Individual Sketches:
Team Member #1 (Alix)
This design was created because the wing in the back will be aerodynamic and will not cause much resistance while moving in reverse. The motors are placed in the back, evenly spaced apart, this is so that the weight and power of the motors is distributed evenly. The battery is placed in the very front of the AEV, and the control system (Arduino) is placed in the middle, this helps to even out the weight distribution.
Team Member #2 (Rachel)
This design was developed in this manner so that the wing would make it more aerodynamic by increasing the speed using less energy; the wings would be helpful for decreasing the time it takes to break the AEV. The motor is placed near the back because it would push it forward required less energy than having them in the front of the vehicle.
Team member #3 (Cameron)
This design was fabricated to make it as aerodynamic as possible. Rutter wings were added to help the AEV slice through the air it is traveling through to provide a more efficient and smooth travel for the passengers. The sharp, sleek design of the cockpit with the fin wing on top will reduce the drag on the AEV greatly. One problem of the rutter wings is when the AEV has to go backwards, the aerodynamics of the vehicle would be reduced.
Team Member #4 (Zhi)
This was inspired by the transporting system in several big market companies. The fans were replaced with wheels and motors as propelling system because former system may not be powerful enough when encountering a high degree slope. For stability, two bearings were combined together to allow the lower part to freely move. As result, no matter if the vehicle is ascending, descending, accelerating, decelerating or making sudden turns, nothing will fall out of the vehicle.
Final Sketch of AEV:
The fundamentals of each sketch were analyzed as a team to decide what components and ideas work well in each design. The team then sat down and produced a sketch of the final AEV design. It was decided that to create the most efficient vehicle, aerodynamics and weight had to be the main focus. Included in the final design is a sharp, streamline cockpit with a sleek fin wing on top. Rutter wings were the next order of business, and to accommodate reduction in aerodynamics for the backwards movement the team designed a wing that is aerodynamic in both directions of travel. Sharp endpoints were also added near the back of the AEV by the motors to decrease the drag in that area. The front of the AEV is designed to be a bit heavier to balance out with the weight of motors. This weight distribution will decrease the lift underneath the AEV in both directions.