During my past experiences in Antarctica with Dr. Doran, our research team starting using the saying "SLAP 5" - this stood for "Sounds Like A Plan.... For the next five minutes!" This saying came about because several times, while in the field, we felt like we had a "plan" for the day, but then we would encounter some unexpected interruptions. The robotics team in Rye, NH is starting to understand that "SLAP 5" saying! Our plan for the day had been to test the TV monitor and get the three propellers mounted onto the robot frame. Within just a few moments we had encountered problems. The color codes on the wiring for our equipment did not match the directions for connecting the camera to the monitor. Although this may sound like a simple issue to correct, we are not dealing with a typical camera! At this point in time, we have not had a successful image on the monitor. We are currently uncertain whether the problem is in the camera, our wiring connections, the monitor, our soldering, etc. We have some detective work to do! But, we forged ahead - to our next "glitch"!
The PVC pipes the crew so carefully "dremelled" (cut with a dremel rotary tool) yesterday did not fit properly onto the robot frame. Thanks to some clever attachment ideas from Maddie, we were able to troubleshoot and secure one propeller to the frame!
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Josh prepares the crossbar for the up/down propeller!
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Hilary does some soldering!
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Still smiling!
So, what started out as a plan for the day - SLAP, only took a few moments to be interrupted! Once again, the team recovered nicely and remains enthusiastic about the project. The current goal: have the robot "swimming" next week!