In Performance Test 3, the robot was required to begin by reading the light with the CdS cell. It then had to make its way to the top level using one of the ramps and drop the coin through the slot.
The design of the robot met all of the required specifications for this task; it was able to move and also had an arm which allowed it to deposit the coin. The build allowed for the robot to complete the tasks, however it was not entirely successful as it was not turning the correct way.
A strength from this performance test was the robot was able to drive straight so the team was able to experiment more with it. This was because the team replaced the front wheels with a skid made from wooden wheels. For the next performance test and final competition, the team will continue using the skid. Another strength was the arm was able to successfully drop the coin after the robot maneuvered based off of what the shaft encoding told it to. This helped the team have confidence in the robot’s mechanism for completing tasks. Finally, the team came into this performance test with a working code and was able to get points for it right at the beginning of class.
For the next time the robot needs to complete this task, the team will implement RPS so that it is able to correct itself while going up the ramp. This will ensure that its body does not get caught on anything and that it drops the coin directly in front of the slot. The team will also make sure to test all the features the robot needs to implement in the performance test, like driving straight six inches, to ensure all components needed for the test are working along with the actual robot’s performance.
A problem our robot experienced was that since its starting position was not the same every time it began, the robot would occasionally miss its turn for the ramp, causing it to not even drop the coin on the second level. The team plans to fix this problem by creating a starting setup out of cardboard so the robot starts at the same spot every time. Though the robot occasionally made it up the ramp, it was not consistent. This made it difficult to code so it ended up in front of the coin slot. Another problem the robot experienced was that after the arm dropped the coin, it would fall off of the servo motor all together. Though this was fine for this performance test, in the actual competition it is a large issue as it adds an obstruction on the course and the robot would not be able to complete any other tasks.
To be successful in the future, the team will address the issues above by incorporating RPS into the design and testing much more to make sure the robot ends up in the desired spot every time it is run. The team members are also going to continue to come to open lab to work together more often to have the tests and competition go as planned.