Engineering Requirements
- This system will allow users to change part in less than 5 minutes.
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- Each function system block will be able to be changed with an additional one already made up.
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- Disconnection will be by the push of a button, interrupting power to an electromagnet
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- Safety feature will be in place so that if the system loses power the whole arm will not fall apart.
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- This system will contain a power and communication bus that is easily disconnected.
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- Bus system will reduce number of wires currently used in industry animation, from 4 conductors for power and between 8 and 13 conductors for control down to 2 conductors for power and between 2 and 4 conductors for control.
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SMART Goals:
Objective 1 — Independent Joint Motor Control:  By Week 6, each of the 2 joint motors shall achieve independent 180° positional control accurate to within ±5° of the commanded angle, verified through 10 test cycles per motor using SimpleFOC/hall-sensor feedback.
Objective 2 — Rapid Joint Exchange:  By Week 7, the team shall demonstrate disconnection and reconnection of a single robotic arm joint in ≤5 minutes using the electromagnet-and-button release mechanism, verified through 5 timed trials.
Objective 3 — Power/Communication Bus Integrity:  By Week 8, the pogo-pin power and I2C/UART communication bus shall maintain reliable signal continuity and correct data transfer across ≥50 connect/disconnect cycles with less than 2% error rate.
Objective 4 — Fail-Safe Behavior:  By Week 9, the team shall verify that loss of power to a joint's electromagnet results in a controlled, secure disconnection without the arm collapsing or dropping uncontrolled, tested through 10 simulated power-loss events.
Objective 5 — Full Assembly Demonstration:  By Week 11, the team shall demonstrate a 2-joint arm assembly with the power/communication bus operating correctly across both joints simultaneously during a live swap-and-run test.