Today, among other things we worked on making the vertical part of the tail. To make the vertical part of the taiI I made a file for the the vertical part of the tail in rhino (a 3d modeling program) and saved it as a dxf.  A dxf file is a type of file that the laser printer and other CAD systems can read.I then precisely cut the tail out in foam board using clifford (our laser cutter's name.) Louie and Alex then wired it and connected it to a servo which is wirelessly controlled by a remote controler. 

In a world where there are unskilled ninjas.This item is very useful for those who don't have arm strength to throw. However how would they bring it along with them because it has to be agile and not be irritating. Then it hit us with a bang. A gaunlet that can shoot different type of shurikens for different jobs.

Today was all about the arduino. All the sensors were attached today. We only used 4 infared sensors. The thing about this type of sensor is that it reads in volts and we did the conversion to centimeters. For a volt to a centimeter the conversion is 32.916 repeating. We put a bunch of extra code lines like the one that says Let's play quidditch, and spaces between each of the sensors reads. We also made a line of code for putting all of the sensors readings on one line. We also made a storyboard of the things that the snitch will do. Some of those things are hovering and randomly moving for its basic default action. Two more things that we could make the snitch do is react to the sensors and if it senses a obstacle near it, it will turn away and go the opposite direction. Another idea for the same concept is that it will light up and spin rapidly so the person getting it will be frightened or scared. We also point a stick like thing in the persons direction. We also have a new design in Rhino for the frame. It has a mount for the motor that is higher up than the other models. We got a lot of work with the arduino and the sensors and our planned next step is to put if statements in the arduino code. Those if statements our very important for what is does and how it will turn and give more power to one motor than the other. Also we are going to put 2 tiny motors so it can move in different directions. One of the hard parts about placing where these mini motors go is that both of them have to be on the center of gravity. We are hoping to get more tests in and find more ways to weight of our snitch.

Today we started to make a flying snitch. We zip tied are 2 frames together to make our complete sphere shaped frame. We already had all the wiring so all we had to do is connect the battery and setup the controller to the transmitter. Our first test didn't if move it was way to heavy with the wooden box. In our second test we actually got the snitch to move and roll. We took away the box and put 2 strings of fish line and put zip ties on each side attached to the fishing line and then let the throttle go. It actually went up on the wire and flew in the air. It wasn't that stable but we accomplished our goal of the day. GETTING IT AIRBORN. In that test the wires were just hanging down and weren't actually attached to anything. In a solution to that we taped the wires to each side with electrical tape. The great thing about electrical tape is that it is strong and won't rip easily. Then we tested it again with the fishing line and it worked. Tomorrow we will start to program the micro Arduino. Today was a big success. 

Today was the first day. We brainstormed lot's of ideas today. Bainstorming is a key part in your proccess to make great things. For the first part of the day all the coaches showed a slideshow on the favorite flying things. David showed us a overview of the 2 weeks. We started to brainstorm and I came up with lots of great ideas. My best ideas were a ball that would fly and you could play catch with it and it would rebalence itself in the air. My second idea is a robot that could fly, drive, and crawl. My fovorite one was the  ball. We were going to try to get in our groups. Each student would share one or two of their best ideas and then we would vote at the end. My idea was formed into an idea of the flying snitch. At the end our team was a 3 person team and it is made up of me, Tony, and Jibreel.

Today we created a design of the outside frame of the snitch and then tried to 3d print it. Unfortunatley, the 3d print did not work so we will continue it tomorrow. We made a model in rhino with 3d shapes to act as the batteries, motors, transmitter, and propellers. We decided how we would distribute the things I just listed and we decided to have one motor and propeller on the top and one on the bottom. They will be spinning in different directions because of counter rotation. Now they will cancel out. All the other equipment will be placed on the bottom to put more weight on the bottom so it is more stable. It will turn by having one motor turn stronger then the other.  The final model of the snitch will be able to go in all directions. An idea our group came up with is to make the snitch do something special like make it light up when a person come near it. Another idea is to make a stick on the side and it will turn the stick towards the person. The inside of the snitch is going very well and we hope to get the frame finished tomorrow.

Today we worked in Rhino to create the best method to fit the propellers, batteries, motors, and transmitters inside the sphere shaped frame/skeleton. We found out the best design is to have one propeller on the top and one on the bottom so the counter rotation will cancel out and will allow the snitch to fly straight. Our 3d prints failed but we will get them done tomorrow. We also got a special battery that is very light weight and small so it can fit in the snitch design. This design is a great light weight and compacted design that should be able to fly very well in the air. The snitch will be able to turn by having one propeller moving one way and the other one moving the other way soy it will twist and turn. For the final design the snitch will be able to go in all directions.

Today we made a more advanced prototypes including using laser cutters and other tools. We made a 3 ring design that will be strong and durable. We made our design in Rhino and then laser cut it. We made then another prototype that would be stronger because it is out of foam. We then started to use a program called arduino and made a ultrasound distance sensor work. We used a mini arduino so it could fit in our small snitch design and in our final design we will be using about 7 total sensors including ultrasonic distance and IR sensors. We have improved our thoughts about the inside of the snitch and what it will look like. Today we also put up a post on our presidents and they were the Harry Potter snitch, a flying orb, and a flying sphere. Our idea is running smoothly and we will be able to start our final design soon.

We started and finished our prototype of the snitch today. Our first step was to make the frame/skeleton and we made it out of strips of cardboard. Then we folded the pieces to make into a circle. Then we taped the pieces together to make the finishing touches on the frame. To make the wings for the snitch we cut them out of cardboard and taped them to one of the circled cardboard strips. We taped around to make sure it was stable and tightly packed while being strong at the same time. This idea is a simple and effective design that I think will be able to fly very well and be stable. The wings are only for design purposes and could be removed for better flight. We will be attaching sensors and 2 propellers to our final design. We have 2 propellers so it counters and cancels out. The final design of the snitch will run away from people and will be able to fly by itself and it also will have a manual override if the snitch goes to high.