SolidWorks Views Autonomous Tetrahedron Challenge

Week Fifteen - Monday: Tetrahedron Code

After repairing our robot's arm, we began the code, the most essential part of the challenge. We've been testing the code and it seems to have a few kinks in the code that are causing the robot to not perform to our desired standard. We hope to resolve these errors in time for the deadline of the challenge, Tuesday.

Week Fourteen - Friday: Interruptions

We completed the robot's code but unfortunately we weren't able to complete the challenge. For the majority of this week, we worked on Gmetrix training tests and we had to modify the robot's arm and complete the code, since we're taking our actual certification tests next week. The challenge is next Tuesday, and hopefully the robot will be complete by then.

Week Fourteen - Monday: Houston, We Have a Problem

Our robot is still having some issues when it comes to the challenge. Due to the wheels being faulty, the robot doesn't drive forward properly and instead it has a tendency to drive towards the left. However, it seems with the proper positioning from the actual tetrahedron stand, the robot is able to complete the challenge. The problem is isolating the specific location.

Week Thirteen - Monday: The Autonomous Tetrahedron Challenge

This week we've begun programming our robot to be capable of completing the autonomous tetrahedron challenge. After an error of miscommunication, a group member had accidentally taken the arm off of our robot, so we had to essentially reconstruct the arm.

Week Twelve - Friday: Tetrahedron Challenge Completed

We successfully completed building the robot, SolidWorks, and the tetrahedron challenge itself. With just a few modifications to the robot and a bit of practice, we were able to complete the tetrahedron challenge with just a few seconds to spare. Our next challenge is going to be the racquetball challenge. We're very close to the beginning of the starstruck challenge.

SolidWorks Views Tetrahedron Challenge

Week Twelve - Monday: Beginning SolidWorks

Today we completed the addition of our two new gears. The gears are now able to successfully compensate for the previously overbearing weight of the robot's arm. We also began SolidWorks, in SolidWorks we added the foundation for the arm and by tomorrow we should have successfully added all of the gears, collars, and metal components used for the arm (channels, angles, etc.)

Week Eleven - Thursday: Foreseeing Fame

Through out this week, we used trial and error to find the most efficient design for our robot's arm. We swapped in two larger gears to compensate for the lack strength required to move the heavy arm. By next week we plan to complete the challenge and also complete SolidWorks.

Week Eleven - Monday: This Arm Ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us

To start off this week, we have concluded that the positions and size of the gears were not efficient enough, so we decided to upgrade and use bigger gears. Along with the gears, we will make the arm just a tad bit longer, so then we can raise the tetrahedron up to the top of the pipe. Our only problem here is that the arm is too heavy and when we raise the arm the bot lifts off the ground.

Week Ten - Friday: Challenge Clarification

The main gist of the challenge is to place three tetrahedrons at the top of an array of pipes. The main issue we're having right now is that our arm isn't long enough, mainly because the wheels of our robot are much tinier than last year, so we need more length on our arm. We tightened the screws and bezels around the robot.

Week Ten - Monday: Halloween Hindrances

Our robot has been giving us a few issues, and I've scientifically deduced that the cause of it is a Halloween curse. Our arm isn't long enough to reach the top of the array of pipes, a few screws popped off the robot, and the arm is moving with too much power, so we have to tone it down. Thankfully, all of these issues have simple solutions. We just have to make the arm longer, tighten the screws, and lower the amount of power on the arm's motor.

Week Nine - Friday: Arm Yourself With an Arm!

We've attached the arm to our robot and we also attached the motor to the arm. Our arm uses a series of gears to move the arm upwards by using the motor to move axles. Our design is standard and our goal is simple, use an arm to get tetrahedrons on top of an "obstacle". We hope to complete the challenge within two weeks,

Week Nine - Monday: Tetrahedron Turmoil

Today we've begun the construction of the arm meant for the completion of the tetrahedron challenge. The tetrahedron challenge involves using an arm on your robot to place tetrahedrons on a design of pipes, with various higher spots on the construction of pipes earning you a greater sum of points. This challenge is going a lot smoother than the chair challenge, now that we finally have functioning motors.

Week Eight - Friday: Out With the Old, In With the New

We decided that the the method we were previously using of going around the chairs in a rectangular motion was ineffective and that it would be much easier to simply make a program that would make the robot go in a circular rotation around the chair. Our theory was right, with a few simple attempts we were able to make the robot go around the chairs with ease.

Week Eight - Monday: (Contrary to Popular Belief) Opposites Don't Attract

This week we've run into yet another issue that's hindering our progress in this project. Due to the fact that one of our prior motors malfunctioned, we've had to replace it with the only motor that was left available to us, a motor of smaller size, which causes a major issue. Due to the fact that one motor is smaller and has less power than the other, there's an imperfection in the balance of the two motors. Therefore, instead of having perfect values for the code to get the robot to turn, we have to arrange the code in different random values that aren't in any set pattern. To solve this, we're going to begin repairing a motor and swapping it onto our robot.

Week Seven - Friday: Trial & Error

Today we continued our progress on the squarebot challenge. Our method of discovering the best values for the code is to continuously change numbers by small degrees, test the robot by making it go around the chairs, and evaluating points of error during the robot's program sequence. This method can best be described as trial and error, however, I would describe each attempt as success, not error. This is because with each attempt, we come closer to passing our final goal of getting the robot around the chairs.

SolidWorks

Week Seven - Monday: The Art of Finessing

This week we are continuing our objective of utmost importance, the completion of the autonomous chair challenge. The values in our code are slightly off, the robot has managed to make it around the chairs twice but always seems to collide with the chair's leg on the third time around. We've survived two broken motors throughout the entire process, so we can easily fix a few simple values in code. By the end of this week, we should be finished.