Hi! Welcome back to my blog!
So, recently we had to do a research presentation on an object that we may take for granted in our everyday lives, like a paper clip or a stapler. The item I chose was duct tape because I vaguely remembered that this sticky stuff had an interesting past. I was right. If you want to learn more about it check out my presentation under the "Completed Projects" tab. Ok, enough of that shameless plug. The main thing I learned from the whole research project is simple is better. Always. There's no need for bells and whistles or overcomplicating things because that just opens up more opportunities for mistakes. In the case of duct tape, it was invented to keep water out of ammo containers during WW2 because the system they had was wasting valuable time on the battlefield. Knowing this, I try to bring a voice of reality to all our lofty ideas. My group mates can attest to the fact that I say something along the lines of "That's a great idea. Now show me how we can build it in three weeks and $50" or "Guys we need to start sketching so we can order materials. These ideas are good in theory, but how will we actually make a weight that reloads springs after a string is cut" probably about 10 times a day.
That is a perfect segway into what we are doing well with and what needs some more careful attention. On this past Friday, I feel like we turned a corner. We have a surplus of ideas and pros and cons for all of them, but it was a matter of just picking one and running with it. We got some clarification of the rules, which makes our design significantly more simple, and now we are able to start building and executing the plan. I'd have to say that the biggest problem in our group right now is poking holes in every idea. I definitely take part in this (because who wants to spend time on making something that we could have predicted wouldn't work?) but now that we have a design it will make finding flaws easier and less theoretical.
In the future for our group, the biggest issues will be money and time. Now, I know this is an issue for almost 100% of the world's population but it is our first real exposure to making something fast and cheap, not to mention consistent. We are working on a very tight budget, which is forcing us to come at the problem with an almost primitive mindset of 'what can I do to solve this with the least amount of money/materials possible?' I quite enjoy that we have these constraints to work within, but it does make our job a heck of a lot more difficult.
Other than the JPL project, my life currently consists of rowing, school, and college applications. Sleep sometimes is added to that mix on a good day. Once applications start getting submitted, things will hopefully lighten up a little. That is all, my friend. Thank you for reading this overly wordy, underly cohesive blog post, and I will see you next time!
Lily