Infinity Recharge - 2020/2021
Innovation Challenge
The Problem
We surveyed over 100 people asking them what held them back from exercising. The majority said that they were too busy and unmotivated.
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In addition, gym memberships and equipment can be very expensive.
pictured above: survey results
The Triple Trainer
The Triple Trainer is a one-time investment that is designed to work with the bike you already own. We’ve created a portable, social, and affordable way for people to workout.
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One of the first things we focused on was making the trainer convenient. Several people who responded to our survey said that they were motivated by competitiveness and when they were around friends. The Triple Trainer is compact, bringing convenience, by charging itself with a dynamo. In addition, it can act as both a stand, and a lightweight carrier that clips onto the back of your bike. The convenience allows the Triple Trainer to be portable. The app associated with the Triple Trainer will also be available on both android and iOS devices.
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We also focused on making the Triple Trainer affordable. According to our survey, a majority of the people already own a bike, this motivated us to build upon it. For under $100, the Triple Trainer is affordable.
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We strive to keep people on a fair playing field so people can compete against others of the same level. Using the app, the Triple Trainer allows anyone to compete against others based on their level, indicated by factors such as an increase in heart rate (indicates stamina).
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Since the Triple Trainer is portable, it allows people to take their bike anywhere and compete with their friends. This enhances the social aspect.
Technology
Our triple trainer uses a dynamo to convert the mechanical energy from the bike into electrical energy. Capacitors and a voltage regulator are used to control the voltage going into the USB plug. The circuit enables the electrical energy generated from the dynamo to power the USB (pictured to the left). This makes the Triple Trainer convenient, as it is self-powered.
The carrier, attached to the back wheel, also folds back and acts like a bike stand. The Triple Trainer is also portable, this enhances the convenient and social aspect. Additionally, it brings a sense of competitiveness to the fun of exercising!
The App
To enhance the social aspect, there is an app associated with the Triple Trainer. The app creates a social environment for friends to improve their physical and mental health together. The app makes sure to make the trainer inclusive, by using levels and challenges. Before anyone uses the app, there is a short diagnostic test for the user to determine level and to give a much more personalized feel to it. People can use the app to challenge one another, enhancing a competitive incentive and motivator.
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The Triple Trainer has a heart rate sensor, speed monitor and a cadence sensor. The heart rate monitor is used for the diagnostic test that will help indicate your level. This allows for everyone to be on a level playing field. The cadence sensor keeps track of your pedaling, this will once again be useful for the diagnostic as well as the challenges. The speed monitor will be used to determine the users personal level. All three of the sensors will connect wirelessly to a microcontroller using bluetooth low energy. The Triple Trainer also has LED lights that light up whenever the user is challenged/advances their level.
The Triple Trainer in its beginning prototype stages
Mounted circuit
Prototype carrier
Diagram of the sensors and monitors on the Triple Trainer
Prototype app screens
Future Improvements
We hope to be able to bring the Triple Trainer to life! One of the improvements we would like to make is to add a zipper to the carrier bag, so that items stored in it don’t fall out. We also hope to be able to make it from cheaper materials since wood can be pretty expensive. Additionally, we would like to be able to offer the ability for customers to customize their Triple Trainer. We would also like to add a battery pack to store excess energy. This will allow the energy to be used after you’ve stopped pedaling.
Infomercial for our prototype Triple Trainer
Game Design Challenge
The Game Idea
Our team also took part in the Game Design Challenge, called Fry of Flight. The game works by creating an interactive robot field, where the robots move in autonomous mode. The objective of the game is to place footballs, soccer balls, and lacrosse balls, representing chicken, biscuits, and corn, respectively, into goals. These goals are specific for the team to get from their home base to the mouth on the other side of the field.
What it Looks Like
Several robots can be placed in their base and they would go to collect the chicken, biscuits, and corn from the fryer to be later collected by the players. The robots then bring the collected buckets into their respective team mouth goal. “Get lost in the sauce with Fry or Flight!”
The Game Design Team, sketching out their Game Plan Outside while social distancing
Skills Challenge
Our robot was designed to Pick up the power cells and store them in order to score into the lower goal. Aside from this, our robot is also designed to defend against enemies, and climb the teeter-totter for scoring. Our robot does not have an autonomous at the moment because of the season canceling due to covid, but we had begun looking into it before its cancelation.
What Our Robot Does
Skills Challenge Demonstrations
In the skills challenge demonstration, we took Connie to the Hope Horizon basketball court and tested her capabilities. Through the videos, we hoped to best demonstrate the potential of our robot if it were to be moving on the playing field. Skills included being able to navigate around cone obstacles, shoot power cells, control speed, and have a sense of good maneuverability.
Robot Features
The ball intake Is made from a roller wrapped in electrical tape and is used to collect the power cells into the hopper. It is also used to dispense and release them into the lower goal, scoring points. The ball hopper contains the collected power cells, raised by our robot’s arm. Our robot’s arm can move up and down, which allows us to score in the low goal and to fit in max dimensions for the starting configuration.
Rapid React - 2022
Our Robot
Sacramento Regionals
Silicon Valley Regionals
Our Robot - Ponyo
Our Robot features a dual intake so that we have the ability to eject one ball at a time, or both balls at the same time. This was especially useful when an opponents ball was accidentally picked up or when playing defense.
For the Sacramento regional, our robot had a passive climber. This everybot design allowed us to climb on both the lower and mid bars by simply driving forward.
During tele-op our robot picked balls up from the ground and dumped them in the lower hub. Our robot was also able to do defense.
Our Robot features a dual intake so that we have the ability to eject one ball at a time, or both balls at the same time. This was especially useful when an opponents ball was accidentally picked up or when playing defense.
Sacramento Regionals
UC DAVIS, CA - MARCH 23-26
We competed in the Sacramento regional with “Ponyo”, ranking 16 of 43. After some analyzing, we found we landed 6 ranks higher than we expected. In order to make this happen, the team worked together and split up roles.
What we did to make it happen:
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Actively upgraded scouting reports, giving us time to strategize before tough matches
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Developed and continued to improve on flexible autonomous software
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Maximized our alliance ability to score in autonomous
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worked extra hard to add things like our the climber and the "butter duster" to give more capabilities in matches
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Took advantage of media passes to allow slow-mo videos and close ups, helping identify mechanical and software issues
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Communication and teamwork in the pit, to run fast with pit repairs
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Great drive-team tactics and gameplay on the field to help with ranking points
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Had churros nearby to keep us fueled and to hand out to other teams, building a sense of community and bonds
Pit team in action
Team bonding and reflecting after a long day of competition.
Ponyo, the team, and our last alliances of the competition (qualified for team picks)
Ready, Set, Go!
Team photo. Go Churrobots!
Ponyo in action during practice rounds.
Pit team fixing up Ponyo before the next match. Speedy fixes!
Drive team in action!
Silicon Valley Regionals
SAN JOSE, CA - APRIL 7-10
We competed in the Silicon Valley regional with “Ponyo”. This was our second time competing in the year and took the time after the Sacramento Regional to make the best improvements possible.
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Improvements made:
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Using past scouting to build better scouting system
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Improvements on the climber
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Active climber (low and middle rung)
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The development of the Butter Duster -#GetDusted
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Smoother software developments for autonomous and dusting
Drive team
Fixes in between rounds
Getting those fixes in!
Observing the robot in action
Making adjustments
Ponyo ready to go
Go team! Team picture
