The team continued to make meaningful progress this week as our work shifted further from preliminary investigation into detailed design development and prototyping efforts. Building on insights from recent discussions with Johnson & Johnson, we advanced several parallel tracks of the project that will inform both our near-term deliverables and long-term system integration.
One of the major developments this week was the construction of a full-scale mechanical prototype of the wire insertion assembly. Creating this physical model allowed us to evaluate clearances, motions, and potential points of interference within the system. In parallel, we completed a comprehensive CAD assembly of the prototype, which provided additional clarity on areas of concern and highlighted design limitations that might not be immediately evident from physical inspection alone. Together, these efforts strengthened our understanding of the assembly’s mechanical requirements and constraints.
We also made notable progress in the software and sensing components of the project. Using the latest image set provided by J&J, the team enhanced the performance of our computer vision pipeline for detecting copper holes. These preliminary results helped us refine our approach and prepare for the transition from MATLAB to an OpenCV-based implementation. Alongside this work, we conducted an evaluation of several potential cameras, comparing them across relevant performance criteria to determine which option will best support the vision verification workflow. This analysis informed the initial concept design for the vision verification box, which will house and align the sensing components in future iterations.
In addition to these technical advances, the team began planning for the next stages of procurement and assembly. We identified the remaining components needed to complete the manual assembly of the full-scale prototype and will incorporate final camera dimensions into the verification box design once a selection is made. These steps help ensure that mechanical and sensing subsystems evolve cohesively as development progresses.
Looking ahead, the focus for next week will be on fine-tuning the computer vision algorithm, initiating the software transition to OpenCV, finalizing camera selection, and acquiring the parts necessary to complete the prototype. Coordination efforts will also continue, including arranging transport of materials from Jacksonville to Gainesville and confirming dates for the next SLDR site visit.
Overall, it was a productive and technically rich week for the team. The progress made in both mechanical prototyping and vision system development positions us well for continued advancement in the coming weeks.
Due to delays with travel arrangements, we gave our PDR during our regularly scheduled liaison meeting time and it was a success and our liaisons gave us some great feedback we hope to take for the SLDR coming up this week!
