Integrated Design Project V2.0
In the integrated design project (IDP) students work in teams of 6 to develop an autonomous robotic system to solve a problem inspired by a real-world challenge. This will require the development of hardware, electronics and sensing and the accompanying control and software systems. After 4 weeks there are competitions to assess the performance of the robots developed.
There are four weekly timetables sessions:
- Thursday 9-11
- Monday 11-1
- Tuesday 9-11
- Wednesday 9-11
The EIETL is open 8am-5pm, and can be used during these times. The Dyson Centre is also available for use, however there is only technician support (which limits when some equipment can be used) for limited periods. The laser cutter can be used 8am-5pm, and the 3D printers likewise. If you require out-of-hours access to the Dyson Centre, you must fill in the relevant forms.
It is expected per week you spend twice the scheduled time on this project. You must use your university card to sign in for the lab before five past the hour of the official start of the session. Failure to do so will mean you are not marked as attending the lab. Even when not working in the EIETL you must head there first to sign in.
A copy of the presentation given in the first lecture can be found here.
The full timetable of events and deadlines is given below in the schedule and deadlines section.
Aims & Objectives
The key aim of the project is to develop an understanding of systems design and integration and also project management and team work skills to design and manufacture a system. In particular, this involves:
- developing an understanding for systems design and systems integration.
- appreciating the importance of co-ordinated teamwork and project management.
- applying and integrating the engineering principles taught in Part I.
- understand how to produce detailed design proposals.
- gaining experience of building and testing a system once it has been designed.
In this project, rapid-prototyping techniques are used which enables quick development, integration and testing of systems and allows for multiple iterations of the system to be produced.
Task and Team Allocation
Each IDP cohort has a different task and rules set. A challenge set will be produced for each group, and the current (and existing challenges) can be found here:
with the team allocations give here:
- Michaelmas 2018 Team Allocations
- Lent 2019 L1, Team Allocations
- Lent 2019 L2, Team Allocations
If you have any questions about the task, please email Dave Patterson (dip26) and Josie Hughes (jaeh2).
Project Management
Team work is key to the success of this project. Teams should elect one team leader during the first session. This is an integrated design project. Therefore, the main key elements (mechanics, electronics and software) cannot be considered in isolation, and for successful integration teams members cannot just be aware of one of these elements. However, it may be useful to loosely assign two team members to each of these areas, with the understanding that communication and inter-disciplinary work is required. Additionally, the project may require agile distribution of the work force, for example with a greater focus on mechanical first to get a chassis built to enable successful integration. There is a project management session at 2pm first thursday. Make sure you attend this session.
Technologies & Approach
In this project, electronics and manufacturing approaches will be use which allow for rapid manufacturing, allowing for design integration and early integration of the system. At the heart of the robot will be an Arduino Mega (or direct equivalent) Micro-Controller which can be programmed in C++. Interface electronics will be created on prototyping board or vero-board, with the Arduinos providing digital and analogue interfaces.
The manufacturing techniques that will be use include:
- Laser Cutting MDF/Plywood
- 3D Printing
These rapid manufacturing approaches will be augmented by using metal parts/cross section, and fastening methods including bolting and glueing. We will also make cardboard available for creating mock-ups of the mechanical systems.
The Arduino software can be downloaded for free, and likewise a student edition of Creo/Fusion 360 CAD software can be downloaded from their website. Alternatively Solidworks can be downloaded or USB sticks from the library can be borrowed to install the software. It may be useful to download and use this software on your personal computer.
Resources
Full resources including getting started guides and a list of parts can be found online on the resources page here.
Parts Lists and Kit Lists
Full details of the available parts and datasheets can be found on the Moodle site which can be found here.
Assessment
The assessment of the course has a number of different components. These are summarised below and the weighting and deadline given. Some assessment is performed at a group level, other at a sub-group level (e.g. for the electronics/software/mechanics) and the final report is assessed individually. The weeks of the deadline correspond to the weeks into the project:
| Assessment | Weighting | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Presentation (Group) | 10% | Week 1, Tuesday |
| Initial Report (Group) | 10% | Week 2, Thursday |
| Progress Assessment (Group) | 5% | Week 2, Tuesday |
| Progress Assessment (Group) | 5% | Week 3, Tuesday |
| First Competition (Group) | 10% | Week 4, Monday |
| Final Presentation (Group) | 10% | Week 4, Tuesday |
| Final Competition (Group) | 20% | Week 4, Wednesday |
| Robot Quality (Group) | 20% | Week 5, Monday |
| Final Report (Individual) | 10% | Week 5, Monday |
Detailed requirements and examples of the materials which must be submitted can be found here. Reports and presentations should be submitted online on the IDP Moodle Page.
Schedule & Deadlines
The following table summarizes the key activities and deadlines at each session. The weeks refer to the number of week of the project - thus is you are doing the project in the second half of the term Week 1 will correspond to Week 5.
| Project Week | Day | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Thursday | 9:00: Introduction Session, LT0 14:00: Project Management Lecture |
| Monday | 11:30: Workshop Introduction (Teams 1-6), Dyson Centre 11:30: Electrical Introduction (All teams), LR3B 12:00: Software Introduction (All teams), LR3B 12:15: Workshop Introduction (Teams 7-13), Dyson Centre 14:00: CAD + Rapid Prototyping Introduction, Dyson Centre |
|
| Tuesday | First Presentation, find the timetable and room allocation here | |
| Wednesday | ||
| Week 2 | Thursday | 16:00 First Report Due |
| Monday | ||
| Tuesday | Progress Meeting with Academic , find the timetable and room allocation here (move to correct tab in s'sheet) | |
| Wednesday | ||
| Week 3 | Thursday | |
| Monday | ||
| Tuesday | Progress Meeting with Academic , find the timetable and room allocation here (move to correct tab in s'sheet) | |
| Wednesday | ||
| Week 4 | Thursday | |
| Monday | 11:00: First Competition. Find the timetable and room allocation here (move to correct tab in s'sheet) | |
| Tuesday | 9:00: Final Presentation. Find the timetable and room allocation here (move to correct tab in s'sheet) | |
| Wednesday | 14:00: Final Competition. Find the timetable and room allocation here (move to correct tab in s'sheet) | |
| Week 5 | Monday | 16:00 Final Report Deadline. Submit on Moodle. 16:00 Documentation Submission Deadline Hard copies to EIETL |
Laser cutting training sessions have been pre-booked, such that one person from each team is guaranteed a training session. If other team members wish to book other training sessions, the booking link can be found here.
Feedback
Suggestions for improvements in the organization, structure of this project, choice of hardware and also the task, would be extremely welcome. If you have any suggestions during the course, please feel free to email Dave Paterson (dip26) or Josie Hughes (jaeh2), and we will do our best to make necessary changes. Please also feel free to use the fast feedback reporting mechanism. We will send out a feedback questionnaire at the end of the course, we would appreciate all team members returning this promptly.
Contact
Should you have any questions or concerns during the project please in the first instance see a demonstrator who will be there at each lab session, the EIETL Technical Team, or email Dave Paterson (dip26) or Josie Hughes (jaeh2).