The Team
Nick Akiona
Nick makes working on projects fun. With his majestic Hawaiian wizardry, Nick can fabricate anything given a 2x4, some plywood, and a saw. |
Zack Hammond
Zack is always calm. That's because Zack knows what he's doing. |
Tara Gholami
Tara brings energy and enthusiasm to the project. Tara occasionally needs coffee and food. |
Robert Kobara
Robert loves T. Swift. Robert insisted we have a Disney theme. Robert works like a machine. Be like Robert. |
The Project
The elevator pitch:
Build a hovercraft and a remote controller that communicate with each other over radio frequency in accordance with a class-defined communications protocol. Each team's hovercraft and remote controller must be interoperable with other teams' hovercrafts and remote controllers. These hovercrafts and controllers must be able to compete in a game of collecting ping pong balls into a goal.
The project description: (Acronyms and all)
Goal:
The goal of this project is to provide a framework in which students can apply their knowledge of microcontrollers and multi-processor communications to a task that will provide an enjoyable experience for the users and the observers.
Background:
After the presidential election of last quarter, the time has come to ignore those campaign promises and pass entirely different bills starting with a revamping of the current voting system. Going forward, voting by the Congregation Of Non-committal Gentry Reliant on External Stimulation Spending (CONGRESS) will be conducted by lawmakers passing through one of two revolving doors. Lobbyists have a great deal of influence on the lawmakers and can induce them to walk through one door or the other. Special interests use PACs to bribe lobbyists to ensure that the vote goes in favor of their cause.
The Task:
Design and build a tele-operated Loyal Only By BriberY Influence Spreading Technology (LOBBYIST) vehicle and a companion Political Artillery Controller (PAC). Groups of LOBBYISTs will operate in the Political Arena at the end of the Atrium in Building 550. During rounds of the game the two groups of PACs, through their LOBBYISTs, will attempt to herd the lawmakers through the appropriate door and thereby pass the most important legislation of our day.
Build a hovercraft and a remote controller that communicate with each other over radio frequency in accordance with a class-defined communications protocol. Each team's hovercraft and remote controller must be interoperable with other teams' hovercrafts and remote controllers. These hovercrafts and controllers must be able to compete in a game of collecting ping pong balls into a goal.
The project description: (Acronyms and all)
Goal:
The goal of this project is to provide a framework in which students can apply their knowledge of microcontrollers and multi-processor communications to a task that will provide an enjoyable experience for the users and the observers.
Background:
After the presidential election of last quarter, the time has come to ignore those campaign promises and pass entirely different bills starting with a revamping of the current voting system. Going forward, voting by the Congregation Of Non-committal Gentry Reliant on External Stimulation Spending (CONGRESS) will be conducted by lawmakers passing through one of two revolving doors. Lobbyists have a great deal of influence on the lawmakers and can induce them to walk through one door or the other. Special interests use PACs to bribe lobbyists to ensure that the vote goes in favor of their cause.
The Task:
Design and build a tele-operated Loyal Only By BriberY Influence Spreading Technology (LOBBYIST) vehicle and a companion Political Artillery Controller (PAC). Groups of LOBBYISTs will operate in the Political Arena at the end of the Atrium in Building 550. During rounds of the game the two groups of PACs, through their LOBBYISTs, will attempt to herd the lawmakers through the appropriate door and thereby pass the most important legislation of our day.
Did you catch all of that? Good. Let's review:
CONGRESS: An impressively long acronym for ping-pong balls. Want to take a wild guess at the number of ping pong balls in each game? That's right. They went there.
LOBBYIST: A remote-controlled hovercraft capable of moving forwards, backwards, left, and right and optionally performing digitally controlled special action, brake functionalities, and manual unpair functionalities. I always thought lobbyists were a bit air-headed. But hey, what would an ethereal genie like myself know about that.
PAC: A remote controller capable of interfacing with any of the LOBBYISTs. Required inputs are: pairing action, forward/backward, left/right and digital special action. This puppeteer has gone wireless baby!
Still have questions about the rules of the game? Would you give it a rest already, kid? I'm a genie not a lawyer.
CONGRESS: An impressively long acronym for ping-pong balls. Want to take a wild guess at the number of ping pong balls in each game? That's right. They went there.
LOBBYIST: A remote-controlled hovercraft capable of moving forwards, backwards, left, and right and optionally performing digitally controlled special action, brake functionalities, and manual unpair functionalities. I always thought lobbyists were a bit air-headed. But hey, what would an ethereal genie like myself know about that.
PAC: A remote controller capable of interfacing with any of the LOBBYISTs. Required inputs are: pairing action, forward/backward, left/right and digital special action. This puppeteer has gone wireless baby!
Still have questions about the rules of the game? Would you give it a rest already, kid? I'm a genie not a lawyer.