Capstone Project (Marble Sorting)

Define: For this project, we were given the challenge of designing a machine and programming software that would sort 15 marbles (3 wood, 3 metal, 3 green, 3 red, and 3 clear) into separate boxes or sections.

Ideas: Some original ideas we had for the sorting were:
- Movable Track
- Photoresistors and a strong light for the colored marbles
- Magnet for the metal balls
- Fan for the wooden balls
- Pistons to allow one at a time
- Small alternating doors to allow one at a time

Efforts:
1. First we used a completely movable track to move the marbles. Photoresistors were used to sort the colored balls, a fan was used to sort the wood balls, and a magnet was used for the metal balls. The track consisted of four motors that ran in unison on the same output. Two doors were constructed that would run the first one open then close it, then run the second door after the ball had been registered and the track had been moved.

Problems: The magnets provided at first did not produce enough magnetic field to attract the metal ball at the speed it was traveling down the track. The fan was not working properly because of the angle of the force of the air. The biggest problem was that the doors did not move quick enough to prevent multiple balls from entering the sensor.

2. Next, we got rid of the magnet and we adjusted fan. The photoresistor had been sensing the balls incorrectly so we adjusted the values on the programming. We made a funnel so that the balls could be dropped from a higher position and still roll into a single file line. In replace of the magnet, we made a separate box for the metal marbles so that it would be sensed as if it was just a very dark colored marble. To replace the two doors, we placed two pistons that moved very quickly right next to each other that would only allow one ball in at once. This iteration proved to be quite successful.

Problems: The holding bay that we had kept after the first revision was not long enough to easily hold 15 marbles. Also, the balls entered the holding bay too quickly so they tended to jump up on eachother and make it harder for pistons to operate quickly. The fan still needed to be adjusted to combat the downward force of the wooden balls down the track (the wooden balls were half the weight of the colored balls and a fourth the weight of the metal balls!). The balls were moving slower down the track but the balls kept jumping up on each other.

3. This was our final attempt and it WAS successful! We added a roof to the top of the holding bay so that the balls were restricted to bounce on top of eachother. We completely got rid of the fan for it was very unreliable and instead we had discovered a powerful magnet. We switched the the boxes so that the wood balls would roll down the track into the old metal box and the metal balls would be attracted to the area where the old wood balls were supposed to go. The values worked well and the magnet was very reliable and we have gotten multiple 100% trials. Unfortunately, everytime we attempted to film the process, it seemed to not work... But take my word for it! When it did work, it really did create moments of joy when it worked after working on this one project for about three months.

Process Achievements:
Organize it!
Brainstorm!
"I've made a few special modifications..." (the story is explained in the previous section) AND this quote is from Star Wars (Han Solo)
Final Implementation:

This is the final project
Keys to success:
-The blue wires are connected to the pistons which control one ball entering at a time
-The Magnet is under the white tape on the track. It ensured very high efficiency when sorting the metal marbles.
-The black little boxes with the red switches on the track were very helpful. They let the machine know where it was on the track and know where it wanted to go.
The Programs:

This is the subprogram that controls the main track. It's difficult to see but it basically tells the main track to move towards a certain button depending on what color the ball is that is being sensed.

This is the subprogram that controls the door. After the main track has moved to the correct button, this door slides open the closes shut until the next ball is moved to the correct button.

This is the subprogram that controls the piston. The first piston quickly opens and then closes, allowing for one ball to enter. Then the second piston is a backup in case the first piston lets in a ball. This subprogram was supposed to work 100% but the balls sometimes managed to slide around the pistons if they came down too fast.
Product Achievements:
We sorted all 15 marbles
We did drop the 15 marbles from the highest position
We used two pistons


These are pictures from our final project:

The tunnel

A side view

The final project

Fully Functional (Finally) Elavator

Here is the visual of the actual elavator (lots of wires):

Here is the Main program for the software:

Here is the Subprogram for F1:

Here is the Subprogram for F2:

Here is the Subprogram for F3:

Here is the Subprogram for F4:

I will leave the Elavator up and running for people that will want to try it out. Please don't move any wires or disassemble the peices.

Game Changer

"Changing the game" is tough. Some of you will have the chance to attempt the equivalent at some point in your careers. Simulating this type of experience via Billy Beane's story is a chance to reflect on the blend of "art" and "science" required to solve the intractable challenge's you may come up against.

Use internet research and class discussion to answer the following questions.

1) What was the “Moneyball”approach that Billy Beane and Peter Brandt applied to the Oakland Athletics 2002 season? Was it an “art” or a “science”? What single statistic did they boil their value consideration down to? (In class research/discussion)
They wanted to get the best values for players. It was a combination of Billy Beane's art of negotiation and Peter Brandt' science of statistics. They boiled their value consideration down to On Base Percentage.

2) What is the equation used to calculate OBP? (In class research/discussion)
OBP=(Hits+Bases on Walks+Hit by Pitch)/(At Bats+Bases on Walks+Hit by Pitch+Sacrifice Flies)

3) What is design? (In class research/discussion)

A plan or drawing produced to show the look and functions or workings of an object before it is built or made.

4) Describe 3 situations where movie characters (intentionally or not) applied a step from the PLTW 12 Step Design Process. Explain both the (a) situation as well as (b) how the step is relevant:
1 - Beane asked his board of scouts what the problem was that they were trying to fix and they couldn't answer it correctly.

2 - Beane hired an assistant (Peter Brandt) that had a solution to his problem.

3 - Beane applied the Moneyball system to get his team. After he created it, he tested and evaluated his team and found that he could refine it by cutting Jeremy Giambi for his careless personality.

5) What is “Leadership”? List the three aspects of leadership that we come up with in class. (In class research/discussion)
1 - Leading by example

2 - Making decisions under pressure and without other input

3 - Coordinating a group
6) Describe 3 circumstances from the story where a character exercised effective leadership:
1 - David Justice provided leadership by being the oldest and most experienced player.
2 - Billy Beane shows leadership to Peter Brandt by showing him what it takes to be the manager of a team.
3 - Billy Beane showed leadership when he went into the locker room and disciplined his players after the loss when they were all partying.

7) According to the movie, what was the A’s record at the start of their winning streak? 68:51

8) What does this ratio simplify to (roughly)? 1.33: 1

9) How long was the A’s record setting winning streak? 20 games won.

10) Given the A’s win/loss ratio at the start of the streak (listed two questions above), what are the odds of winning 20 games in a row? Run the numbers. (In class research/discussion)

The odds of winning 20 games in a row are roughly 1 in 447 years by complete chance.

11) Based on your calculation, do you think the A’s got lucky or was there something to the Moneyball approach?
I think the A's got lucky with the amount of money they spent and the quality of players on the team.

12) Did Billy Beane strictly apply the “science” of Moneyball to his management approach? Was there an “art” to his efforts as well? Describe a circumstance where he broke from the Moneyball approach to make a positive change for the team.
Billy Beane also used an art to his efforts through his negotiations and team management. By cutting Jeremy Giambi (a very good moneyball pick), he made a positive change for the team by eliminating his careless attitude.

Bonus Question (look into this if you’ve finished ahead of the class):
Money Ball was originally a book. What author wrote the book? What other books has this author written? Is there a theme to his writing?
Michael Lewis wrote "Money Ball". He has also written "Liar's Poker", "The New New Thing", and "The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game". The theme to his writing seems to be sports books about changes in games.

It's "Oscar Season", will Moneyball win the Oscar for any of the categories it's up for?

No.

Soccer Goal

This soccer goal will turn on the red lamp on top of the goal if a goal is scored. The photoresistors inside the goal will sense when the ball passes by the lights and turn on the lamp on top signifying a goal.

And here is the software that we used to get the goal to do what we wanted.



Activity 3.1.6 Open and Closed Loop Systems

1. We built the support system and track.
2. We added the motor and gearbox.
3. This is the program we made for the system.

4. N/A
5. This is an open loop because there is nothing to provide feedback to the system.
6. The gearbox would come to rest far to the right than it started.
7. The process does have an inefficiency because it travels more one way than the other everytime the process is repeated. Also, if something slows the motor down one way, the motor will not adjust to keep the constant speed.
8. Here is the flowchart.

9. This is a closed loop because it responds to feedback.

10. This would be very precise because it would never get passed the mini-switches so it will alway have the same range of motion.

11. Here is the flow chart for the third program.

 

CONCLUSION:

1. A cell phone is an open loop system. The program starts when it recieves an incoming call and it ends when the "END" button is pressed. The system could benefit from feedback because hitting the end button ends the process and the end button is a feedback.

2. An air conditioner is a closed loop system. The feedback it gets comes from a thermometer. If the temperature is higher than the set temperature, it will cool the house down until the set temperature is reached. If the temperature is lower than the set temperature, it will warm the house up until the set temperature is reached.

Activity 3.1.5 Variable Functions

This is the final flow chart after completing steps 1-13. A is a variable.

14. The light was on for 5 seconds.

15.

CONCLUSION:

16. You can have a Plus 1 command and then the next step could have a Minus 1 command. That will make the variable block equal zero.

17. They may need to keep track of how many products they place in a box. If the box can only hold 10 items, then the engineer will have to set the program so that it stops after it places 10 items in the box so that they can switch out the box.

Activity 3.1.4 Branch Functions

1. If the mini switch is not being pushed and it is wired normally open, the program will continue through the 0 node.
2.

3. The lamp will continuously be lit if I1 is wired normally open and the switch is never pushed.
4. Right click and manipulate properties
5. run program
6.

 7./8./9./10./11.
Input 1 (I1) is a potentiometer with an analog range from 42-5000

For these 5 questions, this flowchart was only manipulated slightly.
CONCLUSION:
1. It is important to include branches because the program can make decisions based on actions that you perform.
2. A normally open switch is a doorbell. It is off until the button is pressed and it makes a noise.
3. A normally closed switch is a house alarm. It is constantly on until someone types in the password and turns it off.

Activity 3.1.3 Basic Programming

1. The best way to make sure all the devices are in the correct ports of the interface and have been wired correctly is to hit the test button at the top of the RoboPro screen

2. Labeling block functions makes the flowchart much easier to read. If you have multiple motors in the flow chart turning on and off, the labels can help you understand which motor will turn on/off at each time

Activity 3.1.2 Flowcharts

a. Create a flowchart that portays the following:
- pick up an object from a bin
- test the object's weight
- does the object weigh 50 kg or more? If yes, drop the object in a bin called HEAVY
- If no, drop the object in a bin called LIGHT
- Repeat this process three times

b. Create a flowchart that portrays the following:
- pick up an object from a bin
- test the object's weight
- does the object weigh 50 kg or more? If yes, drop the object in a bin called HEAVY
- If no, drop the object in a bin called LIGHT
- Repeat this process ten times

c. Creat a flowchart that portrays the following:
- choose a number between 1 and 10
- is the number odd? if yes, add 1
- if no, add 0
- divide the number by 2
- is the number 1? if yes, stop
- if no, loop back to the second step

1. Flowcharting is similar to using a map to plan a route for a trip because on a map you need to follow certain roads and highways to reach your destination. In flowcharting, the START is your starting location, the pathway on the flowchart is the pathway on the map that you are taking, and the END is when you finally reach your destination.

2. Describe a process that you perform every day. Develop a flowchart that illustrates the process.



Smartest Machine on Earth

The video players only show one chapter of an episode at a time. For a better viewing experience use the hotlink beneath each player to open up the full episode on the PBS website. Otherwise you'll have to click through five or six times during the viewing to see the whole episode.

Watch Smartest Machine on Earth on PBS. See more from NOVA.

What is "machine learning"?

How a machine learns behaviors and information based on empirical data and examples. To teach what an "A" is, developers must give the machine millions of examples so the machine can find patterns and determine the letter "A", even if it has never been show that specific example.

How did the IBM team employ that concept in the development of Watson's AI? What advantage did that provide over previous attempts at "intelligence"?

The team developers showed Watson a bunch of old Jeopardy! questions with a cheat sheet of the answers. With the thousands of example questions and answers, Watson could look for similarities between previous questions and the current question being asked. The advantage to this attempt was the Watson could actually analyze examples for simililarities and decide, by itself, what the possible answer is/would be.

I've often mentioned the term "Empirical Scepticism". What does that mean? How does that relate to the concept of Machine Learning? How does this relate to your life?

Empirical Scepticism is the sceptisicism between different answers. For Watson, when he is given the word "shoot", he is sceptical to whether that word is the shooting of a gun or the shooting of a camera. This relates to our life because, unlike machines, humans can determine which definition of the word to use based on the wording of the statement or question.

Engineering Ground Zero

What different "trades" (types of construction work) are featured in this video? Name at least three.

In this construction there has to be electrical, architectual, and plumbing trades.

What aspect of the project is most interesting to you? Why is that?

The steel workers are most interesting to me because they are the first ones up the building and have one of the most dangerous jobs dealing with the steel cables under high tension.