PRE2017 4 Groep6
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
- User analysis
- General Literature Review
- Extended Literature Review
- User and product analysis
- Desinging the robot
- Project conclusion
- Project reflection
This page itself is dedicated to general information about the project.
Project
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. 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:
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.
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
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)
| Week number | Task | Person* |
|---|---|---|
| 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:
|
All divided into the subcategories:
| |
| 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 | |
| Compile list of potential robot designs | Collaborative effort of all members | |
| Make some concept design sketches | Maikel | |
| Make a preliminary list of required parts | Gerben | |
| Define embedded software environment | Luc | |
| Preliminary elimination session for designs based on user requirements | Adine | |
| Start compiling list of design preferences/requirements/constraints | David | |
| 3 | ||
| Finish list of preferences/requirements/constraints | Adine | |
| 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 | Gerben, Luc | |
| Start acquiring physical quantities for modelling design | Maikel, David | |
| Start with a simple model of some system parameters | Maikel, David | |
| 4 | ||
| Commence robot assembly according to highest priority of building schemata | Gerben, David | |
| Continue modelling/simulating | Maikel | |
| Start coding robot functionalities | Luc | |
| Catch up on documenting the wiki | Adine | |
| 5 | ||
| Continue robot assembly and coding | Gerben, David, Luc | |
| Continue modelling/simulating | Maikel | |
| Catch up on documenting the wiki | Collaborative effort of all members | |
| 6 | ||
| Continue robot assembly and coding | Gerben, Luc | |
| Test the first (few) finished sub-system(s) of the robot. | Collaborative effort of all members | |
| Finish modelling/simulating | Maikel, David | |
| Finish catching up on documenting the wiki | Collaborative effort of all members | |
| 7 | ||
| Finish robot assembly | Gerben | |
| Make concept designs for possible modules | Luc | |
| Make a draft for final presentation | Maikel, David, Adine | |
| Test the first (few) finished sub-system(s) of the robot. | Collaborative effort of all members | |
| 8 | ||
| Buffer time | Collaborative effort of all members | |
| Finish final presentation | Maikel, David, Adine | |
| Complete wiki | Gerben, Luc |
* 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
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.
Milestones and Deliverables
| Date | Accomplished |
|---|---|
| 30-04-2018 | SotA research done |
| 03-05-2018 | User analysis/use cases done |
| 07-05-2018 | Have a partially eliminated list of designs |
| 10-05-2018 | Pick final “winner” design |
| 21-05-2018 | Have the first working subsystem |
| 25-05-2018 | Finish modelling |
| 31-05-2018 | Have an operational prototype running with at least 2 subsystems |
| 07-06-2018 | Made several concepts for modules |
| 11-06-2018 | Presentation is finished |
| 14-06-2018 | Wiki is completely updated |