To get started on the prototyping for the semester, the team ordered all necessary parts within the first week of returing. The team did run into a couple issues with testing. First, the machine to test the piezoelectric material did not have the necessary output and ground cables, so these had to be ordered from the manufacturer. As a backup, the team ordered a different actuation method (hydraulic actuation) that could be tested without the use of special equipment. This will allow the team to start developing the protoype for the soft body exterior until the team can get in the lab. Within the last week, as of this post, the cables for the machine finally arrived, the labs had been temporarily closed due to a theft in the labs on campus.
The team’s plan until the phase four presentation and report is to continue to move forward with testing the hydraulic actuation until it is possible to get into the lab. As well as testing other aspects of the robot, specifically the tether, in the tensile testing machine as soon as a time slot opens.
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