Getting along

We are currently getting along in many ways. Getting along with the challenge mainly, working out where our strengths are, how we can best use our time and how we can communicate with one another so that everyone can feel heard but we actually reach a decision.

The scale of the challenge is rapidly becoming clear. it has taken forever to get to a stage where we feel we can begin, but we are getting there, making slow but steady progress.

The field table is finally finished so our robot has somewhere to work. We used the pattern from the Inventioneers which is called a stow-and-go table. The whole thing is made from foam rather than wood so it's light enough to carry, and it folds in half so we can store it. this is really important as we are meeting in someone's home so we need to leave as little mark as possible!!

The field kit is also finished but not installed yet. Jadzzy has taken the mat home to put all the sticky pads on that need to be added so the bits of lego don't move and Blood Diamond and Lewis have finished the field kit and it will be added next week.

The programming is a massive challenge, as is getting the programming and robot design to work together. This weeks 'heated debate' and opportunity to learn how to communicate came in the form of wheels v's tracks for the robot. This was (eventually) settled by B.J.P who did some controlled comparisons on speed, manouverability and accuracy. The results are in the two videos below.

http://youtu.be/XlYxhIYhS4o


http://youtu.be/rpV8-0oIfCw

There is a third design possibility we are going to test next week. In the meantime the three programmers have taken home various bits of the field kit and have attempted to programme the robot to complete that particular task. We await the results with bated breath. The three designers are busy coming up with ideas for adaptations to the robot that can be used to solve the tasks in the field.

The project team are also getting along. Q-Man seems to have found some inspiration and is busily script writing and dishing out parts. Our senior partner Julie is coming to talk to us on Monday so we can nail the first two thirds of the presentaiton hopefully by Wednesday. With luck and a bit of hard work the presentation will be finalised in the next couple of weeks so we can practice, practice, practice.