We reached out to the frisbee teams of Dartmouth College by sending a survey asking for feedback on the current prototype. All respondents were shown videos of the prototype firing from two angles, then asked to rate various attributes of the prototype on a scale from 0 (worst) to 10 (best). The results of the survey are shown in the graphs below.

Automation: Our current prototype requires a human to load and fire it. We intended our prototype to be automated but ran out of time to implement it. Automation is our simplest and most important future improvement. We simply need to add a microcontroller, solenoid, motor speed controller, a button, and code to fire 30 seconds after the button's press. As several members have experience with using microcontrollers (both Circuit Python and Arduino) and we all have significant experience with the hardware after this term we are confident this would not be challenging to implement.

Air Cylinder Improvements: We limited our max air pressure in our tests to 100psi even though our cylinder was rated to 250 due to safety concerns; by using the full pressure that our air cylinder can use, we will greatly increase the distance. We also plan on drilling out the exit shaft of the air cylinder to allow the air to escape faster which would result in faster final velocities without needing an increase in air pressure. Together these two improvements (higher pressure and a more efficient design) will greatly increase the range of the Frisbee Flinger.

High Flow Solenoid: Although adding a remotely controlled solenoid valve was already mentioned under Automation, it has another benefit. A High Flow Solenoid valve would allow us to take advantage of a higher from our air source immediately whereas our current ball valve takes a fraction of a second to ramp up to its maximum flow rate. In normal use of a ball valve amount of time is not significant, but as we seek maximum efficiency and release velocity, every small improvement helps.

Angle Control: By adding an adjustable base similar to a camera bipod or tripod, we will allow the user to set the angle of release and therefore the shape of the throw.

Spin Control: Using the microcontroller and speed controller, we will add a dial to allow the user to control the speed and direction of the disc's spin.

Disc Magazine: We believe that a magazine of several discs is the last improvement we will need to make before releasing this product to market. After a magazine is added, the Frisbee Flinger will reach its full potential, allowing a single ultimate player to practice catching a throw multiple times in a row without a partner.