{"id":4370,"date":"2019-01-14T11:27:13","date_gmt":"2019-01-14T17:27:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/?p=4370"},"modified":"2019-03-01T10:21:59","modified_gmt":"2019-03-01T16:21:59","slug":"first-semester-engineering-students-autonomous-robot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/2019\/first-semester-engineering-students-autonomous-robot\/","title":{"rendered":"First-semester engineering students tackle autonomous robot project"},"content":{"rendered":"

Electrical, Mechanical, and Software engineering students collaborate on paper-delivering robots<\/em><\/h3>\n
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It was an ambitious project for any class. Teams of three or four students would be required to design, build, and test a self-powered robot capable of autonomously delivering a ream of paper to two multifunction printers on the Blue Level of Dunwoody\u2019s main building.<\/p>\n

Add to that a built-in safety mechanism so that it would stop moving when an object was placed in its way.<\/p>\n

And they had to do it all with a budget of only $150 to buy all the parts used in making the robot.<\/p>\n

But the project, which Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Jonathan Aurand designed, wasn\u2019t for any class: it was for Introduction to Engineering, a first-semester class offered fall 2018 for students entering Dunwoody\u2019s Electrical, Mechanical, and Software engineering programs.<\/p>\n

It was a lot to ask. But there was a reason for that:<\/p>\n

\u201cI designed this project so that it would be challenging, but achievable,\u201d Aurand said. \u201cIn the real world, engineering problems are rarely well defined from the beginning. Part of the problem-solving process is to understand what the problem is as well as the various possible paths to solve it. The goal of this project was not only for the students to learn core skills like project planning, problem solving, and teamwork, but also for them to develop an understanding of how mechanical, electrical, and electronic systems work together to accomplish the desired result.\u201d<\/p>\n

This meant that there\u2019d be a key role for all of the students no matter their major.<\/p>\n

More importantly, it meant they\u2019d learn from the beginning that their disciplines are intertwined.<\/p>\n

Putting It All Together<\/h5>\n
\"Engineering
First-semester engineering students test robotics components.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The teams started by sketching out some initial ideas by hand. They then sourced parts and refined their ideas, including the housing, sensors, motors, wheels, power source, and a method for carrying the ream of paper.<\/p>\n

Just like with real-world engineering projects, the limited budget and time-frame to complete the robot meant that they had to make difficult decisions about where to invest their time and money.<\/p>\n

Brian Gonzalez Melgar, a first-year Mechanical Engineering student, said that he and his team looked for a solution that was lightweight, reliable, and inexpensive.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started by researching many different models and designing some of our own until we could all come to an agreement,\u201d he said. \u201cWe decided on an OSOYOO robot kit that came with all of the components that we needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once they got their robot working, however, they discovered that the robot vibrated so much when it turned that the paper would fall off. To fix that, they purchased a wire letter tray and affixed it to the top plate of the robot.<\/p>\n

Donald Posterick, Software Engineering student, and his team decided that it was most important to not lock themselves into a specific solution from the beginning.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started with a rough prototype frame made out of wood so we could immediately get our sensors and electronics interfaced and then began working on the programming for it,\u201d he said. \u201cWe made iterative improvements towards the end goal with many revisions. By not worrying about perfection, but about functionality and reliability we were able to bring together the working pieces we developed into a robot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Each of the teams took different approaches, but all of them discovered that their design decisions led to certain strengths and weaknesses for their robots.<\/p>\n

The Competition<\/h5>\n