Working with peers on design (Wheeled Robotic)

You need a team to design a robotic platform, working solo can be very difficult.

As timeline for projects become tighter and workload becomes heavier, you need to work with other engineers to get things up! Here, we identified who you will be working with and how to work well with them;

1) Managers and stakeholders

You need to understand and align expectations with the management to ensure your design outcome is fruitful. 

Other stakeholders who will be providing useful information and support can include business development and sales. Because of their relationship with the client or have exposure in the relevant field, acquiring information and design needs can help enhance your design process.

2) CAD drafter

If your workload is high, CAD drafter can help you lighten them. You can concentrate on the design concept and let this person help you in engineering drawings. However, you need to provide clear instructions on;

i) Dimensions

ii) Location of components

iii) Movements, for example; opening/closing of the cover

3) Electrical and Electronic Engineer

Identify the required space and location for electrical and electronic components such as;

i) Battery

ii) Computer board

iii) Ventilation

iv) Radiofrequency (RF) Antenna

v) Ports for charging and power tapping

vi) LIDAR and its horizontal and vertical angle

vii) Ultrasonic sensors

viii) Other utility and junction boxes for power conversion, data reading and more.

ix) Cable holders and anchor points for cable management

x) Thickness and bending radius of cables and wires

xi) Electrical shielding; especially near motors

You must identify and ask for dimensions of all these parts to coordinate the design appropriately. Always remember to ask if there are alternative solutions in place if there are constraints in location and space.

Tips

i) Always set a deadline to the relevant peers when working with them

ii) Communicate and help to resolve issues together as the design is a synthesis of mechanical, electrical, and electronic

iii) At some point, you need to reject and make a point to prevent the design to go around in circles, especially when many new changes could potentially confuse everyone and human conflict and error will increase.

iv) Ensure the work is a team and does not end up having someone juggling everything alone as chances of careless mistakes can be high