Engineering Design Teams

What makes a good teammate?

What makes a good teammate on an engineering project?

• One should always keep an open mind.  It is important to allow crazy ideas to develop. The most likely time for a creative solution to be found is early in the design process when wild ideas are expressed. 

• No one should become overly attached to any single idea - especially one they created.  It is easy to become blinded to other ideas simply because “they aren’t mine.”

• One should not become defensive regarding the opinions of others.  Defend one’s own opinions and ideas but always focus on the ultimate goal of providing the best solution possible.

• One should always stay positive, even when discussing negatives.

• Engineering is based in logic.  One should focus on factual arguments, not those based on opinions.  Emotion should not be allowed to interfere with the process.

• It is important not to be offended if disagreements occur, even if things get heated and criticisms are overly harsh.  Most engineers get passionate during design discussions and will often be very blunt. It is important not to take this personally.

• An unjustified opinion is not useful.  Team members must be able to describe WHY they like or dislike something.

• prove their idea is better!  It is important to be quantitative wherever possible.

• This is NOT rhetoric, it is engineering.  In rhetoric, the person who argues best will be most persuasive.  In engineering, the person who has the best argument will be most persuasive.  It is not the one who can speak the best but the one who can provide quantitative proof that will win an argument and prove their idea is better!  It is important to be quantitative wherever possible.

The term “quantitative” is used a lot when discussing engineering arguments or justifications, but what does this really mean? 

quan·ti·ta·tive (adj.)  

• Expressed or expressible as a quantity.
• Of, relating to, or susceptible of measurement.
• Of, or relating, to number or quantity.

Quantitative arguments are simply ones that can be measured!  In a design discussion, these are extremely valuable.  As stated above, it is important to be quantitative whenever possible.  For instance, the statement “that option is heavier, so I don’t think the extra functionality it provides is worth it,”  is not nearly as valuable as saying, “That option weighs 50% more based on my initial estimates.  Do we want to accept this additional weight for the functionality it provides?”

1.) Define the word robot

2.) Where are robots used and for what are they used?

Fun Fact:

The word robot was coined by the Czech playwright Karel Capek in 1921. He wrote a play called “Rossum's Universal Robots” that was about a slave class of manufactured human-like servants and their struggle for freedom. The Czech word robota loosely means "compulsive servitude.” The word robotics was first used by the famous science fiction writer, Isaac Asimov, in 1941. 

What are the basic components of a robot?

Body/frame: The body or frame can be of any shape and size. Essentially, the body/frame provides the structure of the robot. Most people are comfortable with human-sized and shaped robots that they have seen in movies, but the majority of actual robots look nothing like humans.  They are typically designed more for function than appearance.

Control System: The control system of a robot is equivalent to the central nervous system of a human.  It coordinates and controls all aspects of the robot. Sensors provide feedback based on the robot’s surroundings, which is then sent to the Central Processing Unit (CPU). The CPU filters this information through the robot’s programming and makes decisions based on logic. The same can be done with a variety of inputs or human commands.

Manipulators: To fulfill their purposes, many robots are required to interact with their environment, and the world around them.  Sometimes they are required to move or reorient objects from their environments without direct contact by human operators. Unlike the Body/frame and the Control System, manipulators are not integral to a robot, i.e. a robot can exist without a manipulator. 

Drivetrain: Although some robots are able to perform their tasks from one location, it is often a requirement of robots that they are able to move from location to location. For this task, they require a drivetrain.  Drivetrains consist of a powered method of mobility. Humanoid  style robots use legs, while most other robots will use some sort of wheeled solution. 

The Clawbot!