The Arduino is able to be programmed to send the AEV to a relative position or an absolute position based on the location of the AEV. This is done by counting the marks determined by the rotation of the wheels. 1 full rotation is equal to about 8 marks. In Lab 02, external sensors are attached to the arm of the AEV to sense the reflective tape on a wheel to count the marks. The external sensors are first checked using the reflective sensor test to make sure the Arduino knows which way the AEV is moving. The part B of this lab was observing the different types of propellers in a wind tunnel and then calculate data such as propulsion efficiency, thrust, propeller advanced ratio, etc..
The group used Sketchbook to test if the sensors were working properly. The important takeaway was troubleshooting the errors with the sensors so, in future labs, the sensor errors won’t be a major issue. The part B section of this lab gave the team an idea on which propeller preforms the best under which conditions.