If I Could Do It All Again...

If i had the opportunity to start this project back from the beginning I would be more thorough in every step of the process. Our first real competition is this sunday and we are all in a frantic race to the finnish. We have a number of lose ends to tie up, the greatest one being our engineering notebook. Had we started the notebook from day one it wouldn't be such an issue, but we didn't really get started until halfway through leaving a number of gaps for us to fill in last minute. All fingers are crossed, hopping all goes well this sunday.

Hypothesis

The two main components of a solid hypothesis are A: that it applies to a problem statement, and B: that it is testable. For example, if I am contemplating ways to enhance my test performance I may i may say that if i use black pen as appose to pencil i will wright faster. That statement pertains to my problem and is testable, making it a solid hypothesis. Feel free to submit any hypothesis you may have, I'd love to read them!

Progress Update

• Now that all of the gearing parts we needed have arrived the assembly of our robot is coming along smoothly, however, I can't say the same is true for the programing side of things. Our test of the robot's coding this past Wednesday ended in frustration as the robot did not respond to any of our controller commands. We are currently reviewing and revising the code and hopefully we will have enough success for me to post the third test drive video. For anyone who may have a similar issue within their project i would recommend staying calm, reviewing all possible causes of error and fixing them one at a time in order to determine the root of the problem to both fix and prevent future complications.

Asking Questions

To put it plainly my best questions are driven by my genuine interest in the topic. Though I'm not a curious person i find myself generally curious about food and fitness related topics. When I am truly curious about something i become obsessive about it, I have been known to research random things like how much peanut butter is ideal for a pb and j for hours on end until i am satisfied. Although it may seem useless to some i can now say that i make perfect pb and j's every time.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism can at times be difficult to identify, but can be just as easy to avoid if you are mindful. To avoid plagiarizing be sure the ideas you express are truly your own. We all know that quoting another idea word for word requires quotation marks, but it is key to note that paraphrasing another idea also requires a citation, even if you mix your own words into the it. In short, when in doubt you should at least cite your source to avoid being accused of plagiarism. Lots of professional scientists and researchers also find themselves conducting unethical research, not always because they are attempting to wrongfully take credit, but sometimes they simply fail to cite the source of the research that led them to their theories. I find that the best in people comes out when they have to form their own ideas, rather than mooching off of someone else's and that is also the #1, sure fire way to avoid plagiarizing.   

Progress Update

We have made great headway in the crafting of the scoop and dump mechanism of our robot and coding is coming along smoothly. Sadly we are not quite in a place yet for me to post another test drive video, but here are a few pictures to keep you up to date.

Feedly

Recently myself along with my entire STEM class have made Feedly accounts to subscribe to blogs that may help us in completing our projects. Along with a slew of robotics blogs, I also subscribed to Wired Top Stories, and to any of my readers who enjoy anything tech related I recommend you do too. One of my recent favorite articles from them wasn't much of an article at all it was a posting of the top 9 GTA V game-plays, an although I do not have the game i have played with friends and found the videos amusing. So if your bored and just browsing the web go make a Feedly and subscribe to Wired Top Stories.

Link: http://cloud.feedly.com/#subscription%2Ffeed%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wired.com%2Fwired%2Findex

Progress Update

Now that we have formed a solid idea for the block scooper and placer for the robot we have assembled and attached it, and are currently working on the code to make it operable via our wireless controller. I'm looking forward to posting another test drive video soon, so stay tuned...

Team Chemistry

I am lucky to be part of such a great team, we have all the makings to remain a cohesive team and none of the hindering characteristics that would lead us to a boy-band style fallout. Most teams break up because either everyone doesn't know they're role, or they know it and choose not to play it. Within our group we all know what we need to do both individually and as a team in order to be successful in our ultimate goal. We also know how to give feedback to each other without being disrespectful, when mistakes are made we correct them without stepping on each others toes. In all we spread nothing but good vibes within our working environment to a point where it nearly becomes corny.

Goals and Expectations

Being that our project is oriented towards a competition our main goal is obviously to come out with a W, but there are a number of things we must do before we get there. We've gotten off to a good start by completing the base of our robot and successfully programing its 360 degree motion but now we must, as a collective, brainstorm and create the game specific appendages. What makes me most nervous as we go through this process, however, is getting knocked out of the competition before winning even one game, but i am confident that with the amount of time and effort we're putting into this robot we will be successful.

Brainstorming Phase 2

Now that our team has completed the base of the robot the time has come for us to consider the game specific attachments we will add to our robot. These attachments will include a an arm to allow our robot to do a pull up, a rotating devise to raise a flag, and lastly a mechanism that can scoop 1x1 inch blocks, raise them, and then dump them successfully. The only catch is our robot cannot be in control of more than 4 blocks at a time. So, needless to say this part of our robot is requiring the most effort to visualize and create, but we're getting there...

Second Test Drive

First Test Drive

The Test Drives

Since my last post myself and my team have made a a basic base for our robot and had two test drives. The first test was at best a little rocky, but we came together figured out what was wrong and bounced back for a second, successful drive. Now that the base is done and logistics of the controls for the wheels have been programed its time to start designing the fun stuff...

About the Blogger

Hi, my name is Noah and I'm a member of this STEM capstone lab because it peaks my interests in the fields of both math and science. Im starting this blog in order to track my team progress regarding the FIRST Tech Challenge. FIRST is a robotics competition in which teams must construct a robot that can perform a series of tasks in order to score points and win a game. Being that I am the rookie on the team when it comes to the logistics of actually building a functioning robot I am hoping to receive comments from you readers to help me out.