PRE2017 4 Groep6: Difference between revisions

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== Group members ==
== Group members ==
* David van den Beld, 1001770
* David van den Beld,   1001770
* Gerben Erens, 0997906
* Gerben Erens,         0997906
* Luc Kleinman, 1008097
* Luc Kleinman,         1008097
* Maikel Morren, 1002099
* Maikel Morren,       1002099
* Adine van Wier, 0999813
* Adine van Wier,       0999813


== Project pages ==
== Project pages ==
For all the branches of the project diverging from the initial set-up and planning, please see their respective pages
For all the branches of the project diverging from the initial set-up and planning, please see their respective pages;


* [[General Literature Review]]
* [[General Literature Review]]
* [[Extended Literature Review]]
* [[Extended Literature Review]]
* [[Case studies]]
* [[User and product analysis]]
* [[User and product analysis]]
* [[Desinging the robot]]
* [[Designing the robot]]
* [[Project conclusion]]
* [[User interface and communication model]]
* [[Project documentation]]
* [[Project reflection]]
* [[Project reflection]]
This page itself is dedicated to general information about the project.
 
This page itself is dedicated to general information about the project, i.e. problem statement, goal, planning, etc..


== Project ==
== Project ==


=== Project Statement ===
=== Project Statement ===
Wildfires are occurring throughout the world at an increasing rate. Great droughts in various regions across the globe are increasing the possibility of wildfires. National parks deal with major wildfires multiple times over a year. Areas devastated by wildfires are mostly devoid of life, while still having an extremely fertile soil with all the biomass left after the fire. Artificial reforestation can accelerate this natural process.
Wildfires are occurring throughout the world at an increasing rate. Great droughts in various regions across the globe are increasing the probability of wildfires to occur. National parks deal with major wildfires multiple times a year. Areas devastated by wildfires are mostly devoid of life, while potentially still having an extremely fertile soil containing all the biomass left after the fire. Artificial reforestation can accelerate the natural process which accounts for the regrowth of the forests. This process might be enhanced by means of technology, for example by deploying robots that plant seeds of saplings in these areas. <br>
This process might be enhanced by means of technology, for example by deploying robots that plant seeds of saplings in these areas. This project investigates the possibility and potential of utilising robots to restore these devastated areas to their former glory. This project investigates whether the a robot or fleet of robots could be used to effectively and efficiently to this extend, at least with respect to the present-day alternatives. To accomplish this we envision a robotic vehicle which at least the following 3 technological aspects:


This project investigates the possibility and potential of utilizing robots to restore these devastated areas to their former glory. In order to investigate this possibility, a thorough analysis of different methods of reforestation is made first. By comparing methods of reforestation a great deal can be learned about which negative aspects of the current reforestation methods should be enhanced by a new reforestation robot. Also, this analysis will explore if a new method of reforestation is needed at all. Beyond this, two case studies are investigated. These case studies show how reforestation and forest fires are currently being handled. The case help studies help to get a better understanding of what the robot should be able to do and what it ought not to be able to do and thus help to define design criteria. <br>


I. A way to assess whether the soil's fertility rate, and thus the fitness parameter to plant a new forest. This is needed since it is possible for the soil to become infertile when rain washes all the biomass away or a very intens fire could kill all microbes living at the surface.
Finally, multiple preliminary designs are made for the seeding mechanism of the robot which would accomplish all necessities found during the analysis of the different reforestation methods and which follows all the criteria discovered in the case studies. Out of these designs, the one ranking highest on the criteria unraveled during the literature review and case studies is chosen to be the best suitable seeding mechanism for the future robot.  Additionally, a design is made for a user interface that will allow the staff of a national park to control a swarm of robots in a user-friendly and non time consuming way. Lastly, some suggestions for future research are given, in the topics of what other crucial functionalities the robot requires, how the robots would be able to communicate among themselves during operation, and how the robots would be able to communicate with the user in case of unforeseen circumstances. To conclude, this project aims to assess the necessity of a robot to rebuild a forest in a national park after a forest fire, discover the functionalities such a robot must have and design a user interface to control such robots based on the gained information.
 
II. A device capable of planting the seeds deep enough in the ground to ensure good growing chances for the seed. Different seeds come with different optimal seeding depths, so if a naturally mirrored forest area is desired, the seeding mechanism has to be able to perform at a variety of depths.
 
III. A way to transport itself around, which will most likely result in wheels, as this is the most achievable option within this course. Furthermore this option allows for better data acquisition of the parameters determining the fertility of the soil (see I.). Another option for mobility would be a drone, however as mentioned before due to technical complexities and time restraints this option is not considered.
 
   
This envisioned robot leads to the first and main objective of this project: a design for a robotics technology for reforestation. This design will feature the aforementioned technological aspects, with the main focus being on aspects I and II, as these are technologies more specific to our envisioned robot and will be crucial for its effectivity, whereas aspect III is a more general functionality which all mobile robots share. Beyond this, once a design has been established we aim to make a model based around the physical working mechanisms on the robot, which can help us gain more theoretical insight in the working of the robot and to determine failure criteria. Of course, construction of the design is also taken into consideration, which will be done parallel to the modelling. But before diving into the deep and mindlessly start to design, build and model, we want to investigate the interplay between this envisioned robotic technology and society. This is done by means of examining the potential for this robotic technology to influence society, and how society can stimulate the development of this technology, considering both society as a whole, and the governments influence separately. Also, the relation between this product and the relevant enterprises concerning themselves with reforestation is taken into the research, as the succes of this technology will primarily be dependent on the investments stored in it.


=== Planning ===
=== Planning ===


Below follows the planning for the project for the upcoming 9 weeks constituting the course 0LAUK0 Project: Robots Everywhere (new planning is [[temporarily over here]])
Below follows the planning for the project for the upcoming 9 weeks constituting the course 0LAUK0 Project: Robots Everywhere.
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: left; color: black; border:1px solid black; border-collapse: collapse;" border="1"
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: left; color: black; border:1px solid black; border-collapse: collapse;" border="1"
|+ '''Table 1: Preliminary planning for the project'''
|+ '''Table 1: Final project planning after revision problem statement and goals'''
! Week number
! Week number
! Task
! Task
! Person<sup>*</sup>
! Person assigned
|-
|-
| 1
| 1
Line 106: Line 101:
|-
|-
|  
|  
| Compile list of potential robot designs
| Research different application sectors for reforestation to narrow problem statement: <br>
| Collaborative effort of all members
# Reforestation in logging industry <br>
# Reforestation in national parks after forest fires <br>
# Reforestation in nature reserves and rain forests <br>
| All divided into categories: <br>
# Adine & Maikel <br>
# David & Gerben <br>
# Luc
|-
|-
|  
|  
| Make some concept design sketches
| Make preliminary robot designs for the following seeding mechanisms:
| Maikel
# Drilling robot <br>
# Sprinkler robot <br>
# Plow robot <br>
| Divided into:
# David <br>
# Gerben <br>
# Maikel <br>
|-
|-
| 3
|  
|  
| Make a preliminary list of required parts
| Gerben
|-
|  
|  
| Define embedded software environment
| Luc
|-
|-
|  
|  
| Preliminary elimination session for designs based on user requirements
| Review and narrowing of problem statement
| Adine
| Collaborative effort of all members
|-
|-
|  
|  
| Start compiling list of design preferences/requirements/constraints
| Extended literature review on specific subject of reforestation: <br>
| David
# Biodiversity and need for control <br>
# Natural reforestation versus artificial reforestation <br>
# Direct seeding (manual seeding) <br>
# Aerial seeding <br>
| All divided into the following categories: <br>
# Collaborative effort of all group members during own research <br>
# David & Adine <br>
# Luc & Gerben <br>
# Maikel <br>
|-
|-
| 3
|
|  
|  
| Rewrite problem statement
| Luc
|-
|-
|  
|  
| Finish list of preferences/requirements/constraints
| Review users for narrowed problem
| Adine
| Adine
|-
|-
| 4
|  
|  
| Further eliminate designs due to constraints
| Collaborative effort of all members
|-
|  
|  
| Rank remaining designs and select a winner
| Collaborative effort of all members
|-
|-
|  
|  
| Develop a building plan/schemata for the winner design
| Edit the general literature review on wiki
| Gerben, Luc
| Maikel
|-
|-
|  
|  
| Start acquiring physical quantities for modelling design
| Research the costs of reforestation methods: <br>
| Maikel, David
# Natural reforestation <br>
# Aerial reforestation <br>
# Manual reforestation <br>
| Divided by: <br>
# Adine <br>
# Maikel <br>
# Luc <br>
|-
|-
|  
|  
| Start with a simple model of some system parameters
| Rewrite segment of need for control and biodiversity into one introductory segement
| Maikel, David
| David
|-
|-
| 4
|
|  
|  
| Start making 3D skechtes of preliminary designs
| Gerben
|-
|-
|  
|
| Commence robot assembly according to highest priority of building schemata
| Document wiki on extended literature review page
| Gerben, David
| Adine
|-
|-
|  
|  
| Continue modelling/simulating
| Start keeping a log of the research and design process
| Maikel
| Adine
|-
|-
|  
|  
| Start coding robot functionalities
| Look for case studies
| Luc
| Maikel & Luc
|-
|
| Catch up on documenting the wiki
| Adine
|-
|-
| 5
| 5
Line 182: Line 191:
|-
|-
|  
|  
| Continue robot assembly and coding
| Write case studies
| Gerben, David, Luc
| Maikel & Luc
|-
|-
|  
|  
| Continue modelling/simulating
| Remake planning to fit new goal of the project
| Maikel
| Maikel
|-
|-
|  
|  
| Catch up on documenting the wiki
| Redefine objectives to fit new goal of project
| Collaborative effort of all members
| David
|-
|
| Rewrite drilling mechanism section
| Gerben
|-
|
| Finish a first 3D model
| Gerben
|-
|-
| 6
| 6
Line 198: Line 215:
|-
|-
|  
|  
| Continue robot assembly and coding
| Continue 3D modelling
| Gerben, Luc
| Gerben
|-
|-
|  
|  
| Test the first (few) finished sub-system(s) of the robot.
| Elaborate and extend upon current preliminary designs (including sketch)
| Collaborative effort of all members
| Maikel, Gerben & David
|-
|-
|  
|  
| Finish modelling/simulating
| Write wiki page for case studies
| Maikel, David
| Luc & Maikel  
|-
|-
|  
|  
| Finish catching up on documenting the wiki
| Evaluate designs using criteria from literature study
| Collaborative effort of all members
| Adine
|-
|-
| 7
| 7
Line 218: Line 235:
|-
|-
|  
|  
| Finish robot assembly
| Compile an overview of project progress by week
| Gerben
| Adine
|-
|-
|  
|  
| Make concept designs for possible modules
| Start building a user interface
| Luc
| Luc & Gerben
|-
|-
|  
|  
| Make a draft for final presentation
| Evaluate the project and analyse pitfalls
| Maikel, David, Adine
| Maikel & David
|-
|-
|  
|  
| Test the first (few) finished sub-system(s) of the robot.
| Start making the presentation
| Collaborative effort of all members
| David & Adine
|-
|
| Start an editorial run over the entire wiki
| Maikel
|-
|
| Continue making user interface
| Luc & Gerben
|-
|-
| 8
| 8
Line 237: Line 262:
|  
|  
|-
|-
|  
|
| Buffer time
| Finish writing last segments for the wiki
| Collaborative effort of all members
| Collaborative effort of all members
|-
|-
|  
|  
| Finish final presentation
| Finish final presentation
| Maikel, David, Adine
| Adine, David
|-
|-
|  
|  
| Complete wiki
| Complete wiki
| Gerben, Luc
| Gerben, Luc
|-
|
| Finish editorial run over wiki
| Maikel
|-
|
| Buffer time
| Collaborative effort of all members
|}
|}


<sup>*</sup> The current division of task is a rough estimate for the next 7 weeks. New tasks may pop up or task division may be rotated, and is hence subject to change during the progress of the course.


=== Approach ===
=== Approach ===
The problem will be approached by a design question. What is the best design for a robot to combat deforestation which will be build modular so that it can be implemented for other purposes with minor changes. The first 2 weeks the approach will primarily be sequential, as user analysis, use cases and requirements/preferences/constraints need to be done sequentially before the rest of the project can start. Once this is over, the project will run in a parallel fashion where building and modelling will happen simultaneously.  
The problem will be approached by means of a design question. What would be the best design for an effective seeding mechanism which can be used in a mobile robot deployed in a reforestation operation, and how would this robot be controlled? The gross of the project is carried out sequentially as each subject builds further upon the conclusion reached during the last subject, which is represented in the structure of this Wiki consisting of several subpages corresponding to these subjects. Albeit that the project is carried out sequentially, within each sequence several tasks are divided such that they can be carried out in parallel by different group members. During the last phase of the project, when the major milestones have been finished, the project wrap up consists of several small independent task which will allow us to abandon the sequential structure which was necessary during the other phases and carry out these tasks in parallel to gain in time.
 


=== Milestones and Deliverables ===
=== Milestones and Deliverables ===
Line 266: Line 299:
|-
|-
| 03-05-2018
| 03-05-2018
| User analysis/use cases done
| Have problem narrowed down
|-
|-
| 07-05-2018
| 17-05-2018
| Have a partially eliminated list of designs
| Finish collecting data about reforestation techniques
|-
|-
| 10-05-2018
| 24-05-2018
| Pick final “winner” design
| Have case studies finished
|-
| 21-05-2018
| Have the first working subsystem
|-
| 25-05-2018
| Finish modelling
|-
|-
| 31-05-2018
| 31-05-2018
| Have an operational prototype running <br> with at least 2 subsystems
| Have preliminary designs including 3D model and pick winner design
|-
|-
| 07-06-2018
| 07-06-2018
| Made several concepts for modules
| Have analysis of communication requirements and control sequence
|-
|-
| 11-06-2018
| 14-06-2018
| Finish user interface
|-
| 14-06-2018
| Presentation is finished
| Presentation is finished
|-
|-
| 14-06-2018
| 21-06-2018
| Wiki is completely updated
| Wiki is completely updated
|}
|}

Latest revision as of 09:55, 21 June 2018

Group members

  • David van den Beld, 1001770
  • Gerben Erens, 0997906
  • Luc Kleinman, 1008097
  • Maikel Morren, 1002099
  • Adine van Wier, 0999813

Project pages

For all the branches of the project diverging from the initial set-up and planning, please see their respective pages;

This page itself is dedicated to general information about the project, i.e. problem statement, goal, planning, etc..

Project

Project Statement

Wildfires are occurring throughout the world at an increasing rate. Great droughts in various regions across the globe are increasing the probability of wildfires to occur. National parks deal with major wildfires multiple times a year. Areas devastated by wildfires are mostly devoid of life, while potentially still having an extremely fertile soil containing all the biomass left after the fire. Artificial reforestation can accelerate the natural process which accounts for the regrowth of the forests. This process might be enhanced by means of technology, for example by deploying robots that plant seeds of saplings in these areas.

This project investigates the possibility and potential of utilizing robots to restore these devastated areas to their former glory. In order to investigate this possibility, a thorough analysis of different methods of reforestation is made first. By comparing methods of reforestation a great deal can be learned about which negative aspects of the current reforestation methods should be enhanced by a new reforestation robot. Also, this analysis will explore if a new method of reforestation is needed at all. Beyond this, two case studies are investigated. These case studies show how reforestation and forest fires are currently being handled. The case help studies help to get a better understanding of what the robot should be able to do and what it ought not to be able to do and thus help to define design criteria.

Finally, multiple preliminary designs are made for the seeding mechanism of the robot which would accomplish all necessities found during the analysis of the different reforestation methods and which follows all the criteria discovered in the case studies. Out of these designs, the one ranking highest on the criteria unraveled during the literature review and case studies is chosen to be the best suitable seeding mechanism for the future robot. Additionally, a design is made for a user interface that will allow the staff of a national park to control a swarm of robots in a user-friendly and non time consuming way. Lastly, some suggestions for future research are given, in the topics of what other crucial functionalities the robot requires, how the robots would be able to communicate among themselves during operation, and how the robots would be able to communicate with the user in case of unforeseen circumstances. To conclude, this project aims to assess the necessity of a robot to rebuild a forest in a national park after a forest fire, discover the functionalities such a robot must have and design a user interface to control such robots based on the gained information.

Planning

Below follows the planning for the project for the upcoming 9 weeks constituting the course 0LAUK0 Project: Robots Everywhere.

Table 1: Final project planning after revision problem statement and goals
Week number Task Person assigned
1
Choose definitive subject Collaborative effort of all members
Define problem statement and objectives David
Define users Adine
Obtain user requirements Gerben
Work out typical use cases Luc
Define the milestones and deliverables Maikel
Define the approach of the problem Collaborative effort of all members
Search for relevant state-of-the-art (SotA) sources, categories:
  1. Modularity
  2. (Semi-) Autonomous cars
  3. Sensors for prospecting/evaluating ground
  4. Drilling/plowing/seeding mechanism
  5. Current Forestation combat methods
All divided into the subcategories:
  1. Maikel
  2. David
  3. Luc
  4. Gerben
  5. Adine
Make project planning Collaborative effort of all members
2
Review user requirements and use cases Collaborative effort of all members
Finish collecting SotA articles and write SotA section Each member for their respective subcategory
Research different application sectors for reforestation to narrow problem statement:
  1. Reforestation in logging industry
  2. Reforestation in national parks after forest fires
  3. Reforestation in nature reserves and rain forests
All divided into categories:
  1. Adine & Maikel
  2. David & Gerben
  3. Luc
Make preliminary robot designs for the following seeding mechanisms:
  1. Drilling robot
  2. Sprinkler robot
  3. Plow robot
Divided into:
  1. David
  2. Gerben
  3. Maikel
3
Review and narrowing of problem statement Collaborative effort of all members
Extended literature review on specific subject of reforestation:
  1. Biodiversity and need for control
  2. Natural reforestation versus artificial reforestation
  3. Direct seeding (manual seeding)
  4. Aerial seeding
All divided into the following categories:
  1. Collaborative effort of all group members during own research
  2. David & Adine
  3. Luc & Gerben
  4. Maikel
Rewrite problem statement Luc
Review users for narrowed problem Adine
4
Edit the general literature review on wiki Maikel
Research the costs of reforestation methods:
  1. Natural reforestation
  2. Aerial reforestation
  3. Manual reforestation
Divided by:
  1. Adine
  2. Maikel
  3. Luc
Rewrite segment of need for control and biodiversity into one introductory segement David
Start making 3D skechtes of preliminary designs Gerben
Document wiki on extended literature review page Adine
Start keeping a log of the research and design process Adine
Look for case studies Maikel & Luc
5
Write case studies Maikel & Luc
Remake planning to fit new goal of the project Maikel
Redefine objectives to fit new goal of project David
Rewrite drilling mechanism section Gerben
Finish a first 3D model Gerben
6
Continue 3D modelling Gerben
Elaborate and extend upon current preliminary designs (including sketch) Maikel, Gerben & David
Write wiki page for case studies Luc & Maikel
Evaluate designs using criteria from literature study Adine
7
Compile an overview of project progress by week Adine
Start building a user interface Luc & Gerben
Evaluate the project and analyse pitfalls Maikel & David
Start making the presentation David & Adine
Start an editorial run over the entire wiki Maikel
Continue making user interface Luc & Gerben
8
Finish writing last segments for the wiki Collaborative effort of all members
Finish final presentation Adine, David
Complete wiki Gerben, Luc
Finish editorial run over wiki Maikel
Buffer time Collaborative effort of all members


Approach

The problem will be approached by means of a design question. What would be the best design for an effective seeding mechanism which can be used in a mobile robot deployed in a reforestation operation, and how would this robot be controlled? The gross of the project is carried out sequentially as each subject builds further upon the conclusion reached during the last subject, which is represented in the structure of this Wiki consisting of several subpages corresponding to these subjects. Albeit that the project is carried out sequentially, within each sequence several tasks are divided such that they can be carried out in parallel by different group members. During the last phase of the project, when the major milestones have been finished, the project wrap up consists of several small independent task which will allow us to abandon the sequential structure which was necessary during the other phases and carry out these tasks in parallel to gain in time.


Milestones and Deliverables

Table 2: Milestones
Date Accomplished
30-04-2018 SotA research done
03-05-2018 Have problem narrowed down
17-05-2018 Finish collecting data about reforestation techniques
24-05-2018 Have case studies finished
31-05-2018 Have preliminary designs including 3D model and pick winner design
07-06-2018 Have analysis of communication requirements and control sequence
14-06-2018 Finish user interface
14-06-2018 Presentation is finished
21-06-2018 Wiki is completely updated
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