StevenProposal

Date: September 14, 2001
To: Will Sitch Project Coordinator
From: Steven Lougheed, 216723, Fourth Year Systems and Computer Engineering Student
Re: Roboflag Project Proposal

Introduction
The following document is my proposal for the 97.498 Roboflag Project. The project, supervised by William Sitch, will take eight months starting from
September, 2001 and continuing to April, 2002. My team consists of Nathalie Klaesi-Van, Manager and Systems Designer, John Danson, Electrical
Designer and myself. My primary role is as the software designer for the group but I will also assist with the mechanical assembly of the robot.

Objective
The objective of the Roboflag Project is to build an autonomous robot capable of playing capture the flag. The robot will eventually need to work cooperatively
with another team to compete against other pairs of robots. Our team's main goal is to build a sturdy, robust robot that will be able to work cooperatively in
either an offensive or defensive role. As the software designer my objective is to build a software architecture that will fully utilize all the sensors available
yet remain flexible enough to be changed if problems arise.

Motivation
My motivation for participating in the project is to learn as much as possible about robotics and the automation field. I believe that robotics, and computers
in general, in the future will be highly integrated into everyday life while becoming less visible. The ability to integrate large systems of sensors and outputs
will be a great asset in industry when creating these systems. This project introduces many of these concepts as well as other engineering principles such
as time management and good design practice making it an asset academically.
The team aspect of this project also appealed to me, as I would like to further my teamwork and communication skills.

Technical Overview
Most of the technical requirements have not been finalized by our group as of yet, but we have decided on several concepts that we are working towards.
We want to build a very sturdy platform to house the sensors. This not only eliminates some sensor abnormalities but also helps the robot move more precisely. Precision movement is a key driving force behind our robot and will affect most sensor and motor purchases. We also want to be able to quickly change
from an offensive to defensive role whenever necessary. During group play this should give our team a definite advantage.
As the software designer I will be working to make all the subsystems of the robot work together. This will be accomplished by first thoroughly testing
each subsystem, then integrating each component into the larger system. Understanding the relationships and dependencies of the different subsystems
will be a major factor influencing the final software design.

Schedule
Attached, please find a gantt chart, created by Nathalie Van, outlining the team's schedule to meet project deadlines.
If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected] or (613) 730-3503. The entire team can be reached
at [email protected].