Week 1:
This week I was introduced to the lab and the breadth of projects being carried out while meeting a few of the people within the lab.
While being introduced, I did some safety trainings, a safety walk through necessary to have access to the lab and took part in some experiments that would serve to gather data regarding boom stiffness and rotation under different lengths and forces. Additionally, after having been introduced to the projects and talking with my mentor Venny, we decided that I would eventually be working on the underwater boom, helping prototype and test the waterproof and pressure proof casing of the motor and other related material.
To get started on this path I did a variety of tutorials in order to get familiar with Onshape, the design software needed for my project. I also did some light reading to learn more about the OceanOne project that would help orient me towards the general context of my project.
Finally, this week we also had a lab trip to Angel Islands where we did a beautiful hike together to the top of the island and shared about our goals!
Will attach pictures soon!
Week 2
This week I continued to work on Onshape, helped out with some of the Compliance experiments, as well as began learning about how to 3D print some of the pieces I will be using in my project for testing while getting familiar with some of the components and assembly of the last prototype of the enclosure. Along with this, we learned about how robots are controlled and some of the math behind it, about prismatic and revolute joints, and other related concepts. Also fractured my hand lol.
Week 3
This week I began to work on developing a test frame for the motor enclosure where we can simulate horizontal and eventually vertical rotation. After brainstorming and talking to Venny we decided on a base design which would focus on the horizontal rotation while keeping boom at varying fixed angles. Having decided the design, I began working on prototyping the general design within Onshape, taking into consideration the assembly and necessary constraints. Having done so, I gave Venny a brief list of some of the materials I believed we would need, from the sheet metal used in the design of the box, to specific heat inserts and bolts.
Week 4
Moving forward with last week's developments, I've continued working on the design and assembly of some of the necessary parts of the test frame, working on developing the housing for the bearing that would allow for the horizontal translation and also serve as the connecting hub for the supports that would fix the frame to the outer pool. I did a bit of 3D printing to get the size of the housing right, and also fixed small mistakes within my past design, altering it to fit accordingly with the materials we ordered.