MCR Approach

This semester our team will work on creating an electric motor-powered vehicle, called an AEV, which travels along a monorail track suspended from the ceiling. This works as the inspiration for Smart City Columbus, which aims to help the people who live in the city. People will be able to move around the city and move from their job to their home to wherever they need to go. People will not be limited to areas within walking distance of their homes. They will be able to travel all around the city.

 

Constraints on the design are [5]:

  1. Budget.  The $500,000 budget hinders the potential designs of the AEV to the materials present and available to the team.
  2. Must be aerodynamic.  The ability of the AEV to cut through the air and minimize resistance will allow for the most efficient use of energy.
  3. Functional and simplistic.  The design must be easy to understand and recreate.  It must maximize the use of its materials and be easy to explain and duplicate.
  4. Must travel quickly.  In order to transport as many people as possible, the AEV must be able to traverse the track quickly and safely.

 

 

After several lab periods have been completed, the team has decided to continue with their mission to make an energy-efficient AEV that is also functional and simplistic.  The current design (can be viewed in evolutions of design tab) is easy to assemble and requires few parts, fulfilling the simplistic part.  It is also very balanced and has a wide surface area, which can be easily used to transport people, fulfilling the functional aspect.  Additionally, this design can run at as little as 35% power, making it energy efficient.  The following data was collected from a trial run, and it shows how little energy this vehicle uses to run.  The small amount of energy helps contribute to the budget, as the vehicle can run multiple times without much cost.  Since the design is so simplistic, it can be easily mass-assembled for a small price, also helping with the budget constraint.  Since the design is so balanced and lightweight, and can move with such little power, it can move very quickly upon the addition of power.  This design allows for a quick, but safe movement across the track.