Twin Tweaks ...
slope accordingly. The track was designed so that when pushed to its steepest, the ball would fly off the hairpin turn and never make it back to the ball carrier. If the track was pulled to its most gradual slope, the ball would complete its journey, but at a slow pace. Blue Steel's self-imposed challenge was to use feedback from speed sensors and ball counters to optimize the track – make it so the ball could complete its journey as quickly as possible without falling off. In four weeks, they were able to complete this gargantuan task, and they had a sculpture with programming so sophisticated it might even give the Stingray a run for its money.
Team 4 was Magnum, consisting of Eric, Javier, Daniel, and Cesa. Their sculpture included diverging paths and a harrowing labyrinth. The paths diverged by a ball tray that could change position using a servomotor controlled by a button. The guys on Team Magnum also put their newly-found AutoCAD skills to work by cutting out a team logo on the Lasercamm.
Team 5 was We The Queens, with Rocio, Carla, and Joana. Their sculpture featured a steep slalom with a catching basket. Their sculpture also included diverging paths; one was designed to achieve high speed and the other took a more languid pace. The two paths converged before a catching basket; the Queens aimed to create as big a difference in ball speeds as possible to really test the reaction of the catching basket. Despite some trying times with the speed sensors and the programming, the Queens completed their sculpture, and they successfully showcased a catching basket with a huge range of motion.
Team 6 — comprised of Stephanie, Jennifer, Su, and John — was simply Team 6, because they were too ninja for a name. Their sculpture showcased a super cool catching basket that was manually controllable using a custom control box. The ninjas of Team 6 wanted to create a catching basket that could move in both the x and y directions. They cut out a mechanism that was a combination of a rack and pinion and a scissor arm using fluo-
http://maelabs.ucsd.edu/cosmos/ www.jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/cosmos/
Dr. Nathan Delson Dr. Raymond de Callafon Brinn Belyea Zac Dooley Chris Cassidy Becky Hames And all of the Cluster 2 alumni! Special Thanks to
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rescent green acrylic that matched the coolness factor of the mechanism. To control the mechanism, the ninjas created their own control box using two potentiometers with knobs as controls. Moving trampolines created the uncertainty that would test the ninja reflexes of anyone at the controls, but the responsive mechanism allowed even the non-ninjas among us to save the yellow ball from off-track oblivion.
All That Is Or Ever Was Or Ever Will Be
The robotic sculptures were all a success, but a real engineering project involves so much more than the project itself – science is not performed in a vacuum! In addition to building the sculptures themselves, the COSMOS students also had to construct a website and prepare an oral presentation. The designs of the sculptures themselves needed to be supported by a plethora of analysis, including physics calculations and mathematical simulations. We were even able to have some fun with a high speed camera, which was ostensibly an analytical tool that allowed us to verify the results of the simulations (even though it really made us feel like we were on Mythbusters).
The websites and presentations challenged the students to hone their communication skills, because the greatest engineering solution in the world isn't great at all if you can't explain it. One of the best parts of the presentations was to see the genuine sense of pride that everyone radiated. Building a robotic sculpture with servos and sensors and programming may have seemed like an insurmountable task at the beginning, but in four weeks they built one. Plus they built a clock and designed a website!
It was undeniably a challenging and fulfilling time for everyone involved. After a barrage of lectures and lab time, all of the students had created something to be proud of. Perhaps the best thing that everyone gleaned from COSMOS was confidence. Robotics, science, and engineering are all daunting fields which many students may avoid in college because they can't imagine themselves being an engineer and solving the tough problems day in and day out. Cluster 2 posed a tough problem, and every single student came up with a creative solution that showed they really can be engineers.
If this sounds like a great opportunity for you or someone you know, check out more about COSMOS online and consider submitting an application. The application period for the 2010 program is February 1st through March 15th. Who knows ... it might just change your life. SV