I led a team of seven engineers to design an over-sand vehicle (OSV) to perform various tasks related to a pool of water in an arena with rough terrain. We designed, built, and tested our OSV over the course of three months. The vehicle was a system of motors, sensors, 3D printed parts, wooden chassis elements, wheels, an RF transmitter, an Arduino processor, a battery, and a motor controller. We designed it to navigate uncertain terrain, measure the depth and salinity of a pool of water, and collect a sample of the water.

The brainstormed together and used a decision matrix to develop an initial design. We then presented our idea to the professor and classmates for feedback. Feedback was used to refine our design. After finalizing our design, we started purchasing parts and building the OSV.

Along with many valuable engineering principles, I learned how to effectively manage a team by leading my group on this project. I carefully delegated tasks to each individual based on their strengths and resolved multiple intra-group conflicts.

The most challenging portion of this project was staying within the budget. We were allowed to spend a maximum of $350 on purchasing/making parts. Towards the end of the project, we encountered multiple unexpected problems that could have been solved by buying additional parts. Though not ideal, we overcame these challenges by cleverly adapting parts we already had.