Our team uses the Engineering Design Process as it relates to the FIRST® Build Season. We do exercises in preseason and plan build season around the Engineering Design process. Here is a summary of the Design Process as it relates to Engineering and FIRST.
1. Identify the need or problem
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- The Kickoff Event provides a description of the game
- Each team then needs to identify what their strategy will be to play the game
2. Identify the Criteria and Constraints
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- Function Requirements
- The robot must be able to score baskets
- Design constraints
- Robot must be no bigger than 28 X 38 in base
- Function Requirements
3. Specification Ranking
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- Determine what is the most important
- Use a weighted objective table
- Determine what is the most important
4. Brainstorm Design Concepts
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- Draw and talk about ideas with in groups
- Remember, there are no bad ideas!
- Draw and talk about ideas with in groups
5. Construct a prototype*
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- Model the selected solution(s) in two and three dimensions
- Many teams prototype designs in wood or other simple materials to see if concepts work.
- Have fun with this part!
6. Select an Approach
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- Which worked the best?
- If deciding with a large group, a weighted objective table is great for this as well!
- Which worked the best?
7. Detailed Design
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- CAD Everything!
- Think about the small stuff too!
- This is a big part because you don’t want to get through the designs and into building only to find that parts do not work together
8. Manufacturing & Implementation
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- This is the part where everything comes together
- Your robot gets built
- Your plan implemented
- This is the part where everything comes together
9. Analyze the Results
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- Compare to your expectation, did it live up to what you thought it would be?
- Did your robot drive as fast as you thought it would, did it score as many hoops as you had thought it would?
- Compare to your expectation, did it live up to what you thought it would be?
10. Refine the Design
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- Determine what was wrong
- Go back and fix it!
- Don’t be afraid to start over when you can
- Don’t get stuck in a rut with your ideas!
Although in the typical Engineering Design Process a solution is usually selected and then prototyped, if the manpower and material is available, and if there is a a very short amount of time for rework, Steps 4 & 5 can be switched. Most FIRST teams will actually do several prototypes in parallel in order to select the best robot design.*
Here is a link to our team’s Engineering Design Process Presentation