Prototype model for demonstration at PID.

Onward and forward! With Prototype Inspection Day (PID) coming next week, the team has been busy planning, 3D printing, and assembling our first prototype. The goal of our prototype is to test the concept of using a friction brake to reverse the direction of the spool to sag a line. We are using 3D printed parts along with twine and a motor to prove that our idea can both tense and sag a specified weight. We look forward to presenting our prototype to the judges and receiving any feedback that we can then use to improve our concept.

The team also plans to bring subsystem ideas to PID to receive additional feedback from the judges. Included are the frame and rope guide subsystems. This is a great opportunity to get suggestions from faculty specialists, and we are planning on making the most of it. Our coach, Dr. Kimberly Stubbs, has been an amazing mentor thus far in providing guidance and support throughout the process. At our coach meeting this week, she provided several forms of insight that we have been working to implement as we’ve progressed.

Looking to the future, LineTech intends to use feedback given at Prototype Inspection Day to further our concept and make improvements. SLDR is coming up in the near future and we plan on continuing our path towards success.