Project Narrative

This project was meant to enhance global air travel by improving the efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and timeliness of baggage handling systems. Our team was tasked with developing a mechanical and software system to create a system preventing luggage from being lost or damaged during air travel.

We aimed to onboard and offboard luggage to and from planes, sort through luggage, ensure no damage during transportation, and track and display passenger information. Our objectives included achieving efficiency, effectiveness, minimal luggage loss, and ensuring planes received their luggage with a tracking system. We were constrained by a restriction line past which we could not build anything, budget limits, and a limit on the amount of actuators. Plates A & B measured 4x4 inches, and platforms were 278 mm apart diagonally, 240 mm horizontally, and 140 mm vertically. Luggage had to adhere to the weight limit.

The timeline for this project was October 9th to December 4th.

Personal Contribution

I started with 2 possible designs for the project, then selected one to focus on and make a CAD design for. However, the team decided to pick one of our member’s design and improve it.

I also contributed heavily to the coding aspect of the mechanism. I was able to finish my individual function code early, along with my flowchart, so I worked on the two starter group functions, as my team members continued to work on their individual functions. After all members were done their functions, I worked on the final group function that used outputs from each individual function.

Team’s Work

As a team, we worked together to refine and improve an existing design to go forward with. For example, an addition we all decided on was to add a sort of ledge at the end of the ramp, on which the luggage would sit, to prevent the luggage sliding off.

The team also worked together on the flowcharts for the group functions reading the passenger and flight data.

Reflection

We faced challenges with the final stages of the project and had issues integrating our mechanism with the Q-arm. We were unable to fix inaccurate Q-arm positions as we did not have enough time to make sure the arm and mechanism work well together. Next time, I would be more efficient with the limited time we get with objects such as the Q-arm, and focus on integrating it into the existing mechanism.

Our mechanism was also not entirely effective, as the rotary actuator was not strong enough to pull the ramp back up to the starting point after the luggage was dropped. We only realized this once we were given the actuators during the last week before interviews, and did not have to rebuild. However, alternatives could include introducing a winch next to the rotary actuator so there would be extra power pulling the ramp up.

For future projects, I would be sure to talk to our TA’s in detail about the abilities of such parts - that we could not access for the project duration- to make sure our design would work well with all the other parts.

Skills