Engineering is not solely based on the content learned in class. Engineering is much more than that. It is a creative process melded with the highly technical nature of science and technology. There is no better place to expose this creativity than under the environment of competition. From November 20th to November 22nd, approximately 30 teams participated in the Waterloo Engineering Competition (WEC) in both junior and senior categories. The competition was a difficult problem exposing common contending problems in the field of Mechanical, Electrical and Software Engineering. In the span of six hours, the problem was explained and a solution was developed, an impressive feat for any team.
Putting the project together was a challenge. With the limited amount of time and a limited budget we did what we could. Our challenge: after being stranded in space, we must navigate around a slippery path on a distant planet to acquire Rick’s portal gun (from Rick and Morty) to get home using limited supplies.
We were given an Arduino and a budget of $7500 (fake money) and set off to work. Right away we got into high gear. We drew a few poorly drawn schematics, but that’s okay, we were in a rush. Soon thereafter, we began to design our respective components.
Our multitasking was phenomenal. Motors and power sources were being tested. Code was being compiled. Sensors were being developed. The hot glue gun was overheating. Our design only used 2 wheels, the minimum to have a sufficient turning mechanism, our vehicle size perfectly fit the Arduino Uno, and our sensors were triggering as intended.
We then got to the testing field. Our first run went poorly: the vehicle didn’t even move, because the surface was too slippery. The wheels were like people on a miniature slip and slide. We removed our wooden dowel grip sticks and used a rubber surface to ensure traction. During the second test run, the code was malfunctioning and drove the car straight off the track. However, third time’s the charm: we managed to run the vehicle around the first 3 corners, further than any competitor had done yet.
The actual judging took place on a separate day. On Sunday, the track was recreated. Unfortunately, the second time around, the water on the track caused the entire track to warp. The fragile cardboard track had bends in it here and there. Our design did not adjust for this fact, and neither did the other teams’ designs. Fortunately, we won because of our low budget and design. In fact, nobody during the presentation made it around the first bend successfully. One could say that the challenge was indeed difficult.
To all fellow competitors who competed with us: kudos. Each design was creative and worthy of competition.
Shout out to my fellow team members: Mitch, Stephen, and Nathan!
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