Lesson 16

Milestone 3: Ideate

Explore triangle types, the unit circle, and motion strategies

Key Deliverables:

Motion placement notes (where the user’s motion fits on the circle)
Annotated sketches of possible robot arm solutions, showing triangle types and key angles
Preliminary Math Reasoning: Which triangle or function is needed
Updated “need-to-know” list and research summary on existing solutions

Triangle Checkpoint: Applying Trig, Constraints, and User Feedback to Robotic Design

How can we use design constraints to model, solve, and justify the motion of a robotic arm, and how can user feedback help us refine our design to better meet real-world needs?

Learning Intentions:

Apply trigonometric relationships (SOHCAHTOA and Law of Cosines), identify and classify triangle types in robotic arm sketches, model and justify robotic arm motion with triangles, select and justify appropriate trig methods, evaluate and refine designs using criteria and constraints, and develop targeted user feedback questions to ensure their design is user-centered and ready for iteration.

Today's Concept:
You've done the math. You've drawn the sketches. You've learned the decision trees. Today, you put it all together. You are no longer students practicing problems; you are engineers pitching a preliminary design.

Your goal today is not just to show that your robot can reach a point, but to explain how you know it can, and why your design is the right solution for your user. You will present your strategy to your 'engineering colleagues' for critical feedback. This is how real engineering works: design, justify, review, and refine.

SOHCAHTOA