This was my first week working with the robots. Since I was absent for the first class meeting, I missed building the robots and therefore could not contribute with the first blog about the experience. However, I learned a lot in this class about studying the velocity we could make the robot go, as well as determining the distance it traveled based on the diameter of the wheel. By knowing the diameter of the wheel, you can use that, as well as the amount of times the wheel went around and ultimately learn the distance the robot traveled.
My group and I did the calculations ourselves and then compared it to the computer’s answers. We got that the wheel turned 1.5 times, so the robot traveled 27cm, at a velocity of .27m per second (remember, velocity= distance divided by time).
The computer’s results were almost exactly the same. Here’s the exact results according to the computer: Wheel turned- 1.6 times ; Distance-26 cm. ; Velocity- .26m per second. Now, we can determine the fractional error by taking the distance we got and subtract the distance the computer got. Then, divide that number by the total of these two numbers divided by two. Our fractional error was one twenty-sixth.
The funnest part of the class for me was making the robot go in a perfect circle. Our goal was to get the robot to travel in a circle with a 2 foot diameter. Basically all we had to do was have one wheel (the outer wheel) turning faster than the other wheel (the inner wheel). After a couple of tries, we got it. By plugging the number 70 into the A motor, and 38 into the C motor, the robot traveled in a perfect 2 foot circle.
