Our group did not have enough time to test before our in-class competition and we ended up driving ourselves out of the ring. We finished 6th in our in-class event, but after some more testing we were able to tune thresholds for the sensors in time for the inter-class competition on the weekend. This event happened during the fall cornerstone showcase, and teams from different classes signed up to compete. We managed to win this event, and it was also very interesting to see other groups' approach to solving the sumo robot problem. 

Create a robot that makes gardening easier for an aging population.

My group wanted to create a gardening robot that could automate as much of the gardening process as possible. Ideally this robot would be able to operate like a robotic lawn mower and work around the clock to monitor, weed, plant, and tend a garden. The scope of the project had to be reduced to accommodate our time frame however, so we chose to try to solve seeding first. 

• Actuated plowing arm

• Actuated seed dispenser

• High-torque geared motors

• Treaded wheels

• Durable frame

• Optional radio control 

The robot prototype we made was able to dig trenches in loose soil and the seeding mechanism was successful at dispensing seeds at regular intervals. It was possible to program the robot to follow simple patterns in the dirt, and generally it achieved most of what it was designed to do. 

We had problems with the wheels losing traction on uneven ground however, since only two of our wheels were driven and there was no suspension system. Additionally, there were some problems turning on the spot since the outer wheels would catch on the ground. The small size and weight of the robot also made it difficult to apply enough force to dig on packed soil. 

If the project had continued I would have liked to add some weeding capabilities as well as the monitoring we had discussed at the beginning of the project. Overall, the project was successful, but suffered from problems due to its small scale.