Autonomous Robot Project

 The majority of the peer feedback provided on Team Toyota’s engineering notebook was positive. The peer reviewer noted how they appreciated the level of detail and extensiveness in our task lists, resource lists, and meeting minutes. They also wrote positively of details like the labeling added to supporting images.

The only critique the reviewer mentioned was how some entries lacked detail in their reflection, with them only being a short paragraph in length. With this feedback being given not long after challenge one, Team Toyota was able to move forward with this in mind. Since this feedback, the length and detail of every aspect of the team's entries have greatly increased and are now reviewed after first writing to guarantee nothing of importance was left out. This feedback was incredibly helpful in improving the quality of the team’s engineering notebook.

Team Toyota has, for the entirety of this project, attempted to keep the distribution of time required for work equal among both team members. The only reason this would not be true is if the specific skills of one team member were especially useful to some aspect of work. The strong suits of both Nolan Leonhardt and I were considered each time work was being distributed. Not long after the beginning of this project, there were certain tasks that group members were consistently doing. 

Firstly, much of the team's Solid Works and AutoCAD work was done by Nolan Leonhardt, with exceptions including the individual laser cutting project, due to his past experience with computer design software and 3D printing. Nolan Leonhardt’s skills in this area were incremental to the success of the team.

Second, the majority of assembly and wiring on the robot was done by me. Despite being a computer science major, his focus on order and thought through design was important when assembling the robot. It was this work that resulted in consistently organized wiring and an easily troubleshooted robot.

Next, programming for the robot was completed by Nolan Leonhardt. Nolan’s past experience in high school robotics gave him the knowledge to efficiently make changes to the code quickly when testing with the team. His work allowed for rapid testing on demonstration days and subsequently earned the team higher performance grades during each challenge.

Additionally, the majority of information collection, photo and video documentation, meeting minutes, and notebook entities were completed by me. Prior experience in leadership roles that entailed documenting meeting notes and an interest in informative writing give him the ability to effectively express the work done throughout the duration of this project. It was this work that resulted in the report this reflection resides within.

Design, problem solving, strategy revisions, and goals were all decided collectively with all members of Team Toyota participating. 

Contributions to both Challenge Three and Challenge Four stayed with trends that had been already established while working on earlier challenges. These trends were listed above in the Team Functions and Distribution of Work portion of the reflection.

Focusing on the penultimate and final challenges:

Nolan Leonhardt played a key role in much of the robot for these assignments. Creating several 3D printed parts from scratch including a battery pack holder/mount, maze wall stands, and connection pieces for maze walls; each serving an incremental role in the successes of Team Toyota. Additionally Nolan Leonhardt was responsible for the programming of the robot, adjusting wheel speeds and refining the turning behavior of the robot during team testing. His insight and troubleshooting were vital in improving the robot’s performance in the maze.

I primarily handled the physical assembly and wiring of the robot and maze. I took charge of assembling the robot, wiring all components, and ensuring the wiring was neat, organized, and functional. I was also responsible for designing the layout of the Challenge Four modular maze. After encountering battery power issues during Challenge Three, I completely rewired the robot to troubleshoot the problem. Additionally, I led the documentation of the team’s work, providing detailed notes in this engineering notebook. These entries outlined the team’s approach, testing results, and the solutions we implemented to address challenges. 

Both team members of Team Toyota contributed to every aspect of Challenge Three and Challenge Four. Any slight imbalance in work distribution stemmed from the personal strengths and expertise of members.