vincentz

Reflection on The Drone Project

Vincent Zhao – 2/11/2025

Our Sigma Drone project was an ambitious task in which we tried to design a human-operable vehicle capable of traversing a 10-kilometer round trip on Titan. Although our final testing involved using an externally provided drone, we learnt so many lessons on project execution, teamwork, and design optimization. In reflecting on the experience, there are actually several areas where improvements can be made.

Final Thoughts and Future Improvements

Reflecting on this project, I understand that failure is an important part of the learning process. Our experiences taught us that simplicity in design, combined with a focus on testing and clear communication is the most important. If we were to start over, I would speed up our design to emphasize functionality over complexity and ensure that every team member is actively involved throughout the process. Ultimately, our project demonstrated that while the technical challenges were significant, the lessons learned are the true takeaways. With these improvements, I am confident that a future iteration of our design could more effectively meet the challenges of Titan exploration, making a 5-kilometer round trip not only possible but more efficient.

Failing is indeed awesome.

Comments

5 Responses to “Reflection on The Drone Project”

  1. mcrompton Avatar
    mcrompton

    I love that “Failing is indeed awesome!” You have done an excellent job of reflecting on your experience and drawing out some important lessons. I like that you’ve considered how you might make a repeat of this assignment better based on what you have learned. Can you suggest some strategies that you might put in place for your personal project so that you don’t face the same challenges?

    Reply
    1. vzhao27 Avatar
      vzhao27

      I’ll establish clear communication and defined roles right from the start by scheduling regular progress check-ins, and ensuring that everyone understands their responsibilities. Additionally, we can break the project into smaller, manageable milestones with and backup plans. It can help for early prototyping and testing to identify and resolve technical issues before they become major problems. Finally, we will allocate extra time for learning new skills – whether it’s advanced soldering techniques or learning CAD software – to ensure that any knowledge gaps fixed early on

      Reply
      1. mcrompton Avatar
        mcrompton

        Sounds practical, Vincent, but I’m looking for strategies related to your personal project. As this is an individual assignment, the group planning strategies aren’t really applicable in the same way. What are you goals for your personal project process?

        Reply
        1. vzhao27 Avatar
          vzhao27

          Since this is an individual project, I’ll focus on strategies based on my own workstyle. I’ll set clear weekly goals and check my progress at the end of each week to stay on track. Personally, I have a hard time always staying on task for long periods of time and will need to try and employ better time management strategies when learning the content needed to understand how to build my personal project. I’ll use tools like goblin.tool break down complex tasks into smaller steps. To avoid getting stuck, I’ll schedule time specifically for research and troubleshooting near the end of the project, and I’ll document my progress so I can quickly identify what’s working and what’s not. Finally, I’ll build in extra time for learning, since working with quantum computing might come with unexpected challenges.

          Reply
          1. mcrompton Avatar
            mcrompton

            Thank you, Vincent. I like the recognition of your own personal work habits and the idea of “checking in” with yourself weekly!

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