We are SS, group 6 of VG100. SS is composed of five members from all over the world. All of us, in common, are all freshman students of UM-SJTU (University of Michigan and Shanghai Jiao Tong University) Joint Institute. The group name “SS” is the abbreviation of “Set Sail”. After graduating from high school, we step into our new chapter, UM-SJTU JI. We hope to spread our wings and soar to explore new life. We set sail from our own new milestone to expect a world famous pioneering work in our future in SJTU.

Shanghai Jiao Tong University, located in Minghang District of Shanghai, plays an important role in engineering field among the world. What’s more, Joint Institute, as a leading engineering institute in SJTU, should shoulder the honor of SJTU. Therefore, the course VG100-introduction to engineering designs a project, Tower Defense, for us. This project gives us a chance to have an initial recognition of engineering field.

Step 1: Warzone Tower Defense Description

The game, Warzone Tower Defense, as its name, implies about attack and defense, which is made up of two major parts, tower and bug. In this game, three bugs go straight
toward the tower from randomly paths pre-placed. The moment the tower detects the bugs, it should emit laser light aiming at the photo sensor on the bug in order to kill it, make them stop, one by one.

The requirements for the two major part, tower and bug, are listed as following:

1. Paper Tower

a. Over 60cm-tall

b. Made of A4, 80g regular printed paper only

c. Use white glue only to construct and fix the paper part of the tower

d. Limited to 3 layers of paper in every part of tower

e. Fix electronic component on the top of tower except range sensor

f. Limited to use paper to serve as the upholder in building the tower

2. Bug (Robotic car)

a. A vertical board (size:15cm*10cm) must be installed in front of the bug

b. A photo sensor must be placed on the board

c. Two motors be equipped to drive the bug

d. Arduino UNO dominate the bug

Our performance at the game day

We killed one bug at the game day, and got a not bad grade at game day.

Step 2: Material List

Step 3: BUG (Robotic Car)

Substep 1: Set the motor

Motors are stick to the bottom board (15cm*10cm). We immobilize it with 502 glue first, then we use heated glue to reinforce it.

Substep 2: Set the back wheels

To place the back wheels, firstly put the coupler on the motor. Then plunge the coupler into the wheel.

Substep 3: Place the front wheels

We stick two small metal boards with holes on the bottom board on the same side of the bottom wheels. Put the axle thorough the two holes on the small metal board. Then plunge the axel into couples on both sides. After that plunge the couplers into two wheels.

Substep 4: Place electronic parts on the bottom board

All the electronic parts are placed on the opposite side of the wheels. The L298N is placed at the bottom of the board. The Arduino board is placed besides the L298N. Next to the Arduino is the battery. In front of the battery is the electronic board.

Substep 5: Install vertical board to the bottom board

Use glue 502 to fix the vertical board with the bottom board, and use heat glue gun to strength it.

Substep 6: Place sensors on the front board

The photo sensor is placed on the front board. The tracking sensor is placed at the bottom of the front board.

Substep 7: Complete the circuit of the bug part

Step 4: Paper Tower

Substep 1: Roll an A4 paper into a cylinder

Use white cement to fix it. This is not a component of tower but an important tool.

Substep 2: Roll four slope paper cylinders as the upholders of the tower

Put two A4 papers next to each other, use glass cement to connect at a single pair of corners (it will be removed, or the using of glass cement may violate the rule). Smear white glues on the joint part. Turn the paper over. Lay the paper cylinder made in step 1 on them. Use it to roll the paper into two or three layers in a slope way so that the white glues can stick them together. Make sure the glass cement is at the outside. Tear it off. Use white glue to stick them together.

Substep 3: Make the platform

Use scissors to cut three pieces of paper with the size of 14cm*14cm and two other ones with the size of 14cm*28cm. Fold the latter ones into the shape of waves. Stick them together with the white glue in the order: the flat one, the wave one, the flat one, the wave one, the flat one. Make sure the directions of the wave paper are perpendicular with each other.

Substep 4: Make the flowers and stick them

Use scissors to cut the one end of the paper cylinder made in step 2 into four pieces. Make them just like the “flower”. Use the white glue to stick the “flowers” to our platform. Make sure that the stuck part CANNOT excess 3 layers of paper and that four pillars concentrate into the center of the platform.

Substep 5: Make the paper beams

Make some paper wands, which are fixed between the pillars, to be served as the beams, ensuring the stability of the whole tower.

Substep 6: Make the paper strips

Connect the parallel beams with STRAIGHT paper strips to ensure that our tower may not lean at any directions. Then the paper part of our tower is built.

Substep 10: Complete the circuit of the tower part

Step 5: Final View

Step 6: Troubleshooting & Feedback

(1) Choose as reliable the material source as possible, especially when you are purchasing them online, for the low quality of our electronic components turned out to be the biggest obstacle when we carried out Project 1.

(2) Use different type of color dupont wires to differentiate them in different functions. Take, for example, warm one for the positive electrode, cool one for the negative electrode, or it’s likely to be extremely eye-exhausted when building the tower.

(3) If we use the white glue to fix the joint or stuck part on the tower, it may not be dried soon especially in rainy days.