Hoverbear

Link to Log

Project Proposal

Overview

We are going to be constructing a hoverboard that would be able to hover a few centimeters off the ground. It will be able to move to a destination by means of a beacon or vectors, and contain some measure of intelligence.

Team Members

Lucas Alcantara
James Shaheen
Michael Horwitz
TA: Tony

Objectives

To enable the hoverboard to autonomously detect obstacles
To enable the hoverboard to autonomously travel to a beacon
To enable the hoverboard to follow a predetermined trail / follow a trail marked out on the ground

List of Dated Goals

February 15, 2019: Present initial project proposal to the entire class. During this time, the goals of the project should be presented along with a condensed timeline for completion as well as anticipated challenges that have been or will be faced.

Finish the night light in the first week or so (date TBD)
Familiarize ourselves with the sensor and work on coding to make self sufficient (date TBD)

Week of March 31st: By this week, the group should have a final design of the hoverboard and built before the end of the week.

April 8th, 2019: By this day, a Final Proposal should be finalized and submitted to Professor Feher.

April 26, 2019: By this day, the hovercraft will be presentable and at its final design.

Challenges

All group members have very busy schedules. Finding times to meet will be hard, and individuals might have to work on their own at some times.
Not a whole lot of experience in automation. There will a be a learning curve for the group.
Not everyone in the group is familiar with Arduino programming. Learning how to use an Arduino is likely to take time out of the building process of the project.
It could be a challenge to learn how to utilize the ultrasonic distance sensor so we can be self dependent and navigate through obstacles. In addition, we will be trying to use more than one ultrasonic distance sensor. It may be hard to calibrate all distance sensors.
The hoverbear will be a careful balance between power and weight: The heavier the craft is, the more power is required to keep it afloat. The heaviest machine part will either be the fans or the battery.

Videos

Budget

Item	Quantity	Cost
Cardboard	1	$10.00
Delta Fan	2	$25.99
Ultrasonic Distance Sensor	3	$5.42
Micro Servo Motor	1	$7.79
Talentcell Battery	1	$23.99
Remaining Budget		$39.98
Total Budget		$150.00