Previous Designs
Justification:
In this design, the AEV focuses on transporting similar more people at a time. The design is made to resemble a gondola which is very effective in ski resorts and in some ski towns. The vents in the front are made to ensure the controller and battery do not overheat. Additionally, the battery and controller are positioned underneath the floor to make room for more passengers. Lastly, the wheels are positioned in the center for stability and safety.
Justification:
The premise behind this design is that I wanted to use as little resources as possible and wanted to make it as small as possible. Also, I wanted it to resemble an airfoil, in that a majority of the bulk in the front and it slims down towards the back.
Brayden Skall Design:
Justification:
Build a working AEV in very small form factor using the parts already in the kit. Tried to make more thin by mounting controller and battery on the side rather than on a plate below. Limited on how narrow it can be by the size of the fan blades.
Sean Jones Design:
Justification:
- AEV design sketch attempts to achieve lightweight efficiency through the sparing use of materials.
- Parts used to house motors are angled wings that should be aerodynamic when traveling across the monorail thus decreasing energy output.
- The battery is centralized on the AEV to even out the distribution of weight and to offer proximity to the motors.
- The controller is located on the front end of the AEV. Due to design limitations in the form of real estate and weight distribution, the controller was allocated to this position.
Final Design
The final design was based on Brayden Skall’s initial design. It has the same goals of only using the AEV parts provided and creating a thin design. The design’s balance was improved by having the Arduino and battery on opposite sides. Additionally, extra nuts were added between the track arm and the base to ensure the wheels lay at the AEV’s center of mass.