Project Description

Overview

The Robotics Traveling Van project is focused on designing and building two low cost, portable educational robots that demonstrate core control system concepts for K-12 outreach. Sponsored by Dr. Michael Shafer at Northern Arizona University, the project aims to create safe, durable, and visually engaging platforms that help students connect robot motion to ideas like feedback, stability, and actuation.

The team is developing two systems: Robot 1, an inverted pendulum robot that maintains balance while students interact with it, and Robot 2, a ball balancing robot that began as a ball-on-beam prototype and will be extended to a full ball-on-plate platform. Both robots are being designed to be mass producible, classroom friendly in size, and robust enough for repeated demonstrations in a traveling van outreach setting.

Approach

The project uses a structured engineering design process that starts with customer and engineering requirements, followed by a House of Quality, benchmarking, and literature review to select concepts for both robots. The team created functional decompositions, morphological charts, and Pugh charts to compare alternatives and choose final designs that balance performance, safety, and cost.

For Robot 1, the team modeled the inverted pendulum dynamics, performed controller design using methods such as PID and state space analysis, and developed a robust frame that can survive classroom use and drop tests. For Robot 2, the team benchmarked ball-on-plate systems, derived ball-on-beam and motor torque equations, and built a physical ball-on-beam prototype to validate sensing, actuation, and control before scaling to a plate. Across both robots, the team uses CAD modeling, 3D printing, electronics integration, and iterative prototyping informed by analysis and testing.

Expected Outcomes

By the end of the project, the team intends to deliver:

• Two fully functional educational robots: an inverted pendulum robot and a ball balancing robot suitable for K-12 classroom and outreach demonstrations.
• Robust, portable mechanical designs that meet size, durability, and safety targets, including enclosed wiring, emergency stop features, and impact resistant frames.
• Implemented feedback controllers (such as PID) that clearly show how sensor measurements and control inputs affect robot motion in real time.
• Complete documentation, including design reports, CAD drawings, bills of materials, wiring diagrams, and example classroom activities that explain the underlying engineering principles.
• A repeatable platform that can be manufactured in small batches for the Robotics Traveling Van, enabling continued use in future outreach and coursework.