NATALIE CARDENAS
2.007 ROBOT PROJECT
One of my favorite classes at MIT, 2.007 Design for Manufacturing was a robot competition that class that explored physics and material capabilities to help traverse through an obstacle course and best your opponent. My robot, Otis, featured a pulley system with a sliding lift, inspired by the elevator inventor, Elisha Otis. Otis could lift up to 20N of force, as well as push buttons and climb up and down hills. it could also pull hooks with a latch key method on the underside of its chassis. I used my skills in CAD-ing, design for manufacturing, machining, and knowledge of applied physics and electrical engineering to get my robot done.
Most Critical Module
The main component of the Otis is its pulley lift system. This was the system that was critical for it to work it to complete all its tasks. Some of its tasks include raising a rather heavy beaver", collecting balls and transporting it to a little calico, and a bonus puller. Since the lift would have two pairs of forks, I would be able to raise the leave significantly, and the bottom forks could also hook onto bonus ring needing to be pulled.
One of the biggest challenges was making sure that the mechanism wouldn't topple over, as the robot was rather lightweight. I fixed this by adding a larger battery and motor so as to also increase the torque of the pulley system.
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