Since Watt’s Laundry is based on the same modeling as services such as Über and Lyft, we’re looking for local drivers to pick-up and return laundry when customers place their orders. A simplified version of our ideal vehicle and system description can be seen below, keep in mind that this vehicle would vary widely from driver to driver. Our team designed a vehicle that fit our systems user needs along with the scale and track we were given. Our most important user needs were efficiency, user-friendly, and 24-7 service. From these user needs we created system requirements that aided our vehicle success towards meeting our user needs. These system requirements include wheel weight distribution, energy use, hills, size of a load of laundry, vehicle size, length of one charge, time to dismantle and stopping precision. Our car needed to be able to carry a significant amount of laundry and the weight distribution of the vehicle was important to insure the safety of our customers clothing. Stopping precision was also important because our vehicle would be driving in crowded areas and the safety of the citizens and our drivers are important. Our company wanted to design a small vehicle so gas was saved and our employees could easily drive around the small streets in Columbus.
Figure 1: Final draft of vehicle/system concept
Figure 2: Dimensioned SolidWorks drawing of Watt’s Laundry PV assembly
Above Solidworks drawing of our final vehicle. Our vehicle is held by a Support arm that is attached to two wheels. The vehicle hangs from the track by the support arms and the wheels attached to the arm. The arm is then attached to a cross flooring. The Arduino Nano is the device that controls the vehicle. The vehicle moves using two fans that the Arduino Nano controls. Finally, the vehicle is powered by a battery. The battery holder, the fans, and the Arduino Nano are attached to the bottom of the cross. In figure 2, an isometric drawing of our final vehicle is shown along with the bill of materials used in creating this vehicle.
Figure 3: Drawing of original PV assembly with bill of materials.
Below is the scorecard for our vehicle. This scorecard evaluates our system towards the vehicle/system requirements our team created. In the end, our vehicle was able to meet each vehicle requirement and got an overall score of 100. Our vehicle was able to hold over 400 grams of weight, was smaller than 22x23x35 cm, used less than 40% power, had a stopping precision of 0.7-in, was able to make it up a hill in 30% of power, had a 10 degree weight distribution from the vertical, could be dismantled in one minute, and could run for five minutes on one charge.
These vehicle requirements were tested through several different tests. In order to determine which breaking method was most accurate our team conducted a braking method test where we accelerated both motors to 25% in 3 seconds. Then, we ran all motors at 25% for 1 second and 20% for the next 2 seconds. After that, we reversed all the motors then ran all motors at 25% for 1 second. In the end, we braked all the motors. After that, to test stopping precision, hill climbing, efficiency and carrying the load. We ran all motors at 40% then reversed the motors to counter the inertia created to stop the vehicle then stop it for 8 seconds before the stop sign comes up and continue. We tested all these factors with a program designed to test all these aspects, with weights placed on the vehicle and tested on the track with a hill to simulate the hill climbing. Our team then tested the length of one charge by placing our vehicle on the circle track and having it go for 6 minutes. Our team then measured the weight distribution of our vehicle and then did a timed dismantlement test. Overall our vehicle passes all of the test and got a score of 100 on the score card below.
Table 1: Final Verification Scorecard
The code for the vehicle requirement tests is shown below.
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Software Code
The Two Codes used for testing brake mechanism:
Coasting Stopping Mechanism:
motorSpeed(4,25);
goToAbsolutePosition(250);
Reverse Stopping Mechanism:
motorSpeed(4,25);
goFor(5);
reverse(4);
motorSpeed(4,40);
Code used for Testing Stopping Precision and Hill:
motorSpeed(4,40);
goFor(4.5);
celerate(4,40,0,1.5);
reverse(4);
motorSpeed(4,35);
goFor(1.5);
motorSpeed(4,0);
goFor(7);
reverse(4);
motorSpeed(4,35);
goFor(3);
celerate(4,35,0,4);
While Watt’s Laundry is currently planned to be available at the OSU campus, as shown in the figure below displaying the planned route, at time goes on Watt’s Laundry will be expand into a nationwide service.
Figure 2: Model route of service based on OSU campus
As for how the system works, it’s fairly simple. A user will collect their laundry into custom bag given to them by our company and then through our app, request for a local driver to pick the load up. The driver will receive the call, and come to the user’s location, picking up the load and taking it to back to our laundry building. After we wash the user’s clothes per their requests, another driver will return the clothing to the user. This process can happen at any time of the day, so the user doesn’t need to call at any specific time and instead, can focus on any other tasks/errands they wish to do in the meantime.
These are the pains when the user does laundry followed by gains when the user uses the service.
Pains:
| Time-consuming- due to the time needed to wash and dry, the user must wait for their laundry |
| Expensive- at OSU, the cost of washing and drying a single load is around $3 minimum |
| Inconvenience- most of the tasks require the full attention of the user so that the clothes don’t get damaged/moved around by others |
Gains:
| A decrease in stress and grades improve |
| Better diet due to more time and more money available |
| Better environment due to more controllable ways of washing/drying clothes |
The implementation of the system will help the user eliminate all the pains they face as listed above and obtaining potential gains such as a decrease in stress which could help improve grades. The user can also have a better diet as they have more money to spend. A better environment will also be possible as there would be a reduction in waste when washing clothes collectively.