Team Vision for Problem Definition Phase
During the Problem Definition Phase, we sought to organize ourselves, by assigning team roles, solidifying our vision for the overarching project, and performing extensive background research, to reduce backtracking and delays down the road. We successfully managed to achieve these goals, although we continue to research background information related to our project to improve our capacity to design and prototype in the coming project phases.Project Summary
The purpose of this project is to create a device that can both walk on land and swim through water. The project is based off previous RIT projects, specifically the Robo-ant and Robo-fish. Essentially this project is meant to combine the two projects to create an amphibious robot otter.Few amphibious robots today tend to have full integration between terrestrial and aquatic locomotion, as is the case with biological organisms capable of amphibious ambulation. Furthermore, these tend to lack agility and flexibility, and can thus not perform complex maneuvers while moving. One robot which does achieve pseudo-biological performance in this way is the “Pleurobot”, a research platform designed to mimic the physiological behavior of a salamander, however this only has planar freedom of motion while swimming.
Use Scenario
In the long term, this project could have multiple real-world uses in military and research applications. Below is an example of a research use scenario:Project Goals and Key Deliverables
The goal of this project is to design an amphibious robot which can mimic the movements of otters both in and out of water. The final product should be able to swim at the surface of water, walk on land, and transition between land and water. The expected result is a functional prototype with systems that can ultimately be used in other devices for military, investigation, and research purposes in the future.Key deliverables:
- Design documents
- Technical paper
- Working prototype
Customer Requirements (Needs)
Working Customer Requirements can be seen here: Customer Requirements
Engineering Requirements (Metrics & Specifications)
Working Engineering Requirements can be seen here: Engineering Requirements
Constraints
Factors that will limit potential designs:
- Budget: $500
- Length: Less than 36 inches with a proportional width.
- Time: Manufacturing is based on availability of machine shop. Prototype must be finalized & completed by Imagine RIT (INSERT DATE HERE).
- Form: Must be able to move on land and in the water.
- Function: Controlled by gaming controller.
- Power: Must run for at least 10 hours. This can either be off of one battery or interchangeable batteries, however, the battery should be able to recharge under 2 hours.
- Resources: Parts must be made and/or ordered.
- Regulations: Must comply with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines. As device will be in the water, it must be waterproof.
House of Quality
Working House of quality can be seen here: HOQBenchmarking
MSD team P15029: Robotic Fish Pleurobot: Biomimetic Salamander Robot MIT's Wanda a.k.a. RoboPike |
Risk Assessment
A full list of our working risk assessment can be seen here: Risk Assessment
Plans for Next Phase
Working plans for Phase II and current status can be seen here: Plans for and Progress toward Phase II
Individual Three Week Plans
Team Member |
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Amanda |
Corry |
Curt |
Ethan |
Tiffany |
Vaughn |
Home | Planning & Execution | Imagine RIT
Problem Definition | Systems Design | Preliminary Detailed Design | Detailed Design
Build & Test Prep | Subsystem Build & Test | Integrated System Build & Test | Customer Handoff & Final Project Documentation