D. Evolution of Design

The design underwent some changes from the first performance test to the second performance test. During the first performance test, the team was not concerned with connecting to the caboose nor traveling back up the incline to return the starting dock. For this reason, the original design did not include the metal magnet the final design includes. As the team moved on to the second performance test, we became concerned with attaching to the caboose. This is where the design incorporated a metal magnet that can be seen in the final design. When the team began working on the final performance test, the vehicle was originally unable to travel back up the incline due to the added weight of the caboose. In order to resolve this issue, the team extended the wings of the vehicle to place the motors further outward and away from the AEV-caboose system in order to allow for more air flow as the caboose was blocking the majority of air flow. The metal magnet was also extended to connect to the caboose and allow for increased air flow. Both of these revisions proved to be beneficial as the AEV was able to travel up the incline.