Hi, I’m Krishiv, I am part of Mechatronics 20 and this is my a reflection on my first week in the program.
After a year of being a part of this academy there has been numerous difficult tasks that I have overcome. My expectations for grade 11 were much more realistic after spending a year in the academy previously. Now that I am aware of the program and how it functions, the academy is a much more fun and stress free environment compared to how it felt on my first year. This year I am enjoying the enhanced and more complicated projects as they are forcing me to think outside the box.
It’s been amazing to work with new people in Mechatronics. It’s a great platform to observe and learn from each other. Working in collaboration with other kids in the class can be a very good experience for me since each person in the class has something in Mechatronics they are great at, this can help me get better at the program and help me learn some new things above and beyond.
We’ve had to group up with different people to complete design challenges, which had been an experience in it self. The different people we worked with at the beginning of the program were the grade 10s. The 10s were way more creative and interested in the work. It was great to work with the students since we could get a better understanding and insight on how the new kids were and what each persons interests were in terms of the academy.
I helped move the group forward by always contributing with my ideas and supporting all of the ideas of the grade 10's. As a part of the group, I always try my hardest to excel and become a leader for my team. This role allows me to keep an eye on everyone and lead the team. In terms of the first project with the 10's this was an important role for me as they were very eager to try out new things and get their hands on all of the work.
Now that we are actually into the real work, I am thinking that I would like to further explore the mechanics and building side of mechatronics. This aspect of the program is where I excel as I enjoy the hands of building for assignments. Compared to programming and other computer aspects of the program it more clear to me in my second year that using my hands to create, build, draw, etc is much easier for me than to use computers and understand how to code different languages.
I’m looking forward to getting into more hands-on building projects and assignments as the year progresses. The practical aspect of this program is also very enjoyable for me as it helps hone my critical thinking skills and me expand my horizons, not just in mechatronics but my other classes as well. Finally, although I do not exactly enjoy coding, I am hoping we get more into that soon as it can be interesting when I am observing others or learning it myself.
After a year of being a part of this academy there has been numerous difficult tasks that I have overcome. My expectations for grade 11 were much more realistic after spending a year in the academy previously. Now that I am aware of the program and how it functions, the academy is a much more fun and stress free environment compared to how it felt on my first year. This year I am enjoying the enhanced and more complicated projects as they are forcing me to think outside the box.
It’s been amazing to work with new people in Mechatronics. It’s a great platform to observe and learn from each other. Working in collaboration with other kids in the class can be a very good experience for me since each person in the class has something in Mechatronics they are great at, this can help me get better at the program and help me learn some new things above and beyond.
We’ve had to group up with different people to complete design challenges, which had been an experience in it self. The different people we worked with at the beginning of the program were the grade 10s. The 10s were way more creative and interested in the work. It was great to work with the students since we could get a better understanding and insight on how the new kids were and what each persons interests were in terms of the academy.
I helped move the group forward by always contributing with my ideas and supporting all of the ideas of the grade 10's. As a part of the group, I always try my hardest to excel and become a leader for my team. This role allows me to keep an eye on everyone and lead the team. In terms of the first project with the 10's this was an important role for me as they were very eager to try out new things and get their hands on all of the work.
Now that we are actually into the real work, I am thinking that I would like to further explore the mechanics and building side of mechatronics. This aspect of the program is where I excel as I enjoy the hands of building for assignments. Compared to programming and other computer aspects of the program it more clear to me in my second year that using my hands to create, build, draw, etc is much easier for me than to use computers and understand how to code different languages.
I’m looking forward to getting into more hands-on building projects and assignments as the year progresses. The practical aspect of this program is also very enjoyable for me as it helps hone my critical thinking skills and me expand my horizons, not just in mechatronics but my other classes as well. Finally, although I do not exactly enjoy coding, I am hoping we get more into that soon as it can be interesting when I am observing others or learning it myself.
January - February 2020 (Circuit Board)
What went well?
This was a difficult project, however there were a number of things that went well during my project. First and foremost the actual circuit was successful and was able to conduct a full open circuit system and activate the lights and sensors I had soldered into the board. Along with this the design for the circuit was great as it was able to flow all the way through and also reach all of the desired elements. Lastly, the first few steps, which were meant to be the most difficult went fairly well for me. Using the chemicals on the boards was dangerous however, using PPE and being aware of my work allowed for the hardest part to go smoothly and I was able to start my board fairly early.
What could have been done differently?
In terms of this project I would have preferred to maybe create a somewhat less complex board as it made the coding and building far more difficult than it needed to be. My design was far more complex than the outcome required and I did that because I felt it would be far more fun for me to have that as a challenge, however it was just a throne in my side and made it very difficult for me to complete this project. All in all, this project was very fun, but if I was to change anything, I would only slightly ease the complexity of my design.
This was a difficult project, however there were a number of things that went well during my project. First and foremost the actual circuit was successful and was able to conduct a full open circuit system and activate the lights and sensors I had soldered into the board. Along with this the design for the circuit was great as it was able to flow all the way through and also reach all of the desired elements. Lastly, the first few steps, which were meant to be the most difficult went fairly well for me. Using the chemicals on the boards was dangerous however, using PPE and being aware of my work allowed for the hardest part to go smoothly and I was able to start my board fairly early.
What could have been done differently?
In terms of this project I would have preferred to maybe create a somewhat less complex board as it made the coding and building far more difficult than it needed to be. My design was far more complex than the outcome required and I did that because I felt it would be far more fun for me to have that as a challenge, however it was just a throne in my side and made it very difficult for me to complete this project. All in all, this project was very fun, but if I was to change anything, I would only slightly ease the complexity of my design.
November 13th 2019 (Podcast)
What went well?
During this project me and my team had excellent communication and were able to work together and solve our problems quickly and effectively. Along with this we were also able to stay on task for the entirely of the project as it was really fun for us. What could have been done differently? I don't really have much critiques about our podcast. We all did our very best and were satisfied with the result. If anything, I would change some aspects of our script to enhance the content. |
October 20, 2019 (Project X51)
What went well?
Throughout the duration of this assignment there were many things that went well. My group and I had a very fun time completing this project. My group had great communication and were able to work through the issues that came up during the building and coding effectively and efficiently. During this project we were all able to share ideas and collaborate well to build and code a final product. Our problem solving skills helped us many times on this project as we did run quite a few problems. My groups teamwork was phenomenal. Everybody had a part and everybody made sure they did their part to the best of their ability. What challenges did you face? We had a numerous challenges during this project. For example, at one point our arm was not heavy enough so it was having problems picking up and moving the objects. For this we had to take some time to brainstorm, but we decided using a second motor to help hold one side down would be our best bet. Another example of a challenge we faced was when our claw has trouble opening and closing due to the motors we used. We tried using one motor and gears to open and close the claw except the side with the motor would be too strong for the side without the motor so it wouldn't close properly. In order to fix this we added another motor to the other side of the claw. This helped counteract the force of the original motor making the claw much more effective. |
The previously listed projects and reflections are example of blogs from my grade 11 year in the Mechatronics Academy.