Talk:Cheers!

Proposal Review

Strengths

• Well written proposal. The idea is clear, and the youtube link is a significant help clarifying the goals.
• Objectives are actual deliverables, which can be individually evaluated.
• Thorough study of the challenges ahead of the team.
• Good Gantt Chart formatting.

Weaknesses

The main problem with this proposal is the lack of robustness of the potential demo. I can see this prototype working well under certain conditions, but I fail to see how a simple laser sensor will provide enough data to find the "perfect angle" to pour the liquid in the glass. Moreover, the current idea uses the laser sensor as an ON/OFF switch to detect a particular froth height. I don't see how an ON/OFF switch will help you "adjust angles as more soda accumulate in the glassware". Shouldn't you use a distance sensor in this situation, pointing towards the interior of the glass?

Other comments:

• Your Gantt chart is highly optimistic regarding the mechanical design. 3D printing a functional and robust mechanical support that connects to two motors using strings is very challenging.
• Your Gantt chart is missing a week (2/26-3/6), and the two-week fusion at the end of the semester is not detailed enough.
• The budget is a bit of a mess. There are dead links, and it is hard to read. Please fix it.
• You consider spending $10 in soda and glassware. First, I'm not sure if you can use WashU money to buy a soda (I can figure that out for you though). Second, I believe you need way more than one soda. In fact, I believe you will need tens of litters of soda, which will quickly take you over budget. Hence, you will need to find a cheaper, yet realistic, way of testing your prototype.
• Finally, water and electricity don't get along. Your budget does not include a single item to avoid a fire or electrocution due to spilled soda. You correctly identified this as a challenge, yet you are doing nothing to address the issue.

Humberto 01:06, 7 February 2017 (CST)