M.E.E.P.

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Title
M.E.E.P. is the name of my robot, although I have to give credit to a few people who helped me along the way. But before that, what does M.E.E.P. even mean? M - Metropolitical - A compound word I created. Metro, the Latin prefix, pertaining to a large city or town, and Political, referring to the fact that it is politically correct and user-friendly. E - E-mapping - E-mapping is the process that M.E.E.P. goes through to learn how large the box is from the inside. It goes forward, recording how many degrees the motor has turned, and then calculates how far it has gone. E - Entry - Datalogging is complicated, so I did not use it. However, when you write in a journal or the like, it is called an entry. M.E.E.P. does save data through the use of variables, each one being a separate entry. P - Probe - Probing is a process in science that records data. M.E.E.P., in itself, is a probe. You put it in a box, and it maps it out, giving you data.

A Word of Thanks
Before we dive in to science, let me just thank a few people who put in a lot of time and effort into helping me do this project. Without them, I don't know what I would do.

Carter is, first and foremost, a great friend. He was in a different science block than me - when I was in lunch. He finished his project early, so he decided to help me out. He is incredibly intelligent, and most of all, utilizes the common sense I lack.

Mr. Biche put in so much time, even when I was the only person who needed it. He is smart beyond comprehension, and will always be a personal hero of mine.

Oliver was always there, asking questions and pushing me to do better. If he hadn't done so, my robot would spin in circles in a cardboard box, beeping that it was mundane in binary.

Problem Scenario
You are trying to find out the size of an underground alcove that you can not fit in, and not see in. Then an idea sparks in your brain. M.E.E.P.! The Metro-political E-mapping Entry Probe that can measure and give an estimate of how big a small box-like figure is, being small and nimble, and with no need for light! You have successfully mapped out the small little alcove and can now continue doing whatever you were doing before.

Broad Question
Can a robotic probe measure the size of a rectangular alcove or box?

Specific Question
Can a ultrasonic mapping probe, alias M.E.E.P., measure the inside of a cardboard box accurately?

Hypothesis
I believe that yes, M.E.E.P. can measure the cardboard box successfully and accurately. However, I believe that the accuracy will decrease as the size of the cardboard box increases.

Independent Variable
Size of Cardboard Box

Dependent Variable
Accuracy of Reading

Variables That Need To Be Controlled
Cardboard Box Rectangular, Surface of Cardboard Box.

Vocabulary List That Needs Explanation
M.E.E.P. - Metropolitical E-mapping and Entry Probe E-mapping - Sensing walls and using motor memory to scan, record, and display.

General Plan
The general plan is as follows: 1. I will build M.E.E.P. with the generic [|NXT Model]. 2. After step 1, step 2 will commence. I will begin the programming and hopefully run into no errors. 3. In step 3, I will place M.E.E.P. in a 30x30 centimeter box, having it measure it out. If M.E.E.P. does not fit in this, I will head onto the next size, 40x40. 4. I will record the accuracy of the measurement. To get the accuracy, I will record how much the x and y values of M.E.E.P.'s readings, and then subtract these readings from the actual size of the box. 5. I will repeat steps 3 and 4, increasing the x and y values of the box by 10 each run of M.E.E.P. (e.g., 40x40 to 50x50 to 60x60) 6. I will find the average accuracy. I will convert this to a fraction, with the denominator being the largest box size, and the numerator being the average accuracy. 7. I will then graph the results in the same way, shape and form as the hypothesis graph. 8. I will draw a conclusion from this graph, concluding my expirement.

Potential Problems And Solutions
1. The ultrasonic sensor will not be accurate. There is no way around this other than buying a new one online. 2. The motors will not give accurate readings. The only way around this, like the sensor, would be to buy another.

Safety Or Environmental Concerns
1. The robot has an extremely low, about 0.00000000001% chance of becoming self-aware, and trying to exterminate humans and put them in its people zoo. 2. The robot will give off no waste, as it uses electricity.

What is your experimental unit?
Controlled, Manipulated

Number Of Trials:
3 trials pet subject, 15 in all.

Number Of Subjects In Each trial:
5 subjects...

1. 20x20 inches.

2. 30x30 inches.

3. 35x35 inches.

4. 40x40 inches.

5. 50x50 inches.

Number of Observations:
1 observation: Accuracy.

When data will be collected
I will begin the trials Thursday, February 28, and end that same day.

Where will data be collected?:
The data will be collected either in Mr. Biche's science room, or in Mr. McKay's tech room.

Resources and Budget Table

 * Item || Number needed || Where I will get this || Cost ||
 * Lego NXT Model || 1 || Tech Room/Mr. Biche || 0.00$ ||
 * (Possible) A new Ultrasonic Sensor || 1 || http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Ultrasonic-Sensor-9846 || 33.99$ ||
 * (Possible) A new Motor || 2 || http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Interactive-Servo-Motor-9842 || 19.99$ ||

Detailed Procedure
1. Build a NXT Model. (see picture) 2. Get 4 cardboard boxes that are the following sizes: 10x10(inches), 20x20, 30x30, and 40x40. 3. Program the robot with the ROBOTC programming language. 4. Place robot gently in a corner of a cardboard box. 5. Select the program in the NXT GUI. 6. Press the orange button on the NXT to initiate the program, and let it do its work. 7. The robot will automatically return, displaying what it believes is the size of the box. 8. Record the size of the box ( robot ). 9. Please press the gray button below the orange button to initiate the safe shutting down of the robot. 10. Repeat steps 4-9 3 times, and remember to record each one. 11. Average the recorded sizes, and please put them in the end of the data table. 12. Repeat steps 4-11 5 times. Each size should be the next tier in sizes.

Size Tiers:
1. 20x20 inches.

2. 30x30 inches.

3. 35x35 inches.

4. 40x40 inches.

5. 50x50 inches.

Photo List
nocl-M.E.E.P.-graph.png M.E.E.P.-Diagram.png

Time Line
I will start experimenting on the 6th of March if I can, because programming takes time, and I haven't had much of that. Experimenting will only take a day or two, because unlike most projects, mine takes a very short time to experiment and a long time to actually assemble and program. It's like a thanksgiving dinner, if you think that way. Days of prep, then 30 minutes of eating. Its all in the prep.

Data Table
Please note, I was not able to get the correct tiers, but oh well. :D


 * = Cardboard Box Size ||= Take One ||= Take Two ||= Take Three ||= Take Four ||
 * = 14x14 ||= 14x14 ||= 13x14 ||= 14x14 ||= 19x19 ||
 * = 24x24 ||= 23.9x23.9 ||= 25x25 ||= 23.7x23.7 ||= 23.8x23.8 ||
 * = 18x14 ||= 16x18 ||= 18x13 ||= 15x14 ||= 17x14 ||
 * = 22x14 ||= 22x13 ||= 21x14 ||= 22x14 ||= 19x12 ||
 * = 25x15 ||= 24x16 ||= 25x17 ||= 25x15 ||= 25x15 ||

All Raw Data

 * = Cardboard Box Size ||= Take One ||= Take Two ||= Take Three ||= Take Four ||
 * = 14x14 ||= 14x14 ||= 13x14 ||= 14x14 ||= 19x19 ||
 * = 24x24 ||= 23.9x23.9 ||= 25x25 ||= 23.7x23.7 ||= 23.8x23.8 ||
 * = 18x14 ||= 16x18 ||= 18x13 ||= 15x14 ||= 17x14 ||
 * = 22x14 ||= 22x13 ||= 21x14 ||= 22x14 ||= 19x12 ||
 * = 25x15 ||= 24x16 ||= 25x17 ||= 25x15 ||= 25x15 ||

Please Note
One reason that the bot was inaccurate was that the robot was low on battery. The program told the motors to run, and for the nMotorEncoder to encode, but the motors were rotating at a different velocity than the program thought.

Results
I have noticed so many trends with my robot is was hard to pick which one to test. Then I got it: The accuracy! The relationship between the size of the box and the accuracy! The relationship between them was very strong, showing direct correlation. I was able to create the robot almost flawlessly, with the help of my friend an colleague. As the size increased, the accuracy did the opposite.

Conclusion
My original hypotheses was that the larger size of the robot, the more inaccurate the readings would become. This proved correct as the graph will reinforce. The larger the box became, the less accurate the calculations, forcing the robot into a less accurate mode. This reinforces my theory. Thank-you and all of the others who read my project.

Discussion
I have noticed a couple patterns, though not all may be true. First of all, it seems that the larger the cardboard box, the less accurate M.E.E.P. becomes. Also, it seems that the robot battery has been seriously depleted, so when it gives power to the motors, it thinks they are going faster than they actually are. These patterns have led me to think that it is not the limits of the program that have caused innaccuracy, but the limits of the robot itself. However, I couldn't ask for a better one as of now, and I thank the school many, many times for allowing me to use one of the newest NXT (robot) models. The larger the size, the more inaccurate the robot becomes.

Benefit to Community and/or Science
M.E.E.P., in itself has many, many uses in the construction field, housework, mail, and really anything you can put it to. Practical applications are as endless as your imagination, and really, if that is limited, your crazy next-door neighbors imagination. For example, you need to know how big a box is for mailing it, but you don't have a ruler! Oh, I know! You can use M.E.E.P.! You and your friends don't know how big your present box is, and if your gift is going to fit inside. You know how big the gift is, but its being shipped! Oh, I know! You can use M.E.E.P. to measure the box! There is so many uses for this, but I can't go on forever! M.E.E.P. you later! =Source Code= [|Pastebin source code]

Background Research
Accuracy refers to a robot's skill to position itself at a point within the cardboard box, and it is defined in terms of how far it is off. At first accuracy depends on robot technology and how closely the increments can be defined for each of the motions. This means that, in my robot, I went into 500ths of degrees.

Abstract
M.E.E.P. is an innovation and a new way to measure. However, might this not be the best choice for larger projects, because the bigger the box, the less accurate a robot becomes. This is not due to the programming, but the robot itself. However, this will be fixed in the future. For now, this is as good as it gets. I believe this robot has many practical uses and will help many. In the construction field, the shipping field, cargo, anything you need - M.E.E.P. is there. M.E.E.P. is a robot - he won't run away. It's in his code.