Casper’s Individual Status Report Apr 20 2024

What did you personally accomplish this week on the project? Give files or photos that demonstrate your progress. Prove to the reader that you put sufficient effort into the project over the course of the week (12+ hours).
Over this past week (and during Carnival), I was able to write the search algorithm for our Hexapod, which can be seen here. I had to make some modifications in behaviour compared to our simulated search algorithm due to some physical constraints that we did not have in the simulation. Furthermore, I was able to assemble and 3D print all the required parts for a second Hexapod, as well as setup the Raspberry Pi for actuation. 
What deliverables do you hope to complete in the next week?

In this next week, I am planning to test and polish up the search algorithm on the Hexapod. This will involve interfacing and calibrating the compass bearings provided from the VSLAM library.

I am also the speaker for our final presentation this week, so I will need to prepare the slide deck and script.

Finally, I will work with the rest of the team in integrating all the Hexapod systems together (ie. image detection, search algorithm communication) then begin validating the whole system.

As you’ve designed, implemented and debugged your project, what new tools or new knowledge did you find it necessary to learn to be able to accomplish these tasks? What learning strategies did you use to acquire this new knowledge?

Being completely new to robotics before this capstone, I learned a lot about ROS throughout this project! I did so through auditing the 18448 class, as well as reading documentation as well as video tutorials.

Although I already knew the fundamentals, I also learned a lot more about 3D printing, as well as all the issues that come with it and how to debug them (ie. bed leveling, nozzle temperature, filament type). A majority of this learning came from simple trial and error, as well as asking others more knowledgeable about the issues that I encountered.

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