wausau west eurekafest presentation

Semi-Autonomous Snowblower

Wausau West High SchoolWausau, WI

Theran Peterson

insert pictures

14jawaldman

These are essentially our goals we were trying to reach no necessarily what we did reach

14brollhoff

Once we have all of the decals on the final prototype I will take some pictures and highlight the frame on this slide. And I will complete this slide.

14brollhoff

These are the stats from the previous snow blower. Pipp and I did the test in the parking lot above the baseball diamonds.

14etklein

I am going to begin entering rough transcripts for the presentation in the notes section of the slides

Justin Lai

Thank you! Make sure to get to a point where you do not rely on the notes. They will not be available to you during the actual presentation.

14etklein

is this just from our discussion or what we wanted? perhaps we should consider making a slide about ideal stats and then one about actual facts on current model

14etklein

was this a best estimate? we have no calculable or physical data for this

14etklein

where did we get this stat? this isn't true for our current model

Justin Lai

You have a great start! Pictures of the team working would be great. The next step is to either put a rough transcript of what you will say for each slide in the Notes section OR place in a Google Doc (either new, or you can use the project description)

Our TeamTeacher

● Theran Peterson

Members● Angela Campbell, Jacob Pippenger, Brandon Ollhoff,

Ethan Klein, Ben Miller, James Waldman, Blake Sherfinski, Noah Hessel, Mitchell Mosure, Justen Toivonen, Noah Dreikosen, Parker Daley

City Population● 40,000

School Population● 1,400

2014 Total Snowfall● 84 inches (58” avg in last 40 years)

Wausau, Wisconsin

Justin Lai

Good to list snowfall! (Maybe have other winter-cities' numbers on hand. Boston? Toronto? Buffalo?)

Project History● Project Lead the Way - Engineering Design and

Development (EDD)● Two to three person teams working on problem solution● Brandon Ollhoff, James Waldman, and two others

developed a RC snow plow● Scheduled daily class time

Project ValidityCreate a device designed to reduce or eliminate injuries

and fatalities associated with snow removal.

According to Colorado State University approximately

of the United States receives 15 or more inches of snow

annually.

Technical Overview - Key Specs

Battery● When clearing up to 3” of snow, the machine will run for at least one hour

Auger● When clearing up to 3” of snow, the machine will throw snow at least 15 ft

Autonomy● The machine will deviate no more than six inches from the intended path

First PrototypePurposePlow snow via RC to reduce injuriesFeatures

● Electric wheelchair base ● 24V electric drive system● Custom fabricated plow● RC control

Limitations● Poor snow removal on uneven

surfaces● Non-variable speed control● Lack of traction

http://youtube.com/v/5PPB5CziB0U

Navigation PrototypePurposeTest autonomous control methodFeatures

● VEX robotics hardware● RobotC programming

Limitations● Oscillation across path● Difficult to scale up

o Driveway modification requiredo Snow on path

http://youtube.com/v/Lg3yU2ln1i4

Drive PrototypePurposeIncorporate variable speed controlFeatures

● Variable speed RC control ● Custom frame

Limitations● No autonomous operation

http://youtube.com/v/8i1gyBlAio8

Second PrototypePurposeIntegrate blower onto drive prototypeFeatures

● 24V blower motor ● 24” snow blower unit ● 12” all terrain tires● Additional run time

Limitations● Rigid frame prevented operation over

uneven surfaces● Small rear castor often got stuck

http://youtube.com/v/IIXCP0vw1HA

Second Prototype RevisionPurposeImprove traction and control on uneven surfacesFeatures

● Larger castor trail wheel● Blower unit horizontal pivot

Limitations● Blower rode up snow bank ● Weak frame

http://youtube.com/v/4mKBcUoUI9E

Final PrototypePurposeRefine and condense frame and blower mount structureFeatures

● Custom frame ● 24” blower unit ● Custom 24V battery packs● 16” all terrain tires ● Semi-autonomous control● Improved weight distribution

Limitations● Inconsistent playback of path

recording● No chute control

Justin Lai

Great to see all the prototypes! Perhaps in a backup slide or just for your own documentation, have a chart that summarizes the purpose and problems/lessons learned of each prototype. Showing that to the Excite teachers would be wonderful.

Theran Peterson

insert new picture and edited video w/ sponsor pictures on

http://youtube.com/v/jVQnadhAQEU

Technical Overview - Autonomy

Path ProgrammingPath defined by GPS waypoints

Path executed by comparing live GPS and compass data to next waypoint

More difficult due to extensive programming requirements

Path LearningPath defined by recording RC and sensor data

Path executed by playing back recorded RC and sensor data

Less difficult due to relative ease of programming

Technical Overview - ControlRC

TransmitterRC

ReceiverAutonomy Controller

Motor Controllers

Technical Overview - Electronics

Theran Peterson

insert wiring schematic/electronics pictures

Technical Overview - Schematic

AdministrativeSchedule● Flex mod system •

● One scheduled hour per week •

● Unstructured work time •

● Weekends & school nights

Finances● Grant money ($8,000) used for small parts, travel, and

incidentals

● Involvement with Lemelson-MIT program served to

open doors for community involvement and support

○ Donated goods and services valued over $10,000

● Crowdfunding via

Communications

● Social media

● WausauWestInvenTeams.com •

● Local area news

Justin Lai

Maybe a screenshot of the blog instead of this graphic? fb/twitter icons are ok

● Wisconsin Association of School Boards Annual Education Conference - Milwaukee, WI

● Mid Grant Technical Review/Wausau West Technology Education Open House - Wausau, WI (~200)

● Marathon County Retired Educators Association - Wausau, WI (~30)

● Town of Texas Lions Club - Wausau, WI (~20)

● Wisconsin Technology Education Association Spring Conference - Wisconsin Dells, WI

● Wausau School Board Monthly Meeting - Wausau, WI (~50)

● Ariens Company - Brillion, WI

● MIT Club of Wisconsin Annual Technology Awards - Milwaukee, WI (~40)

● Autonomous Tractor Corporation - St. Michael, MN

● End of Year Presentation - Wausau, WI (~30)

Presentations/Travel

Next Steps● Pulley cover

● Chute flap actuator

● Safety system

● Lighting system

● User interface

Future Teams Advice● Get underclassmen involved

● Structured work/class time

● Diverse team with multiple talents

● Set money aside for fast shipping

● Engage the community

Justin Lai

With such a great amount of support, maybe you can have a slide or bullets that talk about advice on how to engage the community, perhaps in an area that hasn't been primed yet to support a high school invention group.

wausau west eurekafest presentation

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