Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeFinn
Could you describe how this could be done? It's hard to make a final design while the prototyping teams are still figuring out the best way to shoot a ball or lift an object.
The closest thing I could think of is to have the mechanism designers "work part-time" as members of the prototyping team. That way they would understand what it is they're designing and possibly even start on the design work while its still being prototyped.
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absolutely recommend having your mechanism designers be part of the prototyping team. In my opinion, teams should work on prototypes until they have at least one that they feel performs as it should at a competition. (For example, if your 2016 prototype is sinking 9/10 balls from the same spot, you have a really nice prototype.) After the prototype is "finished" is when the CAD should start. This will make CAD much faster since those doing the CAD will understand the design.
Where most of your parallel processing advantages will come, however, is NOT from building prototypes while designing the final bot, but from building your bot while finalizing the CAD. One possible solution could be:
- Design your drivetrain first, keeping mounting points, clearance, and interference in mind.
- Once your drivetrain design is done, build it while designing your manipulator(s).
- Once your manipulator(s) design is done, build it while finishing your drivetrain.
- Integrate the subsystems.