ARCHIVE Winter 2024

Design-Build-Test-Communicate Demo

7:30 PM, ESPN

Michigan football players jumping up to hit the GO BLUE sign as they run onto the field.

If you are going to the game, please bring Dr. Alford some Maize 'n' Blue confetti from the field!

Due FRI 11:59pm

Lab Safety Module

Lab 1 Pre-Lab

These assignments are technically due Friday, but ALL students should complete these assignments BEFORE their lab this week!

Tour the lab and learn about hydrostatics with a simple underwater vechicle.

Learn what technical communication is all about, and then learn how your audience impacts your communication style. Practice your new skills with professional emails!

Welcome to Week 2!

We'll be learning about some basic hydrodynamics concepts, like drag and thrust, and how the placement of your thrusters impacts how you can control your ROV.

We'll also talk about a specific kind of informal technical communication report called a memo and how you can use a memo template to set up your own reports.

Stay on top of your work! We're starting to get into a routine of assignments that are due. Make sure you complete these on time for full credit!

Join the course late? Not to worry! Email the instructors to introduce yourself and then check Week 1 for links to things you need to get caught up on.

Try out an ROV driving simulator for some frustrating fun 😊

First, watch the demo video

Then, try it out! (this might work best in Chrome)

🗨 Dr. Alford says: Feeling angry after trying to drive this ROV around? ME TOO! Think of how you could design an ROV that is easier to control! 🎉

a computer graphic of a bunch of dials, switches, and buttons

Image: Unicom Communications

No lecture: MLK Day

Intro to ROV Hydrodynamics and Controls

Tandem Beginning of Term Survey

ROV Controls Activity

Due 11:59pm

Lab 1 Post-Lab

Lab 2 Pre-Lab

Investigate a demo ROV and practice soldering by building a basic control circuit.

Learn about memo format for informal reports and practice using a template to create a proposal.

Welcome to Week 3!

We'll be learning how objectives and constraints help us make decisions in early design. We'll then talk about how hydrodynamic stability is (or maybe is not!) a design decision for your ROV.

We'll also talk about where ideas come from in the early design process, and how you can clearly and concisely describe those ideas in technical writing.

Molly is holding an Individual Design Proposal Workshop on Sunday. See the Canvas announcement for details!

Join the course late? Not to worry! Email the instructors to introduce yourself and then check Weeks 1 and 2 for links to things you need to get caught up on.

This article at The Verge talks about a study published in Nature that used AI and massive numbers of satellite images to create maps of human activity on the world's oceans.

Maps like these are critically important as we make policy decisions regarding how we use our oceans, from building new offshore wind farms to establishing new nature preserves.

a huge mess of overlapping lines; the lines are white, pink, yellow, and teal

Image: Global Fishing Watch

See Canvas Announcement for more details!

1pm-2pm, virtual

see announcement for Zoom link

2pm-3pm, in-person

B505 Pierpont

Introduction to Design: Objectives and Constraints

Hydrodynamic Stability, Where Ideas Come From, Technical Prose

Due 11:59pm

Due 11:59pm

Learn how shape, orientation, and location of thrust affect an object's movement through water. Calibrate a load cell.

Practice making design decisions in a group and look at some specific characteristics of technical prose.

Welcome to Week 4!

We're going to go over the ROV Showcase and what your ROV needs to do there, and then we're going to do some background research on ROVs. What is the business case for these ROVs? What kinds of ROVs already exist? What sorts of things should we be thinking about in designing an ROV?

You will also get to meet your ROV team! And we will learn about CRAP, and how you can use CRAP principles to make your ROV team's visuals not be ...crap. 😉

This student-facing post from Arizona State University talks about office hours: why to use them, how to prepare for them, etc. We hope you'll come visit us in our office hours, and we want to emphasize that you can come to discuss course-related questions or concerns, but you can also come to ask us about majors, about your resume, etc. We are very excited to meet with you 1:1!

a student getting help from an IA about their 3D model of the ROV payload

Image: courtesy of Robin Fowler, Ian Rosenberg, and Lyn Tran

Overview of ROV Showcase; Doing Due Diligence

Visuals, Presentations, Pitching ideas; Meet Your Team; CRAP

Due 11:59pm

Assignment on Group Communication

Due 11:59pm

Lab 3 Post-Lab

Lab 4 Pre-Lab

Individual Design Proposal

Learn how to create a basic 3D model of an ROV in SolidWorks.

LOCATIONS: Labs 601 & 603 will be in EECS 2331. Lab 605 will be in the NAME building at the Undergraduate Marine Design Lab (UGMDL).

Learn some good strategies for setting up documents that you can easily collaborate on.

Welcome to Week 5!

Coming to a consensus on your team can be hard... but don't worry! We will learn some approaches that will help!

The ROV Project starts in earnest this week, with a design selection meeting and learning about the calculations you'll eventually need to do for your ROV.

Lab is 3 hours this week. We need more than 2 hours to get through all of the design selection meetings, so we'll combine lab and discussion time this week.

This article about the need for more people trained in maritime-oriented jobs from our own Prof. Matt Collette shows how interconnected the maritime industry is, both globally and in terms of the different types of people needed to keep everything moving across our waters.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Coming to consensus on ROV team design

ROV Calculations

Due 11:59pm

Due 11:59pm

Meet with your instructors to talk through your ROV design ideas, and learn about what can (and can't!) be built in the lab for your ROV.

This is a three hour lab.

You will spend your discussion time at the lab; discussions will not meet separately this week.

Welcome to Week 6!

Believe it or not, your first team presentation isn't that far away! We'll talk about what makes a good technical presentation.

We're also going to learn about team dynamics, which will be helpful in understanding yourself and your team right now and also how you and your team might evolve as you go through the ROV project.

Why are visuals so important in presentations? Because they convey both your data and why your audience should care about that data. This article on the myth of letting data "speak for itself" shows how important it is for you to put your conclusions and take-aways right there in the visual along with the data itself.

two lines respresenting the deflection of a beam over time, theoretical vs. measured. There are labels pointing to the lines describing how the lines differ at various points and why. Good visuals have lots of helpful labels!

Image: Laura Alford

Readability / Easability, Technical Presentations

Team Dynamics

Due 11:59pm

Due 11:59pm

Learn some basics of 3D printing and use Tandem to create an operating agreement for your team.

LOCATION: Labs 602 and 606 start at Fabrication Underground, Duderstadt Center. Lab 604 start at Design Lab 2, Duderstadt Center.

Good visuals take planning and effort. Let's practice!

Welcome to Week 7!

This week has our last big push to get you and your ROV team ready to start building your ROV. We'll see how ROVs work in the real world, and then you'll spend a good amount of time this week planning out your work so that everyone on the team knows what they're doing and when it needs to be done by.

The ROV project has a wide variety of delieverables associated with it. To create quality reports, presentations, and videos, you need to understand your audience for each deliverable. We'll start breaking down the different audiences and how you can best present your story to them.

Monday's lecture includes a talk by a representive from Mercury Marine. Come meet your ROV client, learn about the marine industry, and practice your networking skills!

This data visualization on the meat consumption by country is a wild ride. This data shows the per capita consumption of different types of meat, so it's showing the average amount of the type of meat consumed by an average person in that country over the course of a year.

Map of parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. Countries are shown in red, blue, yellow, gray, or pink.

Image: VisualCapitalist.com

ROVs in the Real World

Audience Analysis

Due 11:59pm

Due 11:59pm

Your team is all prepped for the ROV Project... now it's time to put together a formal plan to coordinate your design and efforts so you can successfully build and test your ROV!

There are a lot of moving pieces to this ROV project, and a lot of people working on the various tasks. It's time to get organized!

Welcome to Week 8!

It's Spring Break! Woohoo!

Intro to engineering courses inspire students to create all kinds of interesting products! The founder of Cocoa Press, a machine for 3D printing delicious-looking chocolates, came up with the idea while in an intro to engineering course in high school. Where do you think the CG and CB are for this chocolate boat?

Image: Cocoa Press gallery

We hope you have a lovely break and will return rested and ready to start building ROVs!

Welcome to Week 9!

Welcome back from Spring Break! We hope you got some good rest.

This week will be about preparing for your Preliminary Design Review and then conducting your Preliminary Design Review. This is a fantastic opportunity to get expert feedback on your proposed design before you start building your ROV!

Bring your computer to lecture both days this week. You should bring your computer every day, but definitely bring it to lecture this week! Monday will have some good work time with your team, and Wednesday is your PDR. You want functioning devices for these meetings.

The Minestro tidal power plant Dragon 12 generates 1.2 MW of power via the motion of a huge underwater "kite". The "kite" is designed to move in a constant figure-eight motion, and the motion is used to drive a generator to create electricity. The Dragon 12 has been successfully commissioned and, in the early morning of February 9, 2024, delivered its first electricity to the national grid in the Faroe Islands.

A yellow airplane looking thing suspended via orange cables from a crane.

Image: Minestro

Giving and Receiving Feedback; Work Time with PDR Slides

Preliminary Design Review Presentation Slides

Preliminary Design Reviews

Due 11:59pm

Due 11:59pm

Measure the thrust and brake power of your thrusters and start building your ROV!!!

It's important to document your ROV as you go along, not just at the end! We'll set up some documentation, using inspiration from examples, and make a plan from the feedback you received at your PDR.

Welcome to Week 10!

This week will cover the calculations you need to scale your ROV from the prototype that you are building in this course to the full-scale ROV that would be the next stage of the project.

The last pre-lab assignment is due this week. There will be no more pre-lab assignments for the rest of the semester.

Heads up! Your team's Critical Design Review Presentation will take place next week. Your slides are due on Sunday of next week.

These squishy magnets were developed by researchers at the University of Michigan and the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart, Germany. The researchers hope that material like this gel could eventually be used for safe and innovative medical treatments.

A human hand wearing a blue surgical glove is shown squeezing a transparent yellow disk of gel.

Image: BioInspired Materials Lab, University of Michigan

Statistics and Probability in Engineering

ROV Scaling and Handling Risk in Engineering

Tandem Midterm Feedback Survey

Due 11:59pm

Due 11:59pm

Lab 8 Post-Lab

Lab 9 Pre-Lab

Individual Change Recommendation Memo

More time to work on your ROV frame, control box, and custom part while also evolving your PDR slides for your CDR presentations next week.

Use the example calculations you've seen in lecture to start setting up the final calculations for your ROV prototype and how you want to scale it to its proposed full-scale size.

Welcome to Week 11!

This week, all teams will give a Critical Design Review Presentation. These presentations are meant to be formal presentations with a short Q&A session. You should dress nicely, but you do not need to wear a suit or anything like that unless your whole team super duper really wants to.

By the end of this week, your team should have made significant progress towards the completion of your ROV. If you're behind schedule, make sure to sign up for some open lab times!

The last post-lab assignment is due this week. There will be no more post-lab assignments for the rest of the semester.

Sign up for open lab times if your team needs some extra build time or extra test time prior to the ROV Showcase. Here are the open lab times:

Friday March 22, 3-6pm
Tuesday, March 26 6-9pm
Friday March 29, 3-6pm
Sunday, March 31, 4pm-7pm

At least two members of your team must be present.

the demo ROV with the sample control box

Image: Laura Alford

Critical Design Review Presentations -- Five Teams

Critical Design Review Presentations -- The Other Five Teams

Due 11:59pm

Critical Design Review Presentation Slides

Due 11:59pm

Lab 9 Post-Lab

Continue working on your ROV. If you need extra build time, be sure to sign up for an open lab slot or two!

We're coming up on some critical deadlines for your ROV. It might be hard to talk to your team about concerns you have. Let's figure out how to have those conversations even though it's hard.

Welcome to Week 12!

Your Critical Design Review Report is due Tuesday. Do a good job on this report so that it will be easy to evolve into the final report to the executive team at the end of the semester!

This week is the last big push to complete your ROV. You should aim to have a fully functional ROV at the start of lab this week.

Dr. Alford's office hours are canceled this week. Please send her an email if you have questions/concerns.

Sign up for open lab times if your team needs some extra build time or extra test time prior to the ROV Showcase. Here are the open lab times:

Friday March 22, 3-6pm
Tuesday, March 26 6-9pm
Friday March 29, 3-6pm
Sunday, March 31, 4pm-7pm

At least two members of your team must be present.

Image: Laura Alford

Work time with your team on your CDR Report

Creating an Innovation Video

Due 11:59pm

Due 11:59pm

Critical Design Report

Test your completed ROV in the test tank in 108 GFL to work out any final adjustments before testing at the MHL next week.

A good innovation video requires planning. We'll talk about what footage you need to record next week at the MHL and how to document your video-making process.

Presentation and Testing Schedule

Welcome to Week 13!

This is a very busy week with the ROV Showcase Run-Through during lab, and the ROV Showcase itself on Saturday.

You will have a lot of work time during lecture and lab this week to finish your presentations that are due on Friday. Make the most of this time by having a strong draft of your presentation ready by Monday so that you can take advantage of your instructors' expertise during lecture.

IA office hours are cancelled this week because all of the ROV stuff is down at the MHL. If you have a question for your IA, you can email them!

The ROV Showcase takes place on Saturday at the MHL. Here's everything you need to know!

Showcase Procedures

MHL Live Streams

Submit Prototype Review to Client Presentation Slides Due FRI 11:59pm

Submit Cost Worksheet Due FRI 11:59pm

An ROV with its camera pointing at one of four columns.

Image: Laura Alford via MHL Live Stream

Preview of Showcase Run-Through, Working Meeting: Advanced Topics for Presenting your Prototype Review

Review of ROV Showcase Rules & Logistics, Working meeting: Prototype Review Presentation

Due 11:59pm

Due 11:59pm

Time to test in deeper water!

This is a three hour lab. Go to the MHL in West Hall on Central Campus at your regular lab time.

You will spend your discussion time at the MHL; discussions will not meet separately this week.

Showcase Run-Through Procedures

See the box next to Announcements above for links and instructions for the Showcase.

Welcome to Week 14!

We made it through the ROV Showcase! Hooray!

This week, we will debrief the ROV Showcase and discuss how to handle talking about failure in your final ROV report.

We will also continue to discuss the Innovation Videos and have work time for both the innovation videos and your final report.

We've talked some about how important it is to use a consistent set of units in your documentation for your ROV. If you need a distraction from working on your ROV innovation video and final report, you can watch this person define their own intriguing new system of units. Honestly, this old meme is the most appropriate picture for this video 😆 (and yes, I know that the video is a joke)

No in-person lecture today. On Wednesday, we'll discuss the ROV Showcase and how it went. To prepare for this discussion, complete this Canvas quiz reflection by Tuesday night.

Review of ROV Showcase & De-Brief, Talking About Failure, Innovation Videos: What Does/Doesn't Work Well

Due 11:59pm

Due 11:59pm

Time to get some last pictures of your ROV and then take it apart and put the components away for the semester.

Your innovation video and final ROV report will be due before you know it! We'll spend time working on these deliverables.

Welcome to Week 15!

We're almost to the end of the semester! Just a few more things to do to wrap everything up.

We know that you have a lot going on at the end of the semester, so we're going to spend our time this week working on the remaining deliverables in the course.

Significant course engagement credit is attached to lecture attendance this week. This is a time that your whole team can meet: make the most of this time together!

We've been talking about how to handle numbers in this class. If you don't handle your numbers correctly, you can get unexpected behavior, such as the Minecraft Boat Drop Mystery, where most of the time the boat protects your character from taking damage... but not always. Laura particularly loves the research that goes into debugging this unexpected behavior!

Image: Stand Up Maths / YouTube

Working Meeting: Innovation Video

Working Meeting: Final Report

Due 11:59pm

Due 11:59pm

Innovation Video Script and Scene Description

No lab this week. Use this time to meet with your group and work on your remaining assignments.

No discussion this week. Use this time to meet with your group and work on your remaining assignments.

Welcome to Week 16!

It's the last week of class!!! 🎉

This week is about wrapping up your experience in ENGR 100-600 and celebrating all the hard work you have done this semester!

The IAs will not have office hours this week. If you need to see your IA, send them an email and ask to meet up.

It's the end of the term, and we want your final thoughts on how you and your team performed in this course. We value honesty and transparency in this feedback, and we will use your feedback to potentially scale individual's scores on the final report. So please help remind your teammates to fill out the End of Term Feedback Survey on Tandem!

Complete End of Term Feedback Survey Due FRI 11:59pm

Image: Tandem

Course Wrap-up and Innovation Videos Extravaganza!

Classes are done!

Due 11:59pm

Innovation Video

Due 11:59pm