Hewlett Packers

This page contains the most important documentation recorded throughout the development of the prototype. All files are in MS Word format and are easily downloaded by clicking the link or the PDF icon. The purpose of each particular document is explained alongside the link to the file. The Primary Documentation section contains those files explicitly requested for documentation, while the Supplementary Documentation contains links to files found in other sections, or other files deemed important.

The group will evaluate the information provided to develop a comprehensive list of all the appropriate design requirements for the product. All design requirements will be quantified and within the general guidelines of the project. The requirements will be used to assess achievements during the semester and are not concept specific.

Product Design Requirements
	Product Design Requirements

This document provides a user's guide for the prototype. An explanation of the system fuctions, safety features, and off-design issues is also included.

Product and User Interfaces
	User's Guide for Prototype

During the concept development, several issues appeared that would require a further technical analysis in order to make a quantitative justification for these design decisions. Each trade study addresses one of these issues and uses an analytic or numerical model to provide the quantitative justification.

Individual Trade Studies
	Caitlin - Vertical Motion Control - The goal of this study is to determine the optimal design of a cam-follower mechanism to control the vertical motion of the air cannon.  One key component of our quarterback’s throwing mechanism is the ability to vary the distance the ball is thrown.  This will be controlled, in part, by the angle of the air cannon in the vertical plane when the ball is “thrown.”  A reliable way to control this angle is therefore needed, and will be done through the use of a cam-follower mechanism.  An appropriate range of desired angles must be determined, and the cam profile that gives the most accurate representation of the required function generation must be found.
	Ben - Air Cannon Dimensioning - The purpose of this study is to discern the proper dimensions of the air cannon to be used as the quarterback’s throwing mechanism.  It is critical that the quarterback be able to throw both long and short passes in a timely manner and an accurate fashion.  The diameter and length of the barrel of the air cannon will be key design components.  In addition, the amount of pressure needed to throw the ball various distances must be ascertained.  The study aims to determine what amount of pressure is feasible to generate, and what combination of pressure and barrel dimensions is optimum for our throwing needs.
	JJ - Kicking Apparatus - This trade study will analyze the key components of the kicking mechanism to be used by the kicking robo-player.  The kicker should be able to kick the ball in a human fashion resulting in kicks of an appropriate length, angle, and accuracy for American Football.  The optimal shape of the “foot” apparatus to produce the desired kick will be established.  The proper weight of the kicking apparatus and the height from which it should be released to produce the desired length and accuracy will also be determined.
	Jamie - Heat Transfer Analysis - This study is designed to analyze the heat transfer present in the robo-players as a result of the servo motors used to power it.  It is important that the robo-player have the correct number of servo motors to perform all of the functions required of it.  It is also important, however, that the heat generated by these motors can be sufficiently dissipated to prevent damage to other electronic components housed in the base.  The number and size of servo motors to use as well as the necessary thickness of the housing unit will be determined in this study.
	Pat - Player Mobility - In this study, the appropriate combination of motor and wheels to make our robo-players mobile will be determined.  The robo-players must have acceptable speed and acceleration to play on a football field.  They must be able to cover large distances in a manner that will make the game entertaining to watch and they also must have appropriate turning radii to be able to avoid other players or obstacles.  The type of motor that will produce enough power to move the robo-players in such a manner, while being feasible to run on battery power, must be established.  In addition, the number and type of wheels best suited for propelling the robo-players as desired must be discovered.
Trade Study Proposals
	Caitlin - Vertical Motion Control
	Ben - Air Cannon Dimensioning
	JJ - Kicking Apparatus
	Jamie - Heat Transfer Analysis
	Pat - Player Mobility

Each week, a member of the Hewlett Packers delivers a presentation explaining the current state of our concept and prototype's development. The purpose of each review is to explain to the Board of Directors the current status of the design, the progress according to the team's schedule, potential showstoppers, three action items for the previous week, and three actions items to be worked out during the current week.

Preliminary Design Reviews (PDR)
	Week 1 (01/29/08) Caitlin
	Week 2 (02/07/08) Ben
	Week 3 (02/12/08) JJ
	Week 4 (02/19/08) Jamie
	Week 5 (02/26/08) Pat
	Spring Break
	Week 7 (03/11/08) Caitlin
	Week 8 (03/18/08) Ben
	Week 9 (03/27/08) JJ
	Week 10 (04/02/08) Jamie
	Week 11 (04/08/08) Pat

In order to track the amount of time spend on each stage of the project, the members of the Hewlett Packers recorded their hours individually. The hours are input every week, and the data recorded includes the number of hours worked and the type of work during these hours. To view the groups weekly Task Tracking Summaries, click on the link below.

Summary Statistics
	Task Tracking Summary

The Concept Design Review (CDR) is a 20-minute formal presentation given by our group.  The CDR presentation includes quantitative engineering justification for the proposed concept.  The CDR demonstrates the quantitative engineering modeling and analysis used to support critical, technical design decisions.  A demonstration of the prototype is included during this presentation.  All members of the Hewlett-Packers participate in presenting the CDR.

Concept Design Review      During the conecpt design review. several comments and questions were addressed to the group by the reviewers. Several questions were asked about the data collected to determine the accuracy of the prototype, including whether or not standard deviations were calculated. The accuracy of the data was measured, but standard deviations were not calculated. The accuracy of the prototype returning to the line of scrimmage was determined visually. Questions about other players were asked, but only the quarterback has ben developed in detail. The visual aesthetics of the prototype were also addressed. The counterweight and gold paint on the cannon were greated with positive comments, along with the overall visual appeal.

CDR Powerpoint Presentation

The Project Nugget is a one page summary of the project including the project title, abstract, and a representative graphic. It can be found here.

Ideas for the concept were first generated individually. Each engineer in our group composed a statement addressing the target market, product design requirements, and a brief written description of the concept. It was also necessary to demonstrate the ideas graphically for each concept.

The final group design evolved from each of these individual concepts, as well as from a series of brainstorming sessions dedicated to key design requirements and possible issues of concern. The team arrived at a concept selection that is described in the document below. This document addresses the key technical issues to pursue through trade studies, as well as the preliminary schedule for the concept completion.

Individual Concept Memos
	Caitlin
	Ben
	JJ
	Jamie
	Pat
Group Concept Memo
	Group Concept Memo

Performance requirements and a “grading rubric” that will be used to evaluate the success of the prototype as measured against the explicitly stated objectives were created.

Prototype Performance Requirements
	PPR

The entire developement of the prototype is to be constructed on a budget of $400, with an additional $100 available from internal sources. The document below is a preliminary estimate of our expenditures.

Budget
	Expenditures
	Budget as of 3/18/08
	Budget as of 3/22/08
	Budget as of 4/8/08
	Budget as of 4/26/08