In order to create our wind turbine we had to go through a process called the design process. This is an eight step process used by engineers in order to create a specific design to complete an objective, criteria, and constraints. The eight steps are defining the problem, generating ideas, selecting a design concept, developing a detailed design, building the prototype, evaluating the prototype, refining the design, and last but not least communicating the process and results.
The first step in the designing process is defining the problem. In order to do this we looked at the objective, criteria, and constraints of the design in order to find out the significance of the project. For example, the objective was to create electricity efficiently and elegantly using wind. Therefore, we knew we had to create a wind turbine that could use wind to create electricity. We used the criteria and constraints as a base to help us figure out what we were trying to create more thoroughly. This step helped with the overall project. This is because without this step we wouldn't have a "base" for the prototype. We'd have no idea what the design was suppose to do, therefore we'd be completely stuck on moving forth with the project. I believe I'm quite proficient at this step because I typically am able to define the problem with no issues. For instance, when Mr. Carpenter gives us a worksheet and tells us to define the problem of the design, I usually get it within a few minutes.
The next step in the designing process is generating ideas. For this step we used a morphological chart and brain stormed ideas for our wind turbine blades. For example, an idea I had was to use three curved blades made out of plastic cardboard because it's similar to a fan and it'd be light weight, which we found was best. I believe I've gotten a lot better at this step through out our projects because with a bit of brain storming and group cooperation I've been able to come up with a variety of ideas. This step is important because without it we'd have no ideas to select from in order to begin creating a prototype and carrying on with the design process. This step gives us a well organized outline of things we could choose from.
The third step is selecting a design concept. For this step we did research on what factors we should consider for turbine blades to choose the best ideas out of the designs we had. For example, through research we found out that a negative angled blade worked a lot more efficient than one angled positively, therefore we decided to angle our blades negatively. This step was important because without it we wouldn't have been able to develop a design because we needed an exact outline on our design and what we'd use to create them. I believe Tanzim and I both cooperated well and were able to master this skill.
The next step is developing a detailed design. In order to complete this step we used the ideas we selected and created an outline for our design. We included measurements to be precise so that when we were ready to prototype we'd know exactly what we were building. For example, we showed the blades were angled -15 degrees by drawing a view of the blades itself. Without this step wed' have no idea how our prototypes would look and be constructed, therefore we'd be unable to build it. This step was difficult for me because I'm terrible at making 3-D drawings and different views of a design. It's mainly because I can't imagine the design itself from different views.
The fifth step is building the prototype. To complete this step we used our detailed design that we created in the last step, to build the prototype. We drew the drawing to scale, using the measurements. This step was made a lot simpler because we had the detailed drawing. However, I had some trouble with this step because it was difficult creating the blades to be exactly as it was made on the paper. This step was important because if we didn't create a prototype we'd have nothing to evaluate or complete.
Next, we evaluated the prototypes. For this step we connected the hub of our wind turbine to a stem. We then connected the turbine to a resistor and used a twenty inch box fan as our wind source. We made sure the turbine was a meter away from the box fan. We calculate the voltage drop on the computer. Our first prototype had a voltage of .43 V. This step wasn't difficult except for finding out the rest of the data such as efficiency, which we had to do math for, which I'm not exactly superior at. This step was important because we needed to test the prototype before we decided what should be improved.
The seventh step was refining the design. In order to complete this step we used the information the class found to be true, as well as what we noticed worked better for our prototype to improve the design. For example, we noticed the less the angle of the tilt, the more power, so we decided to use a negative 10 degree angle. This step was repeated many times as we kept on creating various prototypes to find the best one. This step helped us create the most efficient design because we were able to see what was needed to be fixed and improved. We were able to fix our errors to create an efficient and final design. I believe I'm proficient at this step because we've done it quite often and I've worked well with my partner. We were able to get this done with no issues. Eventually, after refining the design multiple times, we came to a final design of two rectangular shaped blades made out of plastic cardboard. It was tilted negative 10 degrees, and had a length of 15 cm and a width of 6 cm.
Last but not least, step eight is communicating the process and results. To do this we recorded our data and findings and created a design report and presentation, which could be seen below. This step wasn't as difficult as it seems because I had a partner who I worked well with. We were able to get this done with time and planning. We didn't have any issues with finishing the work in the time limit and since we cooperated well it was simple. At last, we complete the eight steps of the design process.
Mr. Carpenter changed the objective of the design. Now, instead of having the robot go around a course and roll a ball into pins, it is now carrying an AA battery to charge four electric cars parked in a parking lot. In order to charge the car the robot has to connect its battery to the car's charging contacts for at least three seconds. My group has finally finished creating a function for our robot while testing it out with different distances. We decided to go up by 0.2's and we stopped at 1.0. With the function we've been testing it out to find the distances it must go in order to stop at the car's charging contacts. We've also gotten the car to stop at the first two charging contacts and turn from there. In order to this we've set up our own course using two white boards and an expo marker to draw the charging contacts. With a few days left to obtain a substantial robot I believe we're progressing well. 
