Prompt
You are designing a small indoor delivery robot for a hospital. Constraints:- Must operate safely around people.- Must run for 8 hours on battery.- Must be quiet.- Must be easy to maintain by non-experts.
Question:What are the top three design tradeoffs you would prioritize, and why?
AI answer
Designing a small indoor delivery robot for a hospital presents a unique set of challenges and trade-offs. Here are the top three design tradeoffs you would prioritize, along with the reasons why:
Battery Life vs. Weight and Size: To ensure the robot can operate for 8 hours on a single charge, you would need to balance the battery size and weight. A larger battery would provide more power but would also add weight and size, which could make the robot less agile and more challenging to maneuver in a hospital setting. Conversely, a smaller battery would extend the robot's operation time but could be less powerful, potentially leading to shorter operational times. The trade-off here is between battery capacity, weight, and size to achieve the desired operational time while maintaining the robot's agility and maneuverability.
Quiet Operation vs. Efficiency: The robot must be quiet to operate safely around people. However, to ensure the robot can efficiently navigate through the hospital, it must also be capable of moving quickly and efficiently. This means the design must balance the noise levels of the robot's motors and other components with its performance capabilities. A quieter robot might be less efficient, potentially leading to longer travel times and increased energy consumption, which in turn could reduce the robot's operational time. The trade-off is between noise levels and the robot's speed and energy efficiency.
Ease of Maintenance vs. Durability: The robot must be easy to maintain by non-experts, which means the design should minimize the number of complex components and provide clear instructions for maintenance tasks. However, to ensure the robot's durability and safety, it must also incorporate robust components and design features that can withstand the demanding environment of a hospital. The trade-off is between the simplicity of the robot's design for easy maintenance and the robustness of the robot's components to ensure its durability and safety. These trade-offs must be carefully managed to balance the robot's operational requirements with its safety, efficiency, and maintainability.
Prompt
A mobile robot works fine on a lab bench, but when deployed in a real building it starts behaving erratically:- sudden stops- occasional oscillation near walls- inconsistent obstacle detection No hardware is broken. List the three most likely non-obvious causes and explain how you would investigate each one.