ENGINEERING DESIGN LAB IIENGR 102 WINTER 2015 - 2016
WEEK 9 LECTURE
Brandon Terranova, Ph.D.
WEEK 9 – EXTERNAL PROJECTS
FINAL REPORT
EXTERNALLY ADVISED PROJECTS
External Advisor form
Required for all external projects
Deadline extended to March 14
New link on course website for external projects
looking for more group members.
If you want to advertise your project, submit a project
description using the google form here:
http://goo.gl/forms/y8MfAK6KVN (caps matter).
2
WEEKLY SCHEDULE – ROBOT MODULE
3
Week Lab Deliverables
1 Jan 4Intro to NXT Programming
NXT Motor ControlN/A
2 Jan 11Introduction to Sensors
Collision Detection/AvoidanceN/A
3 Jan 18
The Light Sensor
Effects of Shrouding
Light Seeking Algorithm
N/A
4 Jan 25 Gripper Design Teamwork Evaluation #1
5 Feb 1 Design and Test Robot
Signoff Sheets Due
Design Proposal Due
Lab Notebook Weeks 1-4
6 Feb 8 Design and Test Robot N/A
7 Feb 15 Preliminary Competition Prelim Competition
8 Feb 22 Design and Test Robot N/A
9 Feb 29 Design and Test Robot Teamwork Evaluation #2
10 Mar 7 Final Design Competitions
Final Competition
Final Report Due
Lab Notebook Weeks 5-9
11/F Mar 14 No Lab N/A
All deliverables must be completed at the start of your lab period.
WEEKLY SCHEDULE – BRIDGE MODULE
4
Week Lab Deliverables
1 Jan 4 K’NEX Failure Modes and Connection Types N/A
2 Jan 11 Failure Prediction of K’NEX Trusses N/A
3 Jan 18 Introduction to Visual Analysis N/A
4 Jan 25 Iterative K’NEX Truss Bridge Design Teamwork Evaluation #1
5 Feb 1 Design and Test Bridge
Signoff Sheets Due
Design Proposal Due
Lab Notebook Weeks 1-4
6 Feb 8 Design and Test Bridge N/A
7 Feb 15 Preliminary Competition Prelim Competition
8 Feb 22 Design and Test Bridge N/A
9 Feb 29 Design and Test Bridge Teamwork Evaluation #2
10 Mar 7 Final Design Competitions
Final Competition
Final Report Due
Lab Notebook Weeks 5-9
11/F Mar 14 No Lab N/A
All deliverables must be completed at the start of your lab period.
WEEK 10
Final Report – Week 10
A template can be found on the course website under
week 8 resources
Competition – Week 10
Robot competition rules
Bridge competition rules
5
THE PARTS OF A LAB REPORT
Abstract
Introduction
Experimental procedure, results, and discussion
The exact structure and sequence differs from one report to another
Describe the procedure taken
Present the experimental results
Analyze the results
Conclusion
This general format applies to other technical writing e.g. conference and journal papers.
6
THE ABSTRACT
This should be a concise summary of the entire
report.
The abstract is intended to give the reader a
quick overview of the document
The abstract should be short, around 300 words.
It is often easier to write the abstract after you
have drafted the main document.
7
COMPONENTS OF AN ABSTRACT
These are the basic components of an abstract in any
discipline:
1. Motivation/purpose: Why do we care about the problem?
What practical, scientific, theoretical or artistic gap is your
research filling?
2. Methods/procedure/approach: What did you actually do
to get your results?
3. Results/findings/product: As a result of completing the
above procedure, what did you learn/invent/create?
4. Conclusion/implications: What are the larger
implications of your findings, especially for the problem/gap
identified in step 1?8
THE INTRODUCTION
This section should indicate the motivation for
performing the lab, discuss the procedure you
will follow, and explain the objectives and
deliverables.
You should not discuss experimental results,
analysis, or conclusions here.
9
EXPERIMENTAL INFO
The experiment:
Relevant experiment info such as handling, location,
cautions, etc.
How did you collect the data?
Experimental design with focus on important aspects
Controls, treatments, important variables, number of
samples and sampling rate, independent verification of
methods employed, etc
10
RESULTS INFO
How did you analyze the data?
What results did you get?
Objectively present your key results, without interpretation, in an orderly and logical sequence using both text and illustration.
May use tables and/or figures to present the results, but you should use text to refer the reader to your figures and tables.
Keep in mind that tables are useful when the reader wants to know the exact numerical value of a result, while graphs are useful for showing trends.
Both tables and figures should be numbered sequentially, and each should have a descriptive title.
Important negative results should also be reported.11
DISCUSSION INFO
Interpret your results in light of what was already
known about the subject, and to explain the new
understanding.
To connect the reader to the introduction by way of
the hypotheses or questions posed and literature
cited.
Should include some or all of the following:
Comparison between your results to others in the class or
to other sources (cite), evaluation of how your data
supports or refutes your original hypothesis, future
application of information/skills learned, and analysis of
possible sources of error.
If multiple experiments are discussed (as they are
here), some connection should be made between them.12
CONCLUSION
Briefly remind the reader what the lab was about
and why it was performed.
Discuss what was learned by the exercise and
present an overall analysis of the important
results.
Draw conclusions based on the work you did
throughout the term.
13
POINTERS FOR TECHNICAL WRITING
Presenting technical content
Don’t present data (tables, graphs, sketches) without
explaining it
All figures, tables, graphs must include a caption
Annotate graphs properly
14
POINTERS FOR TECHNICAL WRITING
Presenting technical content
Know what to graph, and what to put into a table
Use the proper number of significant figures
This depends on the accuracy of the measurement
equipment you are using and other factors
Don’t just use the default settings in Excel or the entire
value given by your calculator
For our purposes, 2 decimal places is probably sufficient.
15
POINTERS FOR TECHNICAL WRITING
Grammar in technical writing
Generally very precise and succinct
The author is “detached” from the work
Use of 3rd person is generally preferred
Refer to experiments and events in past tense
Don’t include unsubstantiated statements and
opinions presented as fact
No colloquial (informal) and conversational style
Spelling
It is difficult to proof-read your own work
Have more than one person read through the entire
document just before submission. 16
POINTERS FOR TECHNICAL WRITING
Use sections and subsections to organize your
material
Break up long blocks of text with subsection and
paragraph headings when appropriate
There is no single correct way to organize your
paper.
When you proof-read, you should also check that the
document flows, i.e. the ordering of sections and how
data is presented seems appropriate.
17
POINTERS FOR WRITING TECHNICAL
DOCUMENTS
Always include a leading zero before the decimal point, e.g. “0.2” not “.2.”
Avoid first person.
“m”, not “meters”, etc
Figures should be within text (no appendix of figures)
Captions on bottom of figures and on top of tables
All graphs are as condensed as possible while still being readable.
No oddly large graphs or titles
Be consistent with font size, spacing, margin, etc.
If printing for submission remember if you used color in your graphs!
All numbered citations are in numerical order.
All notations, acronyms and symbols are explained.
Avoid jargon.
Avoid using –fold, such as “20-fold smaller”, “times more” or “times
less”.18
CITATIONS
Use IEEE style:
http://www.ieee.org/documents/ieeecitationref.pdf
19
USES FOR REFERENCES
In the Introduction or Background sections
To discuss prior art
To justify your project
In the Experimental section
To discuss related technologies
In the Discussion/Conclusion sections
To support claims you are making
20
APPROPRIATE TYPES OF REFERENCES
Book chapters
Conference and journal papers
Patents
Magazine articles
Manufacturer’s product datasheets, application
notes, whitepapers
Generally, no references to web pages (e.g.
Wikipedia).
Sometimes information is only online – be careful
here.21
REFERENCES APPROPRIATE FOR YOUR
PROJECT
Robotics
How specific sensors work
Algorithm design
Mechanism design
Bridge
Method of Joints
Bridge failure case studies
Material test procedures
22
LIBRARY RESOURCE PAGES
Robotics Module
http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/engineeringlibrar
yinstruction/?p=1169
Bridge Module
http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/englibrary/2013/0
2/01/bridge-design-resources/
23