The Atlas Project
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Campus where you would like to present
Ellensburg
Event Website
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source
Start Date
15-5-2019
End Date
15-5-2019
Abstract
The goal of the Atlas Project is to retrofit six outdated robotic arm platforms from the 1980s and design a new interface for modern computers. These robots will then be used as an educational tool for the Robotics and Automation (RAM) course sequence offered by the Electronics Engineering Technology (EET) Program in the 2019-20 academic year. These 30+ year-old robots are now updated with a USB data acquisition interface from National Instruments (NI) that then controls re-engineered stepper motor driver circuits, allowing the functionality of the system to be written in NI’s LabVIEW programming environment. This project has undergone multiple revisions in the year since the retrofit process began. The driving force of the project has been the cost of other robotics teaching platforms available on the market, and the "black-box" nature of the usually proprietary hardware of the systems. With the Atlas Project, all hardware and software will available for the students to examine, test, and possibly improve. This isn't a long-term solution for the RAM sequence, this is a stepping-stone to prove the viability of the courses and to possibly acquire some of those more expensive systems.
Recommended Citation
Sanford, Rowdy, "The Atlas Project" (2019). Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 51.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2019/Oralpres/51
Department/Program
Engineering Technologies, Safety, and Construction
Slides for SOURCE 2019 presentation Sanford
Additional Files
AtlasProj_Source19_RSanford.pptx (8734 kB)Slides for SOURCE 2019 presentation Sanford
The Atlas Project
Ellensburg
The goal of the Atlas Project is to retrofit six outdated robotic arm platforms from the 1980s and design a new interface for modern computers. These robots will then be used as an educational tool for the Robotics and Automation (RAM) course sequence offered by the Electronics Engineering Technology (EET) Program in the 2019-20 academic year. These 30+ year-old robots are now updated with a USB data acquisition interface from National Instruments (NI) that then controls re-engineered stepper motor driver circuits, allowing the functionality of the system to be written in NI’s LabVIEW programming environment. This project has undergone multiple revisions in the year since the retrofit process began. The driving force of the project has been the cost of other robotics teaching platforms available on the market, and the "black-box" nature of the usually proprietary hardware of the systems. With the Atlas Project, all hardware and software will available for the students to examine, test, and possibly improve. This isn't a long-term solution for the RAM sequence, this is a stepping-stone to prove the viability of the courses and to possibly acquire some of those more expensive systems.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2019/Oralpres/51
Faculty Mentor(s)
Greg Lyman