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\centerline{\bf ME 115(a): Final Project Guidelines}
\centerline{(Winter 2011/12)}
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{\bf Overview}

Instead of taking a written final exam, which will be a 5 hour
open-notes take-home exam, students can optionally pursue a final
project.  Below are some suggestions for the ME 115(a) final project.
However, you need not follow199 any of these suggestions for your
project.  While I would prefer individual projects, group projects are
allowed with my consent.  The quality of the group projects should be
proportional to the number of students involved.

Note that the same final project option will be offered in ME 115(b). Thus, some students
may wish to choose a project that can be continued into the next quarter.

The final project might take one of the following forms:

\begin{itemize}
\item Analysis of a mechanism or linkage.
\item Construction of a mechanism or linkage.
\item Geometric/Kinematic simulation of a linkage.
\item Development of kinematic software.
\end{itemize}

Listed below are some suggestions for projects.  This is by no means an
exhaustive list if ideas. It is only meant to stimulate your creativity.

{\bf Mechanism Analysis Projects}

\begin{itemize}
\item{} Develop some notion of the inverse kinematics for the ``Armatron''
manipulators model.  This is only a 5 degree-of-freedom mechanism, and
therefore one needs to be clever about how to define its inverse kinematics.
\end{itemize}

{\bf Simulation Projects}

\begin{itemize}
\item{} Develop a graphical simulation of the elbow manipulator using
Mathematica, MATLAB, or another other software environment.  
Given trajectories for the joints angles, graphically
display the movement of a simple physical model of an elbow manipulator.
\end{itemize}

{\bf Kinematic software}

\begin{itemize}
\item{} Previous students have successfully developed software that
will symbolically derive the forward kinematic equations and manipulator
Jacobian matrix, given the Denavit-Hartenberg parameters of a manipulator
mechanism.
\end{itemize}


{\bf Mechanism Construction}

\begin{itemize}
\item{} Construct, and analyze, a geared 6-bar planar 
mechanism.
\item{} Simple ``passive'' walking machines (which don't required any actuators to move downhill) are a lot
of fun.  Here are some web sites that might give you some ideas:
\begin{itemize}
\item{} Cornell Biped Walkers:  {\em http://ruina.tam.cornell.edu/research/topics/robots/index.html}.
\item{} Theo Janson's {\em strandbeest} art project: {\em http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/162 };
{\em http://www.strandbeest.com}.
\end{itemize}
\item{} Build and analyze a model of the Theo Jansen {\em Strandbeest} walking mechanisms.
\end{itemize}


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{\bf Final Project Grading}

Since the possibilities for the final project are quite varied, the
details of how I grade your project will vary with the style of the
project.  However, the write-up of each completed project should
consist

\begin{itemize}
\item{} {\bf A summary} that details the nature of the project, the motivation
for the project, the scope of the project, and the approach taken to solve
the project.
\item{} {\bf The details} of how the project was solved.  This might consist
of analytical derivations, software flow charts, etc.
\item{} {\bf The ``output''} of the project.   This will consist of 
a piece of hardware, a simulation (which is captured by images and code),
or a set of equations or analyses.
\item{} {\bf A conclusion} that summarizes shortcomings of the project
and future possible improvements.
\end{itemize}

Students who will not pursue one of the suggestions above should discuss their final project
ideas with me before starting their projects so that we can define an appropriate scope and content of
the projects. 
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{\bf Final Project Time Table}
\begin{enumerate}
\item {\bf Due date:} Last day of finals week (5:00 p.m.)
\end{enumerate}

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