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"Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results"
-Andrew Carnegie
Functional decomposition (click me)
Functional decomposition (click me)
How our Team Works? The Louiebot capstone consists of 8 undergraduate mechanical engineering students and is divided into four subteams. Each subteam focuses on a specific component of the robot: head, arm, body, and legs. While each subteam has a specific focus, our team incorporated a very flexible idea of team work. All members are interchangeable with each subteam and work together for progress and are responsible for the development of the robot in its entirety, not just a sub-function. In order to categorize our sub team focus, we utilized a black box testing model. Essentially a black box represents a product where there are specific inputs and outputs in the form of materials, energy, and signals.
The above image represents the black box models for each of the four subteams. Each subteam has specific inputs as well as outputs for their respective robot component. To the right is a dropdown with each team's black box analysis.
Head: For the head subsystem the inputs and outputs are dependent upon the final design, therefore there are two different versions of the black box for the head. The first is the bare minimum required to successfully achieve the mechanics of the build, while the other accounts for the ideal of including sensory devices for future teams to work on with no worries for placement or integration. The black box, Figure 14: Head Subsystem Black Box Model, Ideal, specifically represents the ideal we seek under full operation with all sensor integration. The black box model, discussed above, displays the main function in the center, this being to communicate and gesture, with the various input and outputs featured on the left and right sides, respectively. These are organized by type and visually organized with these types, represented by different arrows; the first being a dashed and the second dotted; the dashed arrow represents energy types, and the dotted arrow represents signal types. This subsystem takes the inputs of electrical, mechanical, auditory, and visual. While outputting electrical, mechanical, acoustic, visual, and auditory. To see how these directly relate to the main function please see the functional model section.
Torso: The main functions of the torso system are to house the computer of the robot, electrical components, and provide a structure for the arms and head. The torso sub team developed the following black model for the torso system. The main function of the torso is to provide structural stability. The purpose is to connect all the components together, the arms, head and base. The above black box model shows the material, energy, and signal inputs and outputs of the system. There is no material going into or out of our system, but there are energy and signal inputs and outputs. The torso also needs to have wires running up through it, from the base, in order to provide power to the arms and head systems and the electrical components that are in the chest area. This leads to an electrical energy input and thermal energy and electrical energy output. The electrical components in the chest are going to require a signal to operate, so that leads to a discrete binary signal input. The signal output is visual, because the torso team modeled the torso after a human torso.
Arms: The arm functions were broken down into a simple system, requiring minimal inputs. Evaluating the figure below, the arm system has an electrical input in the form of wires and Arduino boards. The motors and Arduino boards receive electricity from the wires in order to rotate the arm. The Arduino boards send a control signal from binary code in order to actuate the motors. The two inputs of electricity and control signals allow for the arms to produce mechanical rotation along with visual and auditory signals. The motors rotate the arm which can then gesture towards people in a visual fashion. The mechanics of the arm produce some small sound and a little heat in the form of thermal energy.
Legs: The main function for the base is the travers indoors and outdoors, aside from supporting the rest of the robot. The materials going in will be metal, plastic, and rubber and coming out will be the completed base. The energy going in will be from some sort of battery and coming out will be torque and heat. Lastly, the signal in will be from a remote control, and coming out will be movement.
Concept Generation (click me)
Concept Generation (click me)
Concept generation, involves creating multiple preliminary ideas based of the previously established customer and engineering requirements. In order for brainstorming to work efficiently, multiple concepts are necessary for evaluation. After each subteam generated a wide variety of designs they go though an engineering evaluation for a final design concept. Each subteam created numerous concepts but three main designs were chosen for evaluation.
bill of materials (click me)
bill of materials (click me)
Bill of Materials, is detailed list of necessary items for construction. The BOM consists of materials necessary, their respective descriptions, price or price range, and quantity required. When all materials are listed out, engineers can properly budget and plan future purchases accordingly. Attached is our finalized BOM which includes all of the materials each subteam utilized as well as their total pricings. Note: the BOM was continuously updated through the whole design process.
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