RE: Initial Planning & Coordination

• Project Description & Merits

Describe the project in your own words and list the possible contribution your project can have to advance the field of STEM or solve societal problems.

   - Our project is to design and develop a method of neutralizing an enemy drone, ideally without damaging it. The contributions out project could make to the field of STEM depends on the method we end up using to take down drones. However, the societal problems to be solved are the possible problems we may face in the future where drones are a big part of society, they could easily be used illegally; a method of stopping them is necessary.

• The original goal is not "without damaging" the drone, but not damaging the buildings or hurting people in the intercepting process. This goal has implications to the material and speed of the projectile.

• Group/Team Communication

Who will be involved in your project (team) and relevant projects (group)? How to communicate effectively with each other? What are the tools for project collaboration?

    - Our team consists of Henry and Eduardo, linked to the group of Adnan and Noah. A big goal in our project might be to make the drone neutralization autonomous and in order to do that, visual detection would be necessary, that's where Adnan and Noah come in. Discussion on how to develop a detection method would be how we collaborated. We'd need to update each other on milestones.

• Between team 2 and your team, you should define the hardware/software interface between your two systems clearly early on. It includes things such as 
• architecture: are both systems controlled by a single microcontroller, or both of them have their own microcontrollers and communicate to each other through some communication channel (and what's the physics communication channel?).
• What are the data (e.g., distance, 3D angles), clock, and control signals between the two system?
• What are the timing requirements (e.g., target location data needs to be updated every 1ms) for the communication?   

 

****** MISSING  Prior Work/Resource Inventory SECTION ******

 

• Technology Analysis

Identify the scientific and technical knowledge/skills involved in your project.

     - The knowledge involved in our project will vary depending on which path we go down for the take-down method. The definitely necessary knowledge includes a basic understanding of physics, VEX robot design and programming using robot c, as well as Parrot Drone controls whether manually or autonomously.

• Should be more specific. For example, if one of the options is shooting water packet/stream, you need to know the physics of projected water packet/stream. If another option is shooting ping-pong balls, you need to know the physics of a flying pin-pong ball in air (not ideal case any more). 

• Competence

Identify skill sets, technical competence in your group, and list the missing ones which need to be acquired.

     - Again, this depends on which method we decide to attempt. However, we have a working knowledge of both robot c and the drone programming which is similar to python. What's missing is  sufficient PID controller knowledge. 

• Safety

      - No risk.

• Both a flying drone and a projectile shooter have potential safety threats. You need to put that into your consideration at all time during the whole project course.

• Equipment, materials & budget

    - Equipment includes a parrot drone, VEX robot kit, laptop. It's unclear if any items will need to be purchased.

• So, you need to make a list of key components/parts, and conduct an inventory on Lab supplies.

• If Vex robotics system is not good enough for your project, you should identify other parts (such as high-speed/torque mortors) and kits.  

• Schedule

    - Our current main goal is to determine which area of drone take down we'd like to pursue, and then make a schedule for the coming weeks of working on that. 

• Star working to create a meaningful schedule!