1st Entry - 2013 FRC Competition

For my first Engineering project, I think this 2013 FRC Robotic Competition assignment is a very well thought-out project that both enhanced my understanding of the Engineering Design Process and gave me a basic overview of the field of Engineering in general. Through out this process, my team followed a very basic outline of the Engineering Design Process we learned in class. We wrote down every single step of the process, from defining the problem, brainstorm, research, to exploring possibilities, and we followed them precisely. By doing this, I not only gained an understanding of what every step mean, but how they work in practice. Also for this process, I realized that many of the steps are interchangeable and cyclical: if a certain approach does not work, we have to go back to brainstorming or try to figure out ways to change the certain situation. 

Although I have done internships related to Engineering and Technology before, it is my first time being involved in a project. It is also my first time putting myself in a situation where i have the rights to make decisions and change the direction a project goes. Feeling a sense of participation and involvement, I felt like I have the responsibility to ensure that this project goes well. It does not matter if it actually did turn out well, I think the most important thing is that I really tried to make things work out and put the efforts into it. Overall, I learned about the level of “compatibleness” between the field of Engineering and me. I think it is not something that I feel very confident because my lack of confidence, but I think it is quiet interesting.

From this experience, I gained a quiet amount of knowledge in both Engineering and Robotics. Other than learning about how a project works, I learned a lot of engineering terms from searching through the material and components needed for a certain parts. I also learned how some physics knowledge i previously learned in class apply to real situations. Although It is not something that just naturally came up to my mind, but doing this project helped me review many things I learned before. As a part of a team, I leaned how I fit and function within in. Currently, because my lack of knowledge compared to some of my other teammates, so I can only act as a supporting role, helping others to find certain things or draw certain parts. But I believe that when I gain more knowledge in the future, I can become a more crucial part of the team.