Embedded Files
Objectives
Objectives
During the second week of the COSMOS Cluster 2 on Engineering Design and Control of Kinetic Sculptures, our team members learned how to program using RobotC to process sensor data and to control a motor in a Motion Robot. The concepts of automatic sensor data processing and controlling the motion of a component in a Kinetic Sculpture led to the design requirements of a Mini Sculpture. The Mini Sculpture design is a team effort that is completed during the third week of the COSMOS Cluster 2.
Design Requirements
Design Requirements
Use at least one sensor, one actuator, and one mode of user input in the mini sculpture
Automate the sensor, actuator, and UI using computer programming (RobotC, Arduino, rPI, etc.)
Simulate the mini sculpture in Working Model 2D
Demonstrate a working contraption by the end of the 3rd week
Document the design process on your team webpage
Human/User input: We are using a touch sensor to control the direction and movement of the cart to catch the marbles. The touch sensor is used to change the direction of the cart.
Sensor: Using a light sensor to detect the ball landing in the Ferris Wheel and starting the rotation in order to get the ball into the pulley system. It detects whether x
Actuator: Using two motors, one on the cart to move it back and forth based on the user input, and one on the Ferris Wheel to begin the rotation of the wheel.
Design Choice
Design Choice
After each individually brainstorming ideas, we split the ideas into separate subsystems. Using those subsystems, we made a Pugh Chart analyzing the pros and cons of each design and conducted risk analysis on each of them to decide on two design concepts for our mini sculpture, which are shown below.
Our design concepts include the Ball Catcher, where a marble rolls down a track, passes a color sensor, and falls into a respective box based on the sensed color, and the Ferris Wheel, where a ball falls into a basket, activating a touch sensor and rotating the wheel a certain number of degrees until the basket reaches the other side.
Pugh Chart Analysis
Pugh Chart Analysis
Risk Analysis
Wheel: Ball could get stuck or fall out, this causes the whole sculpture to be disrupted and further actions will not be able to be completed. We should create borders that are sensor controlled. One more thing is that the speed needs to be specific so that the ball does not fly off the track and so that it also does not fall before the start of the track.
Pulley: Touch sensors and sonar sensors are not extremely accurate, we need to simple down the code and limit the amount of sensors. Pulley system kept getting stuck when turned on and it had difficulty picking up the ball, we plan on making a wall that will help scoop the system and possibly adding more slack in the chains.
User Controlled Motor: By pressing on the touch sensors, the stoppage position might be inaccurate, making the ball not fall into the basket as intended.
Speed Basket: The distance sensor reading might not be accurate, causing the vehicle with the basket to move too little or too far and not catch the ball properly. This contraption is also fairly difficult to code.
Spinning Track: When spinning to form a new track, the track pieces won’t be able to fully connect with each other, so there is a possibility that the ball could get stuck between two tracks. The motor could also have some error, spinning too much or too little, which will offset the position of the track pieces and prevent the ball from traveling in a smooth path.
Points: The touch sensor may not be activated correctly, which will not activate the point system and add points.
Pulley & Motor: The ball could fall out during transmission or the pulley gears might get stuck.
Results
Results
IMG_0833.movA Working Model 2D simulation of our Ball Catcher design concept.
IMG_4242 3.21.46 PM.movA Working Model 2D simulation of our Ferris Wheel design concept.
Ball Catcher Design Concept
Two baskets
Uses color sensor to decide which basket catches ball
Uses wheels and motors to move baskets to catch balls
Can be automated or user-controlled
Additional Ferris Wheel Concept (Added to Mini Sculpture)
Light sensor behind a catching basket on wheel
Automated, so when activated the light sensor starts the rotation of the wheel with the code to the motor.
Uses acrylic disks simulating the design of a Ferris Wheel
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