Solution Design Requirements

Introduction

Design Specifications and parameters are important measures to understand the limits and conditions in which the product should function. To determine the specifications for our solution, the Suction Cup Team referred to the Suction Cup Rubric on the NASA HUNCH website. The team found that the most important criterion is the solution's ability to attach to smooth and rounded surfaces in the microgravity conditions of the ISS.

Specifications/Parameters

Rated from greatest to least priority:

1. Operation in Neutral Buoyancy

Suction cups must be able to attach and detach to smooth surface without the use of additional forces other than vacuum force.
Must attach to the walls, supporting the weight of 0.5-2 pounds
Must be capable to attaching to curved and flat surfaces

Soft, remote-controlled robot, designed by University of California San Diego researchers, to pick up vase underwater.

Credit: PhysicsWorld

2. Cost/Manufacturing

Suction cup must be made out of the following materials.
- Silicone
- Chloroprene
- NBR
- Polyurethane
For the pneumatic control of the suction cups, the prototype must use:
- Ultrasonic Sensor
- Arduino Nano V3.0
- 12V
- With the microcontroller, batteries, and sensors included, the entire system must cost no more than 100$

Credit: Kelong Ye

3. Marketability

Kwadropus must be able to clean encased bodies of water on Earth.
- Ex: Neutral Buoyancy Lab, large scale aquarium and oceanariums
The primary stakeholders of our solution would be the vacuum pump manufacturers in North America (36% Share) and Europe (30% Share)
- The top manufactures in North America and Europe are Compressed Air Systems, Inc. and NASH Country, respectively.

4. Autonomously Driven

Using Ultrasonic Sensor, the Arduino must detect distance between prototype and attaching surface with a tolerance less than a half inch.
When distance is less than five inches, Arduino must open solenoid valve between vacuum pump and suction cup, creating airtight vacuum seal.
When distance is greater than five inches, Arduino must open air valve and solenoid valve, breaking airtight seal.

5. Weight/Strength

Must be capable of attaching to surfaces while holding a weight of 2 pounds to represent possible robot weight of 6 pounds underwater.
Must be capable of attaching to surfaces while holding a weight of 0.5 pounds to represent possible robot weight of 6 pounds underwater.
Must be able to support weight if attached to a vertical or horizontal surface.

Conclusion

Various factors go into the designing of such a solution, and understanding the order in which to approach those elements is cardinal. Through this section, the importance of various design specifications have been determined for the Kwadropus robot. When developing the suction cup system, it is clear that the robot's ability to function in its desired environment and the cost associated with bringing the solution to life are the most crucial aspects. Such elements will be key determining the direction of expanding, researching, and sketching possibly solutions moving forward.

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