Week 3 Into Week 4

This was a productive week for the group.  Seth designed the layout and dimensions for the maze, which Lee then created in AutoCAD (see screencap in Figure 1). 

 Figure 1:  Maze Design with Simple Dimensions.

The leftmost circle will be the starting point, while the

rightmost circle will be the ending point.

 

It was decided that the maze will utilize the Arena in the lab in Bossone 624 (Figure 2) as its enclosing border, which has a length of roughly 7'6" on all sides.  For this to be effective, all of the obstacles that are currently in the Arena, such as the miniature train wreck, will be taken out and all downed fences will be placed in their upright position.  The fence perimeter will serve as the perimeter of the maze, while the maze itself will feature paths that are roughly 11.25" wide.  Currently, the plan is to use plywood to construct the walls of the maze.

Figure 2: Lab Arena

 

Kyle, our programmer, has been continuing to learn the NXC coding language this week.  He is currently reading through the tutorials concerning the sensors as well as the motors.  Meanwhile, Bruce and Michael have been designing and constructing the NXT robot.  It has been decided that the robot will utilize two NXT bricks to perform its task of driving through the maze and retrieving the object.  Currently, the plan is to use three ultrasonic sensors placed in different directions on top of the robot in order to sense the walls of the maze, while a gripper, touch sensor, and magnetic sensor will be used to retrieve an object (Figures 3, 4, and 5).  Currently, the one ultrasonic sensor, one touch sensor, and one magnetic sensor have been constructed onto the robot.

Figure 3:  Robot In Its Current State (Front View)

 

Figure 4:  Robot In Its Current State (Side View)

 

Figure 5:  Robot In Its Current State (Rear View)

 



The group is still planning and designing which sensors will be connected to which brick.  The means of communication between the two bricks (if any) also needs to be decided upon.  The implementation of a color sensor is also in talk amongst the group, as the plan is to have the robot follow certain markers along the maze in order to discern where its position is inside of the maze.


Objectives over the next week:
Continue robot construction to have functionality
Finalize maze design plans and begin maze construction planning
Begin with NXC coding
Decide on sensor implementations onto bricks

Week 2 Into Week 3

This week, the overall project work was delegated amongst the group.  So far, Kyle is working with learning the NXT-C language in order to create the coding for the robot, Seth and Lee are working on the maze design and will be creating the maze once the planning steps are complete, and Bruce and Michael are working on the robot's construction and design. 

Objectives for the next week:
Continue work on robot construction and maze design
Begin programming and robot sensor/motor work

Week 1 Into Week 2

This was an introductory week for the group.  The group members got to know one another and project roles were assigned to each.  The maze navigation and object retrieval project was proposed by the members and was ultimately decided to be pursued over the next 10 weeks of the term.  The design proposal was collaborated on by each member, where the objectives, resources, deliverables, budget, and overall plan was mapped out.

Objectives over the next week:
Further design planning
Begin robot mechanical construction