Building THe Shell
The first step of the build process was to laser cut the casing from Acrylic. We chose to use 1/4'' Acrylic for the material that we would build our robot out of. After dealing with it directly, we reaffirmed this decision. It was a very solid material, wouldn't bend or break too easily, and had enough weight so that our robot would both have some serious momentum (see our game philosophy section). The lasercutting process was quite simple and straightforward thanks to our very detailed CAD drawings.
After getting the cut pieces, we began experimenting with putting them together. Again, we found that thanks to our careful CAD drawings, the pieces fit together well. This was a big step, because it was the first physical object that we were able to hold and physically maneuver in the design process. In our opinion, this is the biggest step in the design process. Only by holding something physical can your really start to flesh out the ideas behind the design. You can start to visualize how things interact and fit together. This was definitely a major takeaway for our team. This caused us to redesign several of the spacing and layout for our robot.
After getting the cut pieces, we began experimenting with putting them together. Again, we found that thanks to our careful CAD drawings, the pieces fit together well. This was a big step, because it was the first physical object that we were able to hold and physically maneuver in the design process. In our opinion, this is the biggest step in the design process. Only by holding something physical can your really start to flesh out the ideas behind the design. You can start to visualize how things interact and fit together. This was definitely a major takeaway for our team. This caused us to redesign several of the spacing and layout for our robot.
At right is the revised build plan given what we learned from the physical experience of building the casing. The only major change that we made as the build process proceeded was the realization that the third level wasn't necessary.