Over the past few years, I taught myself 3D modeling, beginning with Tinkercad and progressing to Fusion360. Initially, this skill supported my work on the Varsity Science Olympiad team, where it became invaluable to my position as a builder. Now, 3D modeling serves as a welcome reprieve, offering me an outlet for all my creative urges. Below, I’ve outlined the step-by-step process I followed throughout the 2023-24 Science Olympiad season to develop my final device. My approach, using various iterations until I achieved a result I was satisfied with, became my typical method when designing for the team.

For this event, we were tasked with designing a device that used electrical energy as its sole means of propulsion to travel as quickly and accurately as possible to a provided target point.

Design Optimizations Included:

• • Traction Control: Custom designed low-mass, high-friction wheels
• • Weight Distribution: Stacked battery holder/motor drivers to localize the center of mass
• • Vibration Damping: Carbon fiber reinforced chassis
• • Drivetrain: 4WD achieved through synchronous timing belts in the undercarriage
• • Telemetry: Magnetic encoder for high-precision displacement analysis
• • User Interface: Protective switch covers, preventing accidental actuation