Today, I started helping out with Solidworks. Due to my lack of skills in Solidworks, I had some difficulty with coming up with the models for cutting. Each of us had our own ideas but was not very skillful in sketching and Solidworks. This made me realise the importance of sketching and modeling to convey our ideas. I suggested to our team members to gather around the classroom projector in order to see more easily and give feedback while Smith came out with the Solidworks models almost immediately. It was quite interesting to convey our thoughts and visualize it in 3D while working at near real-time speed.
I had been working on the electronics and coding for the past few days. After working on the actual fabrication of parts- drilling, cutting, modeling – it made me realise the importance of Design. No matter our well our electronic and coding segments are, we would not be able to clean the space entirely if we did not design our moving parts correctly. Each of us had our own ideas and when we combine it, a greater idea is born. Language was the only barrier that was obstructing us. However, using google translate and gestures, we were able to alleviate this issue.
The kind of scenario I am encountering now might be similar to what I might encounter in future when I enter the workforce. I might have to travel overseas and work with teams who might be of different nationalities and English might not be the main form of communication. Learning sketching and modeling could save much trouble in design process.
The electronics and Arduino programming have been progressing as well, as we are starting to test and implement more of the available sensors. The robot is now following lines, quickly and effectively!
Pavithren S/o V S Pakianathan
Singapore University of Technology and Design
