Executive Summary
Over the course of 9 weeks, the team has been developing and refining an Advanced Energy Vehicle (AEV) that will be able to transport visitors into and out of Jurassic Park. Initially, the team brainstormed potential contents that could meet the requirements outlined in the Mission Concept Review. The team then screened out sketches based on criteria such as: balance, weight, aerodynamics, and directional efficiency. Then, the team tested each design on the track, collected EEPROM data, and analyzed it through MATLAB. The results of these labs were crucial; they helped the team select the most efficient design, and warranted further development that will be used during the final performance test.
The development of this AEV is critical for Jurassic Park to open. It will allow the park to transport tourists into the park, starting at the visitor’s center. It will then approach the gate of the Park, waiting for the gate to open, ensuring that no dinosaurs escape. Next, the AEV will approach the gate, navigate to the storage facility, and pick up baby dinosaurs. It will then return to the gate, wait for it to open, and return to the visitor’s center. The AEV is essential for Jurassic Park; it will allow the transportation of both visitors and dinosaurs around the park and for customers to obtain an optimal experience. Without the AEV, visitors would have to walk, or potentially drive to various portions of the park, taking up more time and inhibiting them from seeing more sections of the park.
After screening each of the four original AEV concepts, the team found two that they wanted to further develop. These designs were tested with the identical code that took the AEV through basic functions such as accelerating, maintaining a constant speed, braking, and reversing. The results showed that the design with two propellers facing the same direction required less energy than the design with one propeller facing each direction (80 J versus 89 J respectively). This outcome was mainly due to the fact that the propellers are more efficient orientated in one direction. However, the team expects that the second design will be more efficient over the course of the entire run. When running in the reverse direction, the first design will lose most of the efficiency it acquired in the forward direction. This effect will lower its ability to complete the tasks during the second half of the run.
Based on the results from testing multiple AEV concepts, the team recommends that others should try to make the center of mass of the AEV as close to the rail as possible. When placed on the rail, these designs seem to move faster than those whose center of mass was much lower. The team also recommends that groups stick to designs that are balanced along the rail. If the AEV is leaning in a certain direction, it will lose much of its propulsion efficiency. The team experienced this first hand, testing a vertical body based design that required large amounts of energy.
Overall, the team decided to proceed with developing and coding the second design. The directional efficiency it offers accounts for the slightly larger energy consumption when compared to the second design. The first design also weighed less than the first, cutting cost on materials needed to create the vehicle. Lastly, the second concept’s design had a center of mass closer to the rail, due to the battery placement on the arm of the design. However, the team still needs to slightly modify this design to ensure it can connect to the caboose and pick up the baby dinosaurs.