Hopeful RAD

The ASME 2004 student design competition, called "Mine Madness," consists of a simulated minefield occupied by six simulated mines. Each team involved in this competition is to design a robot that will drive over and around rough terrain and obstacles, while picking up simulate mines and returning them to a mine retrieval area. The major focus of this project has been to design and implement a robotic vehicle that will accomplish these tasks, as well as other ASME design requirements.

"HOPEful Rad," is the Hope College robot that participated in the ASME design competition. The major design functions performed for HOPEful Rad to retrieve the simulated mines include driving the robot up to the stationary mines, lowering the front door/scoop that will then be driven under the mine. Next, the linear actuator will pick up the mine that is resting on the front door, and drop it into a mine carrying container. Once there is a mine(s) within the carrying container the vehicle will be driven to the specified mine retrieval area. Inside the mine carrying container a conveyor belt will move the mine(s) to the back of the container and out a back door which is controlled by a servo. The final major design function was creating a bridge that can deploy over large barriers and allow the vehicle to drive over the obstacle with ease.

HOPEful Rad was implemented using the previously described conceptual designs. This robotic vehicle then competed in the 2004 ASME design competition, ending in the top six of twelve teams. The major functional components that successfully worked during the competition include deployment of the bridge, opening the front door using a linear actuator, which then picked up a mine that was held in place by the flippers, which finally placing the mine in a mine carrying container. The major functional limitations included gears locking up as well as not meshing well together. Throughout the design process there were many challenges overcome and lessons learned. At the 2004 ASME design competition there were 12 unique vehicle designs that all became learning tools for future design ideas.