FarmBOT the Seed Planter
November 2016
During the final week of our project we began to put together our mechanical design and the programming side of the robot together. This resulted in a few errors due to things not working the way we planned. Thus the importance of my teamwork skills came into play. I effectively communicated with my group by arranging work project times that worked best for everyone’s schedules. During work project times I tried my best to promote a positive working environment by encouraging others to do their best and stay focused on their tasks, away from distractions. To fix the errors that arose from combining our mechanical and programming parts of the project all at once, I discussed and respectively listened to other team member’s ideas during brainstorming sessions. For example, as part of our code design we discussed, as a group, different ways for the robot to perform our line procedure, if it should use the colour sensor or a pre-calculated distance. Next, I clearly communicated my ideas with my group members and explained my thought process so they would be able to offer their input. On one of the last days of our project I talked over with John the idea of implementing a colour sensor and what effects it would have on our project at that point in the project timeline and if it would be a reasonable modification. The final week was an important time before our final presentation and I continually asked for other member’s feedback on important tasks before modifying the code. For instance, before modifying the robot to use the motor encoders instead of the ultrasonic sensor, I proposed the idea to my group and discussed with them the benefits and downsides of this decision. Throughout the project process I continuously offered suggestions for the physical design of the robot and how it could be efficiently improved.
After using my teamwork skills to effectively exchange ideas with my group, we were able to change our robot to be even more efficient than it was from our original design. By improving communication among the group, I was able to have thought-provoking and insightful conversations with my team members about our code and the reasons for why it wasn’t working at times. I was able to promote a positive working environment which allowed my group members to effectively work as a group and finish the project on time. Ultimately, my group came up with a final design that effectively solved the design problem we started with. We were able to work together as a team and successfully finish this project with a robot that all of us were proud of.
For our final project we had to design, build, and program a robot that provided a solution to a problem. My group chose to create a robot that plants seeds, aptly named FarmBOT the Seed Planter. During the final week of our project, I developed my teamwork skills by helping to improve communication among team members and facilitate the exchange of ideas. To be more specific, I clearly communicated my ideas and asked my other team members for their feedback before any big decisions that modified our project.
