What are the most significant risks that could jeopardize the success of the project? How are these risks being managed? What contingency plans are ready?
Significant risks to the project include challenges with hardware integration, material variability, and component fit during assembly. Integrating the robot chassis with the acoustic data collection system introduces the possibility of vibration or electrical noise affecting sensor accuracy. To manage this risk, the hardware layout has been updated to better isolate acoustic sensors from vibration sources, and modular mounting methods are being used so components can be repositioned if interference occurs. Another risk involves the variability of corroded and cracked materials collected from junkyards for testing, which may lead to inconsistent results. To address this, our data collection program details the process of obtaining multiple samples to ensure a range of realistic testing conditions.
Were any changes made to the existing design of the system (requirements, block diagram, system spec, etc)? Why was this change necessary, what costs does the change incur, and how will these costs be mitigated going forward?
This week, our team built the robot chassis and updated the hardware design. The changes made to the hardware design include a redesign of the acoustic signal collection system. We updated the acoustic data collection hardware to ensure that the system can capture meaningful and reliable measurements from the ultrasonic transmitter and receiver. The original hardware configuration was not optimized for accurately detecting the high-frequency ultrasonic signals, which could have resulted in noisy or weak measurements. The ultrasonic sensors have been delivered, but not yet mounted onto the robot. This week, our team also obtained the HVAC ducts and had some of them cut and fit together. Members of our team have also been visiting junkyards to find corroded and cracked sheet metal to prepare for the data collection phase.
Provide an updated schedule if changes have occurred.
Currently, we are on schedule with entering the data collection phase next week and testing the robot with code. Next week, we will begin collecting acoustic data using the ultrasonic sensors. For now, we will focus on healthy duct data since we have yet to obtain corroded or cracked material. We will also begin testing the mobility and movement accuracy of the robot chassis.