During this week we started by learning Computer Aided Design (CAD) using Fusion 360 Software. Fusion 360 is nice software to get started with CAD because it has a simple and friendly user interface and cloud storage capability for the projects which allows working on different computers. We started drawing basic shapes and specifying basic dimensions as normal Engineering drawings. After we had covered some basics we were given a task to draw 3D shapes and print them using a 3D printer. The figure below is the drawing which I was tasked to draw. The above object was used to certify us on our 3D printers skills. This certification required us to import an STL file from Fusion 360 then…
DESIGNING OF ULTRASONIC SENSOR AND INFRARED SENSOR (IR)
DESIGNING OF ULTRASONIC SENSOR AND INFRARED SENSOR (IR) Ultrasonic sensor An ultrasonic sensor is a sensor that measures the distance to an object using ultrasonic sound waves. It uses a transducer to send and receive ultrasonic pulses that relay back information about an object’s proximity. How Ultrasonic Sensors Work Ultrasonic sensors work by sending out a sound wave at a frequency above the range of human hearing. The transducer of the sensor acts as a microphone to receive and send the ultrasonic sound. Our ultrasonic sensors, like many others, use a single transducer to send a pulse and to receive the echo. The sensor determines the distance to a target by measuring time lapses between the sending and receiving of the ultrasonic pulse….
MAKING THE MOST OF IT
Sandra (LEFT) and DIT Design Studio Admin Assistant Aziza (LEFT) My name is Sandra Sommi, I am a third year student studying a Bachelor of Computer Engineering at the Dar es salaam Institute of Technology. My team and I were assigned the task of designing an automatic unmanned robotic system by our instructor, Dr. Simbeye as part of our course - Robotics and Intelligent Systems. The primary motive behind this project is to design and fabricate an automatic robotic system that will operate automatically without any human intervention. The original idea was to implement an automatic robotic arm that will perform pick and place functionality. But later as a group we came up with the idea that the robotic system...
DEVELOPMENT OF AN AUTONOMOUS MILK VENDING MACHINE
Q: Tell us about yourself. Who are you and what is your background? A: I am Jamal Akida (25), a Muslim graduate of the Dar-Es-Salaam Institute of Technology (DIT). I studied Computer Engineering and graduated in the year of study 2019/2020.I have extremely high attention to detail and love the challenges involved in technology (especially computerized systems) no matter how big or small – I also enjoy working as part of a team. Over the past four years, I have attended Industrial Practical Training (Field student) at different organizations where I used my knowledge to be a part in the design and implement software, hardware systems, and network configurations at the Institute of Judicial Administration (IJA) and TONTAN Technologies. Currently,...
The struggle was real
The struggle was real Kanyempwe, Juma B. Introduction With a lot of design work to do most of the projects were behind schedule so we never had a chance to write a blog post. We were trying to make the final project on time so we divided the tasks to finish on time. Mary and Joseph were designing and coding the circuit for the wall suction system while I had to go to kariakoo market looking for the components we need for the project. We had two design concepts which were very promising for our project; mechanical system and sensor system. Mechanical System is the system we design using a valve to block the negative pressure from the hospital…
THE KILLER ROBOT
THE KILLER ROBOT- Kanyempwe, Juma B. Introduction This week’s challenge at the DIT Design Studio was to design and build an autonomous robot for the sumo ring. This challenge was very unique and was one of the reasons why I was so excited about this. The main goal was to be the last robot in the ring so we were grouped in pairs. Thomas and I came up with so many great ideas on the robot we were going to design and all the crazy parts about the defense mechanism and how cool we wanted the robot to look like. “Killer robot” was the name we chose for our robot design. We then had to create a robot that…
Best run starts with a good muscle stretch
Best run starts with a good muscle stretch – Thomas N. Shetui A week of design thinking – Starting up with a design thinking 101 session trying very deeply to understand how to internalize the problem through empathizing it and evaluating how the problem affects the end users. The procedure required first hand interviews (as a primary source of information) with the targeted end users. The information provided could be used to structure solutions to that problem and later secondary research was done. With the primary and secondary research commencing on the problem assigned to work on, “How can we encourage hand washing and make it safer” thereafter modified to, “How can we make most DIT students wash their…
Make it work
PROTOTYPING A prototype refers to the preliminary version of a device from which other devices will be developed. It is usually used for testing a concept. This week our group was mainly dealing with finalizing our prototypes which were on the IR-thermometer. The thermometer infers temperature from a portion of the thermal radiation emitted by an object being measured. It is sometimes called a laser thermometer as a laser is used to help aim the thermometer. It works by measuring the temperature of infrared energy which every material or object with a temperature above absolute zero radiates. A lens focuses the infrared radiation onto a detector which in turn converts this energy into an electric signal. After compensating for the ambient…
COMPLETING INFRARED THERMOMETER PROJECT
COMPLETING INFRARED THERMOMETER PROJECT By: Arslan Dogar Infrared thermometer was the most challenging project assigned during the Industrial Practical Training period, it required us to code the Arduino program, testing the code by building actual circuit, soldering the circuit and diagnosis, 3d printing the housing design and finally fitting the circuit into the housing and testing. Initial Testing of the Circuit Some of these procedures proved to be very challenging and caused a lot of delay to the completion of the project, extending the time span to approximately 3 weeks. The main challenge that we faced during the project was the soldering and diagnosis of the soldered circuit, initially the delay had been caused by female headers not being available….
THE ROBOT CHALLENGE
Bwere, Daniel E. The week started with a hectic challenge of designing sumo robots to contest in the sumo robot challenge. The sumo robot had to be a three-wheeler: a single all-round wheel and two servo-driven wheels. A lot had to be done which would help practise the skills gained on 3D printing, laser cutting and Arduino. My idea was to play both defense and offense. In offense, the robot would have a kicker, and in defense, the robot would be able to run if an opponent would come closer to a defined no-man’s land. I began by designing the inner flat chassis on which the components were to be fixed. This wasn’t difficult since it was just…