Due Date on web site

ENGR 100 - Final Robot Report

Group Assignment

Your team is responsible for composing a single group report that describes in detail your robot design. The audience of this report is the instructor and the tone should be formal.  The report length should be no greater than 10 pages (not including front and end matter).

The two main purposes for writing this report are (1) to document your robot design and (2) to demonstrate improved report writing skill (compared to the bridge report). Grading will be a more strict than the first report, so please be sure to use correct report format, edit unclear/wordy text, and proofread!

Report Format

See the bridge final report assignment (on the web site or ask instructor) for information on the required report format (e.g. headings, page numbers, cover page, executive summary, table of contents, list of tables, list of figures, appendixes, etc.). For the major sections of the report, use the following organization and headings:

1.0 Introduction:

This section outlines the parameters of the project, or in other words, the problem definition.  Additionally, it addresses the project purpose and what you hope to accomplish.  After reading this section, the reader should know in broad terms what your team was trying to do and your goals.  At the end, briefly outline how the report is organized (e.g. "In this report, the following sections will be discussed…).

2.0 Robot Construction

This section presents details on the robot body design. Start with an introductory paragraph that describes the robot body in general. Use a multi-view layout (pictures or drawings), as shown in Figure 1, to illustrate the robot shape and size. Use subheadings to describe the main features of the robot (for example, 3.1 Gearing, 3.2 Bumpers, 3.3 Restraint Device, 3.4 etc).

Figure 1. Multi-view Layout

3.0 Design Specification

This section outlines the programs written for your robot. The subheadings should be 3.1 Robotic Wheelchair, 3.2 Car and 3.3 Defender Robot. Before each sample of RCX code, write several sentences explaining what the program does and the logic. These initial comments will help the reader more easily decipher the code. Then include a figure showing the program (for NQC code, include a print out of the code in the appendix). You may include arrows and text boxes to further explain the program.

4.0 Design Process

Explain the process your team went through to come up with the final design. Most likely you built and programmed multiple robots before you found a working solution.  Trace through the history of your design process by describing each robot you built, what was wrong with it, and how you fixed the problems (construction or programming) with the next design.  You don't need to mention particular steps of the design process (as you have already done that in the reflection paper) and be careful to not repeat the same information in section 2.0.

5.0 Performance Results and Discussion

This section briefly presents the results of your robot in the competition (time, pts, score). Was the outcome of the competition more or less as you expected? What caused the machine to fail or succeed? Was the failure due to the hardware or software design? With the new information you have acquired from the competition, how would you change your design if you have to do it over? Remember to provide justification for each recommendation.  Even if you have negative information to report, the writing should be confident (for example, concentrate on the recommended changes if something didn't work).

6.0 Conclusion

This section should be a brief, bottom-line summary. It needs to explain how your robot met the design criteria and team goals outlined in the introduction. Do not bring anything new into a conclusion section; instead restate the key points from the body of the report.

Appendixes

Include any supplemental information that doesn't fit in the major sections of the report. Some examples are listed below:

Grading

The grading of the assignment will follow the evaluation table given below:

Evaluation Criteria

 Pts

Score

Comments
Format
15
    Is the report format correct and professional?Are there any mistakes in the tables and figures?Are the tables and figures labeled correctly and referred to by name in the text?
Introduction
10
   Is the most important report information highlighted in the executive summary? Does the introduction describe a clear report purpose?
Content
35
   Clear, Concise, Correct
Robot Construction 
10
     Design Specification, Design Process, Performance
Conclusion
5
      
Transitions
5
      
Writing Style
20
   Is the report carefully proofread (minimal errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.)? Is the writing concise and tone formal?
TOTAL
 100