Grade 11
Elevator
For this project our class teamed up with the company Phidgets who manufactures GUI widgets that can connect digital to analog outputs and inputs and and is used by many companies and organizations such as NASA, IBM, Apple and many more companies. Myself and Mike had the task of lifting a half-a-pound of sugar and lift it to three floors using the phidgets technology. We used the Phidgets VINT hubs and DC motors and used python code and buttons to achieve this task. Our Elevator was built a bit messy nicknamed "The Tower of Terror" however our elevator was very stable and able to complete the challenge successfully. We also used 3D printed materials for our pulley system which worked very well and improved our knowledge of the 3D printers.
Santa inc.
The Santa Inc project was purposed to create a toy that involves electronics and showcase it to a class of fourth graders and get their feedback. Myself and Braden created a company for the project and named it Hadron. We wanted to make a safe,compact,functional,multi-purpose and simple and easy product. We initially wanted it to have a foldable case and be durable enough to withstand many drops without the screen cracking or the device breaking. We 3D printed a plastic frame and skeleton to hold all the components together: The screen, Lithium-ion rechargeable battery and the main computer being the Raspberry Pi 3 B+. We ran into many issues trying to get the touchscreen display to work with the Raspberry Pi as all of the drivers were out of date. We spent many weeks trying to solve this issue and even tried switching operating systems to an OS created by Microsoft, as we figured that it is a bigger company than Raspberry Pi and helped to invent the modern day computer alongside companies such as Apple and IBM. We were mistaken as none of the people at Microsoft knew about their own operating systems and we eventually ditched the idea and switched back to Raspbian. We decided to get the operating system working and we would hook it up to an external display since we could not get the touchscreen to function the way we wanted. To make up for this downside we decided to focus a lot on our advertising and marketing and focus on our strengths compared to the competition such as: compact size and can fit in most pockets, extraordinarily simple but functional software targeted towards their age group and our design of Red and Black colours and good branding and packaging. We named our product the Atom as we wanted to stick with the theme after calling our company Hadron and how our product is more portable than our competition. When we came to present the fourth graders really liked our product and had fun playing games like Minecraft. The results came in for which product was the best and we either came second place.
Nothing But Net
In our Nothing but net challenge myself and Eli worked together to create a robot which launched balls into a net while competing against another team (similar to soccer or hockey). We used tracks which would carry the ball onto a belt which would then dump the ball into the net. Our robot was unsuccessful in picking up any balls and scoring due to the bult being to high up to reach the ball. Our robots base was very durable due to us using wood as a base which held the motors and wheels although the rest of our robot used tape and hot glue and had to be repaired constantly. We could have designed the track better too and used better materials because it was very difficult to bring the ball onto the track of the robot due to the shape and design of the track. Our autonomous code worked better than expected and came close to picking up a ball. Our robot worked well but had it been designed better it would have been successful
Tallest Tower
Our first design challenge was to work with the grade 10s and build the tallest tower with the materials given such as blocks and lego. we built our tower but we built it on a wobbly table and it broke and was hard to build tall and we should have built on the ground or a stable table. We made a few iterations to the design to make it taller but sacrificed stability. Our design was not the tallest but also not the shortest.
Robot Arm
Our second design challenge in Mechatronics 20 was to make a robotic arm. First we had to draft blueprints then make a 3D CAD model in Fusion 360. After we decided on a design and we began making a prototype with no electronics. Our arm's first attempt it picked up the cup but dropped it shortly after due to our handle being too short. Our arm was considerably simpler to use than other groups due to it having only one handle which opened and closed the claw and moved the arm forward and backwards while other groups had large and heavy arms with two or more handles and very big and clunky and hard to use while ours was simple to use and light. We also added coloured elastic bands to add strength and appeal to the arm and pencil crayons which work as hinges and also make the arm more appealing. For our design we mainly used hot glue to make the arm look cleaner and used tape only for the claw. With the coloured elastics,pencil crayons and mostly hot glue our arm looked a lot better than all of the other groups which were a boring brown and beige colour and caked in tape. Next time we were to do this we would add a formal grip for your second had to hold and keep the arm stable.
Grade 10
Project X-51
Project X-51 was a robotic challenge where we simulated building a rover to go on Mars and pick up and return objects. My group included Myself, Braden and Jacob. Each group had a budget of mechatronics currency and we had to buy all our materials and if we were delayed to test our rover we got a financial penalty. Our rover was successful in grabbing objects and scored some points.
Passion Project
Myself and Jacob are currently in the process of creating a rover capable of preforming tasks such as soil samples. At the moment we have the frame for the rover welded. Next we need to weld a camera stand and a surface for the arm and camera stand to stay on and a holder for the wheels and motors. Below is Jacob cutting a piece of metal so we could weld and get the correct measurements.
Video Game
Our fifth design challenge was to make a video game and a story to go with your video game. Me and my partner Braden developed a video game titled "Eli Zabeth: Communist Destroyer". The story takes place during the cold war between the U.S.A and the Soviet union. Eli Zabeth is a commercial pilot and WW2 American air force pilot whose life is changed forever when the USSR bombs his hometown of Seattle and kills his family. Eli Zabeth then gets on a flight to Moscow to get revenge with some help such as Vin diesel and Harrison Ford. You can download the game by clicking the video game tab in the top right.
Hovercraft
Our fourth design challenge was to make a hovercraft prototype for the drama class so they can move their props effortlessly. Our hover craft consisted of 2 12v DC motors,Styrofoam,wood,extra large garbage bag,vex battery and 2 3D printed propellers. Once we built our hovercraft we realized their was a problem. Our propellers could not produce enough lift to lift the hovercraft off the ground due to the weight of the motors contributing the most amount of weight than any other material.
Smart House
Our third design challenge in mechatronics was to build a smart house model.Our group chose to build our house out of foam board and we used an arduino to control devices in the house. Our smart house included a rain sensor so you can see if it is raining back home and it included a flame sensor so your house does not burn down and adds extra safety to your home. we also had wireless LED lights that you can control from a remote rather than using a wired switch.
Recycled Furniture Project
In Mechatronics we had our second design challenge. We had to build a piece of furniture that could hold our weight using only recyclable materials. Our chair completed this and was able to hold our weight. We added newspaper for a cushion and for support. For a bonus, we made an Arduino that has a timer that times one minute with LED light indicators. We also added armrests to make the chair look nicer and so your more comfortable while sitting in it.Underneath the chair is reinforced with a roll of newspaper and packing cardboard.
Spaghetti bridge project
The spaghetti bridge project is one of the first projects we had to do in mechatronics. My groups spaghetti bridge is the one seen in the photo above and below this text. Our groups bridge was successful in rolling golf balls across the bridge. We used a rail system to roll the golf ball similar to a train track instead of filling the entire bridge with spaghetti. Using this rail system we were able to use less spaghetti in the bridge. The bridge also has a curved design so the ball can roll down. In the end our bridge held a few weights before in collapsed.