September 28, 2024

Innovation Project - Software and Drones

Today’s session began with a review of the five steps of the engineering design process: Identify, Design, Create, Iterate, and Communicate. This week, the team is focusing on the Iterate phase using photogrammetry software for the Innovation Project.

Photogrammetry vs Polycam

Daniel, Larry, Wanying, and Leon presented the pros and cons of photogrammetry and Polycam through their comprehensive research. They discovered that photogrammetry can extract images of objects from short videos. While it can capture a lot of detail under perfect conditions, it often has issues with shadows, and achieving near-perfect conditions is not easy. On the other hand, Polycam can fill in gaps by “guessing” what the camera cannot capture due to lighting conditions. However, it’s not technically 3D; rather, it's a curved 3D object.

The team compared the different features of Polycam's free version and Pro version. Through tests conducted by the team using objects like a Lego car, a toy fish tank, and small stationery items, Polycam created impressive 3D images. The next step is to summarize their findings and consider how this specifically applies to our Innovation Project. The purpose of the 3D photographic model is to check the kelp without needing to enter the water or even go to the ocean.

Ocean Submersible Drones

Brandon and Jason's team researched another exciting topic: ocean submersible drones. They presented four different submersible drones, each varying in size, weight, likelihood of getting lost, price, and battery life, ranging from the $400 compact Chasing Dory to a $40,000 heavy-duty machine that can dive 300 meters deep! The next question is what features ocean farmers need that are also affordable, to help make their farming more efficient. Coach Ben suggested creating a submersible drone using 3D printing.

3D Ocean Farming Model

Reina and Olivia worked together to build the Lego 3D ocean farming model this week. Based on the base model built by Coach Will, made of Legos, the two girls added crab cages and a garden, and rearranged the kelp to make it easier for farmers to navigate on the surface during the harvest season. Although some mentioned it looks a bit too crowded, making it potentially difficult for judges to see all the details, it’s a great way to visualize 3D ocean farming in reality. The next step is to create a real one using a tank and water! How fun!

Then, Coach Ben guided the team in reviewing the entire Innovation Project process from the beginning to today, and the project is progressing well!

Hands-on and Robot Game

In the second half of the session, the team divided into two groups. Half of the team worked hands-on with Lego, while the other half designed a script for creating a robot game.

These two couldn't help but continue their Innovation Project experiment after the session!
Look, we have a bathtub ocean farm!

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