THE DESIGN BUILD GO UNIVERSAL POWER HUB

摘要

The Design, Build, Go Hub (DBG) is a universal power hub that not only encapsulates the various branches of robotic engineering, but also transforms a student's creativity into a physical product. The hub serves as both control mechanism and the power delivery system for student designs. The universal design is easily implemented to provide automation to designs including quadcopters, wheeled platforms, and mechanized robotics. This hub gives students the opportunity to gain exposure to electrical, mechanical and systems engineering, as well as how the various disciplines can be integrated into a cohesive design. Powered by a Raspberry Pi 2 microcontroller with a motor controller interface, the DBG Hub can interface with a variety of sensors, motors, servos, cameras and various other electrical components. The mechanical system also has a vast number of possibilities by utilizing rapid prototyping such as 3D printing, vacuum forming, and machining. The DBG Hub was designed to be capable of receiving a vast amount of rapid prototyped parts for nearly any type of mechanical function. The housing, which holds the electrical system, is also a product of rapid prototyping technology. The 3D printed design allows users to create attachments with corresponding electrical components that plug into the housing for a variety of projects. The combination of rapid prototyping with the microcontroller allows the hub to take full advantage of combining the mechanical design with the electrical components. This combination is used to create systems that can sense, think and react. Sample projects created utilizing the DBG hub as the central control unit, such as the DBG quad-copter, or the DBG land vehicle, perfectly showcase these attributes in an introductory manner. These sample projects have been designed and software created as introductory tools for students interested in engineering. The effectiveness of the hub being able to interest students in engineering will be the subject of a future study. This study will show how simplifying the incorporation of multiple engineering disciplines into one easy to use tool is the simplest and most efficient way to become more knowledgeable of the engineering field. While this study has not yet been conducted, it can still be stated that the DBG Hub is an original and groundbreaking design that will excite, promote, and, most importantly, educate students in the field of engineering.