Project 22 - NASA Robotic Mining Competition

April 14, 2022
Department of Mechanical Engineering

Winter Break Overall Team Top Accomplishments

  • Helix High School Public Outreach project 01/21/22

  • Three 10th grade classes were visited as well as the MESA after-school program

  • MESA program will hold a field trip to see us on Senior Design Day as well 

  • Activities hosted: Tank showing, Driving the Drivetrain Frame around, Survey and Q&A

  • Remote Control for Drivetrain established and complete

  • Parts received for Excavation subsystem and belt assembly completed

  • Still needed (will be manufactured sunday 01/30/22 top and lower axle)

  • Excavation System Testbed and Testframe assembled, past NASA Teams gravel was taken to simulate lower layer

 

This Week’s Overall Team Top Accomplishments

  • Carrillo Elementary School Public Outreach Project completed Thursday 01/27/22

  • 28 students, 5th grade 

  • Activities hosted: Kahoot Survey game, Design your own robot (Drawings) and Q&A

  • Completing Forms needed for the Travel to Florida with Ms. Korba

  • Current Timeline: Assembly, RC Navigation Control, Autonomy for Deposition and Excavation completed by end of March (hard deadline)

  • April and May purely for troubleshooting and ensure everything runs smoothly and holding competition like trials 

  • maybe try to get Navigation Autonomy if possible

  • Decision to focus on Autonomy for Excavation and Deposition as Navigation Autonomy seems less and less realistic

  • This semester the team will hold two weekly meetings, which in the first week already showed to be more productive 

  • This semester individual assignments are all recorded on excel sheets with first weekly meeting Assignments will be given and second meeting to be a check in on progress

 

This Week’s Individual Top Accomplishments

 

  • Alyssa Brunen

  • Public Outreach Outreach

  • Helped plan & worked on PowerPoint presentation

  • Created and printed flyers for Helix Highschool 

  • Volunteered at High School outreach event

  • Volunteered at Elementary School event 

  • Took past NASA Team’s Sand and gravel and placed in a bin for excavation subsystem test

  • Zoom Meeting with Ms. Korba on all Information needed for travel to Florida

  • Created other expenses list needed for travel with Billy 

  • Picked up orders from SFF and made next order list 

  • Scheduling 2 Full Team weekly meeting through when2meet.com scheduling website to know when team is available

  • Talked to Alan Clemenson (past Team Lead) for more advice and input 

  • Created individual assignment sheet for spring semester 

  • Coordination between ME and ECE for testing next week

  • Linda Clark

  • Tested the fit of excavation prototype components

  • Manufacturing

  • Cut and inserted holes into excavation belt 

  • Waterjet and deburred Axle lugs for excavation 

  • Contacted Lester to additively manufacture final prototype excavation parts

  • Ordered components for excavation and material to manufacture top & lower axle

  • Team Outreach

  • Helped plan & worked on PowerPoint presentation

  • Volunteered at High School outreach event

  • Billy Bilicki

  • Coordinated with Helix High School principal to setup Public Outreach events

  • Coordinated with Carrillo Elementary School vice principal to setup Public Outreach events

  • Created PowerPoint presentation for both Public Outreach events

  • Presented to students at Helix High School and Carrillo Elementary School as part of Public Outreach events

  • Followed up with part distributors regarding previously ordered parts

  • Determined which battery to use to power the robot

  • Added the 22.8V, 17Ah, 15C battery to the order list

  • Updated checkbook register to reflect all expenditures

  • Nathan de Chambeau

  • Researched BP-1 Simulant substitutes

  • Worked on buy list for the chosen BP-1 substitute

  • Researched and requested quotes for the purchase of 150lb of fly ash for BP-1 substitute

  • Sterling Belaire

  • Presented to Carrillo Elementary school for public outreach event

  • Prepared final excavation parts for 3D printing

  • Test print excavation hub mount and actuator mount

  • Build excavation test bed frame

  • Discuss with ECE on load cell integration to deposition design 

  • Update BOM for Solar Turbines order 

  • Josh Dolled 

  • Attend Helix High School Public Outreach event

  • Encoder research: Not sure if encoders are necessary for current application. Encoders with open center allows for the easiest integration into the current design, but most are on backorder. Encoder resolution is also a consideration since price increases as resolution does.

  • Tested motors on ME prototype chassis and found that only one motor controller is needed to control drivetrain functions. Drivetrain motors at most draw ~8A combined together so one 12A controller will suffice. This will reduce the amount of wiring. A 60A controller can be used instead of the 12A if it’s found that motors consistently draw more than 12A continuous. Disadvantage is that you loose individual control of the motors.

  • Andrew Chung

  • Explored options for autonomous navigation without using encoders with Jean 

  • Got 14 and 16 gauge wires from job for cable harness

  • Jaquelyn Fernandez-Iniguez

  • Attend Carrillo Elementary School Public Outreach

  • Help plan activities for students

  • Load cell research and try to plan where it will be placed in the robot design

  • Work on the excavation control system

  • Email Dr. Nili for excavation suggestions

  • Update ECE BOM

  • John Paul Edwin Ventura

  • Contacted advisors for follow ups on Lunabotics logistics and various topics

  • Began work on the State Machine programing for the deposition and excavation autonomy

  • Reviewed Python with focus on State Machines 

  • Began learning how to use NX Siemens for planning the rovers wiring diagrams

  • Currently working on Scheduling for the ECE team meetings for weekly or biweekly meetings, with advisors along with working on control systems coding.

  • Jean Michel Vives

  • Verified linear actuator and brushed dc motor control

  • Going to start documentation of entire electrical system

  • Communicating with ME team to ensure successful testing of the excavation rig

  • Assisted with completing next ECE hardware Bill Of Materials

  • Working on getting arduino scripts ready to be integrated into the ROS project

  • Looking into finite state machine to implement autonomous dogging and autonomous dumping

  • Completed initial revision of teleoperation using ROS and Jetson nano to control brushed DC motors



Current Project Issues

  • N/A

Current Schedule Status

  • Excavation Subsystem Testing begin (to determine motor speed with relation to angle & depth of excavation) and Assembly completed 

  • Ordering of extra parts that will be brought to competition 

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