Budget/Schedule
With the initial design for the full-scale model, the budget for the vertical leg and foot portion of the project was estimated to be $455.62, and the total budget for the project was roughly estimated to be around $2,500. After the decision was made to construct a ¼ scale model in lieu of the full system, the project budget was decreased drastically to an estimated $118 for the entire project. There were two main reasons for the budget reduction. First, much less material was required to be purchased because of the reduction in size. Second, it was determined that since the primary function of the ¼ scale model was to be a proof of concept model, the implementation of a hydraulic cylinder was not necessary. Instead, the motion of the booms would be simulated by pushing the appropriate booms out by hand.
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After the Manufacturing and Testing Phases were complete, the total project budget was $81.04. The actual cost of the project was lower than expected because materials expenses were lower than projected and all necessary testing resources were already readily available.
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The general schedule for the project involved three phases: design during fall quarter, manufacturing during winter quarter, and testing during spring quarter. The total estimated time frame of the project was calculated to be 129 hours. At the end of the Design Phase, 56.5 hours had been spent on the project.
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Due to complications in the design process, the Design Phase of the project required additional time through December and January after fall quarter concluded. At the end of January, parts and materials were ordered and the manufacturing process began. February was spent constructing parts and beginning the assembly of the device. Assembly was finished by March 11th in preparation for testing the device during spring quarter. At the end of the Manufacturing Phase, an estimated 123 hours had been spent on the project.
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The Testing Phase of the project was scheduled to require an additional 32.5 hours. Plans for testing were made in the latter portions of winter quarter and early April. The tests themselves were conducted in the third week of April, and the project test report was finalized by the first week of May. The project SOURCE presentation was prepared through April and May in preparation for the event taking place May 18th-24th. The remainder of the quarter was spent updating the project report, editing the project website, and compiling the project deliverables. A total of 27 hours were spent during the testing phase, and 150 hours were spent on the project overall.
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Below are links to the full parts and budget document and Gantt chart schedule for the project.