Design Process

Our team uses the Engineering Design Process as it related to the FIRST Build Season. We do exercises in preseason and planning build season around the Engineering Design process. Here is a summary of the Design Process as it relates to Engineering and FIRST.

1. Identify the need or problem

• The Kickoff Event provides a description of the game
• Each team then needs to identify what their strategy will be to play the game.

2. Research the need or problem

• Examine current state of the issue and current solutions
• Explore other options via the Internet. library, interviews, etc.
  • Teams can examine their old designs & designs from other teams
  • They can examine how similar problems are solved in real life

3. Develop possible solution(s)

• Brainstorm possible solutions
• Most teams spend the first few days brainstorming different strategies and mechanisms
• Draw on mathematics and science
• Articulate the possible solutions in two and three dimensions
  • Team sketch up ideas for robots and mechanisms on paper and in CAD
• Refine the possible solutions
  • Once a robot designs are refined detailed designs are drawn up in CAD

4. Select the best possible solution(s)*

• Determine which solution(s) best meet(s) the original requirements
• Of the different robot designs, one must be selected to be the final robot

5. Construct a prototype*

• Model the selected solution(s) in two and three dimensions
• Many teams prototype designs in wood or other simple materials to see if concepts work.

6. Test and evaluate the solution(s)

• Does it work? Does it meet the original design constraints?
• All prototypes and final designs need to be evaluated against the game and any possible practice field elements to see if it adequately accomplishes the task.

7. Communicate the solution(s)

• Make an engineering presentation that includes a discussion of how the solution(s) best meet(s) the needs of the initial problem, opportunity, or need.
• While the entire team will not necessarily build the robot, it is often a good idea to inform the entire team of how it works, what design solutions were chosen and presentations are often created for judges or other teams.

8. Redesign

• Overhaul the solution(s) based on information gathered during the tests and presentation
• When the robot is built and tested, often there will be tweaks or changes that need to be made to improve the accuracy or worst case, completely redesign a robot element. Often teams get to the end of build season and are over the weight limit and sometimes have to redesign based on that as well.

Although in the typical Engineering Design Process a solution is usually selected and then prototyped, if the manpower and material is available, and if there is a a very short amount of time for rework, Steps 4 & 5 can be switched. Most FIRST teams will actually do several prototypes in parallel in order to select the best robot design.*

Here is a link to a whitepaper on the Engineering Design Process for Robotics
written by John V Neun.

This page last updated Thu, Feb 10, 2011 at 05:08:05 PM.
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