robot in the right direction.  In the parable of the tortoise and the hare, we are definitely the tortoise.

To roll by the defenders, we plan on using torque and avoidance movements.  If we run into a defender, the programming will manuever our robot around the defender.  If a defender snags us in a way, we believe the superior torque will enable our robot to continue up the stairs and over the sandpit.

The torque is created through worm gears and beneficial gearing ratios.  Two tread belts connect the frontal gears to rear gears producing the four wheel drive.  Our robot has a wide base, large wheels and is low to the ground.  All these attributes will hopefully add to its stability.  (Figure 1)

1. What is/are the main sensor/sensors for guiding the robot around the course?  How does each sensor assist the robot in going around the course?  Please provide text and drawings to illustrate the design.

Two of our main sensors, are our touch sensors on the front-right and front-left of our robot.  They are activater by two bumpers.  Each time the the left bumper is struck, the right engine stops running, which turns the wheelchair to the right.  The vice versa is true for when the right bumper is struck.  When both bumpers are struck at the same time from T-ing a wall or obstacle, the robot backs up about 6 inches and then turns to the left.  (Figure 2)
We will also use a light sensor to detect the different areas of the obstacle course and have our robot act accordingly.  When the light sensor reaches the cross walk, the wheelchair will stop.  When the light sensor hits the aluminum foil, a new anti-defender program will take over. 

4.   Provide an outline of the program for wheelchair, car, and defender robots