The first performance test required the robot to activate using the sensor, raise the car jack, and travel completely up the ramp. As a bonus, the robot could touch any part of the control panel. The test occurred on February 23, 2018 at approximately 5:00 P.M.
The robot featured a fully-constructed drivetrain with four wheels and two Acroname motors. Pinwheel encoders were attached to the powered wheels and a working sensor was located on the bottom of the frame.
As development of the robot progressed and the programming was constructed, the team noticed several issues during testing runs. The robot frequently failed to turn the exact angle it was supposed to by either over or undershooting the target mark. Part of this was due to slipping on the axle and friction. The team attempted to compensate for this by adding constants to the code, but the turning, and to a lesser extent the drive methods, were simply too unreliable for a complete run. Additionally, some of the 3-D printed pieces used in constructing the robot were beginning to break or fall apart. The slipping of the axles also caused the robot to fail to drive in a straight line or drive straight up the ramp; instead, it turned violently and usually collided with a wall instead. Initially, the team took off the two unpowered wheels to try skids. This change resulted in more accurate turns, but the robot lacked the ability to travel up the ramp with skids. The team reverted back to a four-wheel-design and opted to wrap the unpowered wheels in electrical tape to remove some of the friction. An additional change included the usage of the walls to ensure 90 degree angles during the course run. While inefficient, time was used to dictate distances and turns as opposed to the encoders. The encoders were accurate enough to get a general position but failed to guide the robot to exact locations on the course.
During the actual tests, the robot activated by the sensor and traveled to the wall after making a right turn. It then attempted to travel up the ramp, but slipping occurred, preventing it from successfully traveling up the ramp completely and continuing on to the car jack.
While the robot failed to complete all of the tasks, the use of RPS in future tests will greatly aid the robot in navigation by supplementing the encoders, allowing each position to be fine-tuned before moving on to the next segment. In order to remain on schedule for the next performance test, replacement parts and the required arm components were ordered so that construction on the moving robot arm can begin.