Annex A - Research Proposal

SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, SINGAPORE

INVESTIGATIVE SKILLS IN SCIENCE

Names:    Sunny Deshpande, Ong Jiakang Roger

Class: S2-08

Group Reference: E


Indicate the type of research that you are adopting:

[    ] Test a hypothesis: Hypothesis-driven research

[    ] Measure a value: Experimental research (I)

[    ] Measure a function or relationship: Experimental research (II)

[    ] Construct a model: Theoretical sciences and applied mathematics

[    X    ] Observational and exploratory research

[    ] Improve a product or process: Industrial and applied research



Write a research proposal of your interested topic in the following format:

Title: An investigation on the different lengths in between two mecanum wheels affecting the turning radius of a robot in 1 second  .





Question or Problem being addressed

In the future, cars can incorporate the mecanum drive to increase maneuverability while driving, reducing accidents. This can help people a lot for the handling of a the car will be greatly increased and thus they can easily make turns at awkward angles that are neccesary to get them out of harm’s way.



Goals / Expected Outcomes / Hypotheses

The larger the distance between the front and back wheels, the higher the radius of the turn the robot makes in one second


Description in detail of method or procedures (The following are important and key items that should be included when formulating ANY AND ALL research plans.)


Equipment list:  

Item                                                         (Quantity)                                                   [Status]
- Protractor                                                                  (1)                                       [Acquired]
- Measuring tape                                                         (1)                                       [Acquired]
- Log Book                                                                   (1)                                       [Acquired]
- 3-Pin Plug Adapter {Singapore}                                (2)                                       [Acquired]
- VEX Cortex Microcontroller                                       (1)                                       [Acquired]
- VEX 7.2V Robot Battery NiMH 3000mAh                  (1)                                       [Acquired]
- VEX Smart Charger v2 w/ Power Cord Options        (1)                                       [Acquired]
- VEXnet Joystick                                                         (1)                                       [Acquired]
- VEX AAA NiMH Rechargeable Batteries 6-Pack       (1)                                       [Acquired]
- VEX 8-Bay AA/AAA Smart Battery Charger              (1)                                       [Acquired]
- VEX VEXnet USB Adapter Keys                               (2)                                       [Acquired]
- VEX 2-Wire motor 393                                               (4)                                       [Acquired]
- VEX Motor Controller 29 2-Wire                                (4)                                       [Acquired]
- VEX Screw 8-32 1.500”                                             (20)                                     [Acquired]
- VEX Screw 6-32 0.500”                                             (10)                                     [Acquired]
- VEX Keps Nut 8-32                                                   (30)                                     [Acquired]
- VEX Axle 5 inch                                                         (4)                                      [Acquired]
- VEX Shaft Collar                                                        (16)                                    [Acquired]
- VEX 2x2x35 Angle                                                     (2)                                   [Need to Order]
- VEX 1x5x35 C-Channel                                             (4)                                   [Need to Order]
- VEX 3-Wire 6-Inch Extension Cable                          (4)                                   [Need to Order]





Diagram:






• Procedures: Detail all procedures and experimental design to be used for data collection

1) Build robot with a mecanum drive, adjusting the wheels as close as possible to each other
2) Insert program into robot to turn clockwise for 1 second
3) Place robot on Mahjong paper
4) Draw a straight line along the front width of the robot to make a ‘Starting Line”
5) Run program ensuring all motors on the left side are turning at 150 Rpm
6) After the robot has turned for 1 second according to the program, turn it off
7) Draw another line along the front of the robot to make a “Ending Line”
8) Extend the two lines until they meet
9) Measure the angle in between the “Starting Line” and the “Ending Line”
10) Record findings in Log book
11) Increase distance in between each wheels by 5 millimeters
12) Repeat steps 3 to 12 , only keeping the “Starting Line” and erasing the “Ending Line”

• Risk and Safety: Identify any potential risks and safety precautions to be taken.

- Robot ramming into a person foot. (Solution: Advise people to stay away during experiments)






• Data Analysis: Describe the procedures you will use to analyze the data/results that answer research questions or hypotheses
1) Look into the results collated.
2) Analyse the results via a table.
3) Determine if the experiment needs to be repeated.
4) If needed, repeat experiment and steps 1 to 3. If not needed, move on to step 5.
5) Post results of experiment to the blog .
6) Conclude the experimental phase by providing a conclusion to the investigation.



D. Bibliography:

1. Wikipedia(2013, July 16). Mecanum Wheel. Retrived from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mecanum_wheel .

2.ThinkTank (2013,July 21). Simplistic Control of Mecanum Drive. Retrieved from http://thinktank.wpi.edu/article/182 .


3.EyeBot. (2013, July 18). Omni-Directional Vehicles. Retrived from http://robotics.ee.uwa.edu.au/eyebot/doc/robots/omni.html

4. Alibre. (2013, July 22) Case Study: Mecanum Wheel Rover. Retrieved from http://www.alibre.com/success/cs/madox.asp

5.Academia.Edu.(2013,July 22) Practical Applications for Mobile Robots based on Mecanum Wheels-a Systematic Survey. Retrived from http://www.academia.edu/1079875/Practical_Applications_for_Mobile_Robots_based_on_Mecanum_Wheels-a_Systematic_Survey

1 comment:

  1. Please post your proposal by Tues so that I can comment on it.

    ReplyDelete