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The next steps for our project are improving our ability to climb and adapting our design to be able to climb vertical walls of varying distances. In terms of improving our climbing ability, we have identified increasing our output force. The simplest way to increase output force is to use a strong motor. A stronger motor would transmit more force into our robot which would in turn allow our robot to output more force. Another method would be to reduce the friction within our design so our force efficiency is increased. This could be accomplished by allotting a small clearance between the gears, links and base plates to reduce friction. As a result, the same input force would produce a greater output force. For adapting our design to allow for varying distances, we would need to modify our design to be able to extend to the desired distance. However, this would not be the priority for improve our design. The improvements to our robots climbing ability would be the first step to take our design to the next level.
Lessons LearnedThroughout the course of our project we ran into several hiccups and
- For our final design, it was important to take into account what materials we used because when large forces were applied, material strength, friction factor, and other properties impacted how well our design works.
- Even with excellent planning and designing, we still had to revise our plan and design as parts did not manufacture perfectly and some parts that worked in SOLIDWORKS did not work as well in real-life.
- We learned to leave more than enough time to manufacture and assemble because both took substantially longer than expected.
- We learned to design with assembly in mind especially for complex designs as a result of us struggle to assemble our design which we did not originally account for.
- Determine and order what parts are needed early because without essential parts assembly can be delayed.
Tips for Future Groups
- Start as early as possible because it will most likely take longer than expected and you want to leave time for unanticipated problems.
- Have an honest conversation with your group about strengths and weaknesses, so that way each member can help the group in the best way they can.
- When designing, take into account how hard it will be to manufacture because even if it works in CAD, it will likely be much harder to assemble in real life.
- Ask others for advice because your professor, TA, and other students can give valuable insight on your project.
- While brainstorming ideas, be creative but also realistic. Your idea should be creative, useful, and interesting but also doable within the time frame.
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This project has been a long but rewarding process that has helped us all grow as engineers, and we would like to thank Professor Symmank, Connor Henning, and Texas Invention Works. Professor Symmank was vital in supplying us with the knowledge we needed to carryout the analysis and design of our robot. Connor Henning, our TA, consistent gave us invaluable advice on how to improve our design which ultimately allowed us to create our working final product. Connor Hennig. Lastly, Texas Invention Works was our one stop shop for everything we needed to assemble our design. This project would not have been possible without all of the help we received, so thank you once again to all of you.