Methodology of Research and Development
Research is conducted on a prototype connected to an Arduino board and is representative of an actual metro system. It is tested on a track that is 28 feet long and makes 7 stops every four feet to represent 8 miles of High Street in Columbus, Ohio. The precision of the system will be based on its ability to stop within the guidelines aforementioned. The code is programmed so that the system stops within 1-5 inches of the 4 foot goal, travels a speed that will make traveling efficient for users, and uses an optimal amount of energy to make the system run sustainably. The Arduino will be tested using reflective sensors that will count the rotations of the wheel as it travels down the track. The speed that the system moves down the track along with the time it takes the system to travel the entire 28 feet of straight track will be tested.
Verification Plan
Each test for the prototype was tested multiple times in order to ensure the accuracy of the experiment. If tests were below the range of accuracy, the prototype was reassessed and tested until the requirements came close to a score of 85 or above. The prototype was only tested on a straight track and measurements were taken in inches. The prototype should stop along the straight track eight times within the 28 feet of track to model the 8-mile path of High Street in Columbus, OH.
The top three user needs for this transportation system are reliability, economical, and understandability. Reliability is extremely important because the current state of public transportation in Columbus, OH is extremely unreliably and untimely. It is also important for the system to be economical as users must be able to afford to travel in this way. In turn, public transportation can become a smarter and more sustainable option for users. Understandability contributes to how user friendly the system is and when it is implemented users must be able to navigate it easily.
The following scorecard will be used to collect data. The scorecard contains a requirement for stopping precision, which is important for users as they must be able to step off the train and onto a platform. Limiting energy used in the metro system is extremely important in order to contribute to the sustainability and conservation of energy for the city. Therefore the prototype should run between 70 and 80 percent power. A 1% deduction will be taken from the score of the test for each percentage of power over this range. Loading time for the prototype correlates to the amount of time the train takes to stop at each station. This has been scaled to 1 to 5 seconds for each stop. Every second outside of this range would give a 5% deduction to the overall score of the test. One foot per 4 to 6 seconds is the speed requirement for the prototype. A 10% deduction will be taken from the total score of the test. This is very important for users due to the overall reliability of the system. The prototype should travel the entire length of the track in 2 to 4 minutes and there will be a 1% deduction for each second outside of this range.
The code used to test the prototype was C++. The code was created in terms of seconds in order to allow the prototype to stop and start after an allotted amount of time.
Verification Scorecard
In order to text our success, the following requirements will be used to determine the success of the prototype:
| Requirement | Vehicle Reqs | Score Rubric | Score |
| Stopping precision | 1-5 inches of 4ft | -10% per inch added | # |
| Energy use | 50 to 70 percent power | -1% for each deviation | # |
| Loading time | 5 to 10 seconds | -5% per second | # |
| Speed | 1 foot per 2 to 3 seconds | -10% for each deviation | # |
| Time of run | 2 to 4 minutes | -1% per 1 second off | # |
| Mass of Vehicle |
| Scaled | Points (100) | ||
| Stopping precision | 3’10” | 100 | |
| Energy use | 50-55% | 100 | |
| Loading time | 7 seconds | 100 | |
| Speed | 0.5 ft/sec | 100 | |
| Time of run | 1:03 | 100 | |
| Mass of vehicle | 317 grams | 100 |