Blog Posts

FDR Video!

Here is the link to our FDR video:

FDR DAY!

Here is a picture as we began introducing our project! We believe that FDR days was a success and it was great to have all our sponsors present as well as members from the Rays organization. We got very positive feedback and we believe that everyone was happy with our final deliverables. We have really enjoyed getting to work on this project, and it was nice to have a day to showcase all the work we have done of the past two semesters. None of this would have been possible without our amazing coach and the IPPD director, providing us all the necessary resources to complete this project. It has been a pleasure to be a member of this program, and we are looking forward to our next steps in each of our careers. Thanks for following our blog and we hope you enjoyed getting to see how we’ve progressed on this project!

FDR Final Poster Design

Here is our FDR Final Poster Design that we have developed to briefly explain the purpose of our design and the results we’ve obtained over the past year:

Prototype Testing Continued- The User Experience

Once we were able to securely attach the hardware enclosure on to the bat with all the hardware in it, we gathered multiple people to test our prototype out. To gather feedback on their experience, a survey was created which allowed for them to rate their level of comfortability while using the device, if they thought this was something an MLB player would use in a lab setting, if they found it more difficult to use than a bat without a hardware enclosure on it, and if they noticed an extreme difference in the overall weight distribution. The people who tested the prototype included 2 players who are on the UF club baseball team, 1 player who played on the women’s club softball team, and 5 others who have played baseball up until entering college. The results of the survey will be provided below:

3D Printed Hardware Enclosure Fits on Bat with all Necessary Hardware in it

After having some issues with our PCB, we were finally able to get it to work and fit all the necessary hardware components into the 3D printed enclosure and attach it on to the bat.

See images below:

More Images from Prototype Inspection Day

Here is an image showing the data we were able to collect and what one would see if they were to open the CSV file that is created once the data is done being collected. Unfortunately, due to the size of the video and limitations on what can be uploaded, I am unable to show the video of us physically the bat and it coming into contact with the ball.

Prototype Inspection Day

Today, we presented our prototype to a wide variety of coaches and other members of the engineering college. We got lots of feedback regarding how we will continue to test the device as well as feedback on how we presented our current design. Like mentioned in an earlier blog post, we had some issues regarding our PCB. Unfortunately, the new one did not arrive in time so we had to use a cardboard box as our hardware enclosure as the prototype board was too large for the hardware enclosure. We are working hard to ensure we get back on schedule; however, we were still able to swing the baseball bat and actually have the bat come and contact with a pitch. Additionally, we were able to collect accurate grip pressure measurements.

Soldering on prototype board

Unfortunately, our PCB did not come in the way we planned; however, we did not let this hinder our progress for prototype inspection day. We instead soldered the hardware on to a prototype board to allow for it to still be wireless and allow for us to complete as much testing as possible. This also hindered our use of our 3D printed enclosure, and instead will result in us having to use a different material to hold the hardware until our new PCB comes in. In addition to this, we added a red button that can be seen below that allows for us to start and stop recording data by pushing this button.

Improvements from QRB 2

We began making major improvements from our QRB 2 feedback. For prototype inspection day, we will have all the materials on the bat and will be able to actually physically swing the bat without it being connected to the computer. We will have it wirelessly transmitting data in the form of a CSV file.

QRB 2 Feedback

We presented our QRB 2 presentation to our sponsors as well as to some of the IPPD faculty. We received very positive feedback and believe we are on the right track to deliver what our sponsors are asking for. For the upcoming month of March, we will continue to now build the PCB and really focus on testing the prototype. We will continue to update the page on the progress of the testing process and any alterations we may make based off what we observe.