The lab this week consisted of brainstorming potential designs for the AEV. The group was tasked to come up with ideas and become more familiar with the AEV kit. With all brainstorming comes conflicts. It is a goal to be able to come up with a good schematic that all of the group can agree on. To do so, everyone came up with their own individual sketches of how the AEV should be designed. Everyone got the opportunity to share their thoughts and potential ideas.
For the first design, the main features around this is the aerodynamic tip in the front. To be able to make this design the original stock board can be trimmed down or additional parts can be made either through laser printing or buying plastic material and then trimming it accordingly. The second design features a design where two sets of wheel holders are present totaling the AEV to have 4 wheels. This could either improve or hinder the AEV by making the AEV slow down faster than expected due to friction. At the same time, this can be used to the group’s advantage if the AEV was perhaps going too fast. The third design features a similar design to design one except this time there is a rounded tip and the wings branch off both ways vertically from the AEV. To make the AEV more aerodynamic this could be crucial to help with energy management and operational efficiency. Finally, the last design features a slimmed down design of design three. The difference is that the fourth design has a roof in the front of the vehicle along with its slimmed down core. To make sure the AEV meets the requirements of having a good energy management, operational efficiency and operational consistency design 4 has the best features. These features include its slimmed down core making it low weight. This low weight can contribute to lower energy costs. Also, its aerodynamic front allows the AEV to travel with no problem. This is also very important when making sure the vehicle maintains operational efficiency and consistency. Materials used in all designs feature mostly plastic attachments. These can be either laser printed or bought at a store.