The final step in the design process is selecting a final solution. In the following paragraphs I will outline the positives and the negatives of each design. By the end of this report I will have chosen the design that best fits the tasks the arm must perform.
The first solution that I have proposed is the arm design that clamps horizontally only. This design is a very simple one that would be easy to build. The motor would be at
tached at the back of the arm (seen below). The motor would turn a grooved screw which would then turn two gears that would move the clamps of the arm at variable speeds and would allow them to be stopped at any distance of separation. This simple design allows for minimal power usage, which is a key to the project. This design also has the added bonus of being easily fixed if broken, not just by the designer, but by the whole team due to its simple design and use of simple machines to create the desired motion. This design however does have some drawbacks. With the strictly horizontal opening and closing motion the arm is limited to grasping objects that are less wide than tall. With this limitation the arm would only be able to grab very small objects, considering it would not be able to reach around the larger and therefore wider objects.
The second solution( seen right) that I have proposed is the arm that clamps both horizontally and vertically. This design is the most complex of all the designs that I have proposed, for the arm possibilities. This design would be the most complex to build, but still within the realm of possibility for this project. The design features a dual action claw that clamps both horizontally and vertically. This action allows the claw to grab any objects that would be in a competition task, whether the objects be large of small. The design although it is not overly heavy, it is still a quite deal heavier than the other two designs because of its dual claw feature and all the accoutrements that would be required to allow for the movement of the arm. The design, since it is much more complex would require much more skill to actually build and operate. This design would also require more power than the other two designs, which takes away power from the propulsion of the ROV. The complexity of this design would also make it much harder for it be fixed on the fly, unlike the other two which have much simpler designs that require much less knowledge for others to fix, and or make last minute adjustments to before the competition.
The third and final solution(seen right) is the arm design that clamps vertically. This design is simple and easy to control. It uses no more power than the horizontally closing arm, is just as simple to build and fix as the horizontally closing arm. This design can grasp objects that larger than average because of its vertical clasping action allows it objects that are wider than they are tall. This design also uses very little power, which allows more power for the propulsion. This design although it is light, uses little power, and is able to grasp larger objects has one huge drawback; it cannot grasp the smaller and more intricate objects. This could cause a big problem, considering in past years there have been small and intricate tasks, such as the rope threading of last years competition which require an arm that can grab thinner and smaller objects, which this arm design cannot.
For my final solution (below) I have decided to go with the horizontally closing arm because of a couple reasons. It is light, uses less power, easy to control and fix, and most important of all it can perform the intricate task better than the other two designs could. In my opinion this design gives the ROV the best chance at completing any and all tasks at the MATES competition in April of 2008.
The first solution that I have proposed is the arm design that clamps horizontally only. This design is a very simple one that would be easy to build. The motor would be at
tached at the back of the arm (seen below). The motor would turn a grooved screw which would then turn two gears that would move the clamps of the arm at variable speeds and would allow them to be stopped at any distance of separation. This simple design allows for minimal power usage, which is a key to the project. This design also has the added bonus of being easily fixed if broken, not just by the designer, but by the whole team due to its simple design and use of simple machines to create the desired motion. This design however does have some drawbacks. With the strictly horizontal opening and closing motion the arm is limited to grasping objects that are less wide than tall. With this limitation the arm would only be able to grab very small objects, considering it would not be able to reach around the larger and therefore wider objects.
The second solution( seen right) that I have proposed is the arm that clamps both horizontally and vertically. This design is the most complex of all the designs that I have proposed, for the arm possibilities. This design would be the most complex to build, but still within the realm of possibility for this project. The design features a dual action claw that clamps both horizontally and vertically. This action allows the claw to grab any objects that would be in a competition task, whether the objects be large of small. The design although it is not overly heavy, it is still a quite deal heavier than the other two designs because of its dual claw feature and all the accoutrements that would be required to allow for the movement of the arm. The design, since it is much more complex would require much more skill to actually build and operate. This design would also require more power than the other two designs, which takes away power from the propulsion of the ROV. The complexity of this design would also make it much harder for it be fixed on the fly, unlike the other two which have much simpler designs that require much less knowledge for others to fix, and or make last minute adjustments to before the competition.
The third and final solution(seen right) is the arm design that clamps vertically. This design is simple and easy to control. It uses no more power than the horizontally closing arm, is just as simple to build and fix as the horizontally closing arm. This design can grasp objects that larger than average because of its vertical clasping action allows it objects that are wider than they are tall. This design also uses very little power, which allows more power for the propulsion. This design although it is light, uses little power, and is able to grasp larger objects has one huge drawback; it cannot grasp the smaller and more intricate objects. This could cause a big problem, considering in past years there have been small and intricate tasks, such as the rope threading of last years competition which require an arm that can grab thinner and smaller objects, which this arm design cannot.
For my final solution (below) I have decided to go with the horizontally closing arm because of a couple reasons. It is light, uses less power, easy to control and fix, and most important of all it can perform the intricate task better than the other two designs could. In my opinion this design gives the ROV the best chance at completing any and all tasks at the MATES competition in April of 2008.
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