Individual Concepts
To begin the AEV design process, each individual team member created their own concept sketch. These sketches were not highly precise, but allowed the team to gain a basic idea of the pros and cons different designs could have. The individual concept sketches, as well as basic descriptions of the motivations behind them and some of their pros and cons, are shown below.
Sketch 1 – Thomas Bozzi
Pros: Simple, compact
Cons: Heavy, large moment arm at the front
This sketch was designed with the motivation of keeping the AEV compact and lightweight. As a result, components are placed as close as possible to one another. Even though the design uses many parts, they are all available in the AEV design kit, meaning the design could be manufactured fairly easily.
Sketch 2 – Nick Heckman
Pros: Simple, balanced, compact
Cons: Propeller airflow blocked
This sketch was designed with stable weight distribution being one of the primary motivations. The battery is placed at the center to create a center of mass at the center of the vehicle. The design was also created with the intention of being easily manufactured, so few parts are used.
Sketch 3 – Jake Laughlin
Pros: Integrates servo, includes protective casing
Cons: Propeller airflow blocked
This design includes a metal casing around the AEV to help increase its aerodynamic ability. Unlike the other designs, it includes a servo to assist in braking the vehicle. The metal casing in this design would be constructed of lightweight sheet aluminum so as to not affect the weight of the vehicle too drastically.
Sketch 4 – Mason LaValley
Pros: Includes protective casing
Cons: Heavy, large
This design is similar to Sketch 3 in that it includes a casing that surrounds the AEV. Like in Sketch 3, this was done to improve the aerodynamic ability, although another motivation for the casing in this design was the safety of the vehicle. The casing was added to keep loose wires and other parts contained and hidden.
Screening and Scoring
Three of the four sketches were run through concept screening (Nick Heckman was not present at the meeting and so his design could not be considered), and the two most successful of these were run through concept scoring. The four criteria chosen for the screening and scoring were based on the team’s approach to the AEV’s mission. The criteria were thus chosen as follows:
- Mobility (weighted 40%)
- Stable Weight Distribution (weighted 30%)
- Propeller Efficiency (weighted 20%)
- Manufacturing (weighted 10%)
The results of the concept screening are shown below.
It was seen that Thomas’ and Jake’s designs were the most fit for future development, and so these two were then compared to the reference design through concept scoring in order to establish which of the two should be used as a baseline for the team sketch. The results of the concept scoring are shown below.
Jake’s design scored 2 points higher than the reference design, and so it was used as a baseline to develop the team concept sketch.
Team Concept
The team concept sketch included elements from all three designs that were run through concept screening. Its shape resembled Thomas’ and Mason’s designs, but it was constructed of the same metal (sheet aluminum) that was used to create the casing of Jake’s design. The weights of the Arduino and battery were distributed throughout the center, and the propellers were moved to the side to ensure as little of the AEV’s bulk would block airflow and hinder their efficiency. This team concept sketch is shown below.
