[Upbeat Electronic Music]

Hi, I'm Matt, and welcome back to the VEX Classroom. Today we will be discussing Making Iterations for the IQ Tug of War Lab. With an almost infinite combination of parts and pieces in your IQ kit, the number of iterations possible is almost infinite as well. Rather than using the guess and check system, which is very difficult when it comes to finding and running with these iterations, today and for the purpose of this video, we will be introducing the Engineering Design Process. This process will allow us to find, develop, test, and optimize these iterations more quickly and easily. So without further ado, let's jump on into this.

Found at posters.vex.com under the IQ category, here is a model of the Engineering Design Process. Note how there are three phases: define, develop solutions, and optimize. We will be examining these phases in this order, but take note that you can jump to any step you wish as denoted by these arrows. If you have a build but are not satisfied with it, feel free to jump back into the define phase to restart.

Starting off with the Define phase is where we actually get to learn our problem. The best way to test this is to play the game ourselves. Doing so will introduce a new perspective on our problem. It will allow us to visualize where our basebot is lacking and show us what we should fix to make an iteration to compete in this competition. Viewing this animation for inspiration, the game plays out similarly to how it is shown here. I will see that my basebot actively tugs on another basebot. Given this new perspective, I now understand what I actually want to do.

After I have gone through and played the game, I would then go through and write down my definition of my problem. I would write down, through my findings, that to win the game, a robot must pull the opponent to the other side. That robot must only be constructed of IQ kit elements, and the robot must fit within one field tile. Through my testing of the game and understanding of these rules, this would lead me to developing a solution.

Through my testing of using two similar basebots, I have found that I want to create a basebot with more power that will be able to pull the other basebot more easily. To do this, the best way I know how is to use a gear train to increase the mechanical advantage created by my robot. Again, I was able to do all of this solely through my testing of the game itself.

After I have tested the game for myself to see where my basebot lacks, defined my problem, and wrote out what I actually want to change about my robot, the next step is the most fun where I actually get to build my solution. It is important to know that when you begin making your alterations, you should only change one variable at a time. Changing too many variables will make it very difficult to measure what is actually being changed in the end.

So after I have followed the steps of testing, defining, and developing my solution, I have gone through and built this basebot. Note that I added an extra gear train on the back to increase the torque as well as the pulling power. The next step that I will follow is actually to test my build.

Here is my unmodified basebot. I will be testing its power by pulling two IQ bins. To begin the test, once I allow the basebot to start driving, I can see that it cannot pull these bins as easily as I wish it would. So let's move on to our modified basebot and see if it pulls these bins and is stronger.

Now that I have our modified basebot hooked up to the same test as we have just performed with the unmodified basebot, let's see if it is able to pull more easily than the unmodified basebot. Beginning the test, I can already see that this basebot pulls our test a lot more easily.

After I have tested my build to make sure that it accomplishes what I want, I would then move on to the Optimize phase.

This phase can be performed in many different ways. The Optimize is not solely referring to the construction; it's also referring to the code. I want to make sure that everything related to this robot is working as best and as efficiently as it should. After that, the cycle repeats. I would go through and test my modified basebot back with the competition and see if there is anything else I would change.

The cool part with the Engineering Design Process is that there is no distinct end. If you notice, it is a complete circle. Therefore, you can go around, around, and around again, always improving, developing, and working towards a better goal.

So to recap, with an almost infinite combination of parts and pins in my IQ kit, I would want to use a better systematic approach to making these iterations. As I tested the game for myself, found where my unmodified basebot lagged, and wrote down the rules of the game, I outlined my wants for what I want my basebot to be. I have come up with a test. I have tested my modified version against my unmodified one, optimized it, and now I'm continuing on to do more.

I hope that you found this video useful and that I have made the iterating process a little less intimidating than it really is. Please ping me in the PD+ Community if you have any questions on how to make a gear train like this, or please share any creations that you make. I look forward to seeing them.

As always, I hope you enjoyed. My name is Matt, and thank you.