Skip to main content

Design an Ultrasonic Sonar Tower

Using long-distance range sensors like an ultrasonic, build a sonar tower (which is like a radar tower, but with sound).

The tower should have a field of view that is at least 180 degrees, but potentially as large as 360. You can use cardboard, one or more ultrasonic sensors, and a cardboard/lego base.

The sonar tower needs to "actually work," even if the materials are paper or lego. That is, you should find a way to turn the ultrasonic (either by hand, or with a motor), take a measurement, then turn the ultrasonic a bit more. The best designs will include some signal processing. Think carefully about how your Sonar Tower makes an accurate measurement.

Add Arduino code so that you can make an array of distances from the tower. You may want to build a Processing sketch to visualize your tower's measurements (yes, AI-built code is fine here).

After building, draw your tower. Annotate your drawing, and explain how it works from both an algorithm and physical design perspective. Pseudo-code is fine.

Design solution format and handin​

Submit an image of your built prototype with your reflection on Canvas.

Each design solution, including this one, should include two short reflections and self-provided grades in the range of 0-5. Yoru final design and relfections should be in your sketchbook. The reflection grades must be very clearly marked (highlighted, circled, at the top of the page, something), or we will count it as zero. You will submit a photo of the final design and reflections to Canvas.

The first reflection and self-provided grade should assess your design challenge: how well did you think that you did the design challenge? Provide a short justification for your self-given grade and reflect on the connection between the design challenge and course concepts.

The second reflection and self-provided grade should assess your participation in the course: over the module, did you fully engage in the pre-readings? Did you do the in-class drawing exercises and design challenges to the best of your ability? Provide a short justification and reflect on your changing understanding of COGS as a result of the module.

The best reflections do not linger long on self-promotion. Instead, they focus on course concepts. Use this first design challenge as a practice run.

For this course, we always use the following kind of scale:

  • 5: Exceptional: above and beyond requirements, brings in outside knowledge and/or deeply engages with the material.
  • 4: Very good: meets requirements fully, no major critiques.
  • 3: Good: mostly meets requirements, one or two major critiques or many minor critiques.
  • 2: Poor: mostly pro forma meeting of requirements, many major or minor critiques.
  • 1: Very poor: some discernable effort, but significant problems.
  • 0: No discernable effort.

You will notice that "fully meeting requirements" is only a 4/5, or 80%. This is unusual for many people, but is standard in art and design courses. The secret requirement is that you must go above and beyond to get above 80%. The point is to get you to creatively engage with the course. If we fully specify what it takes to get 100%, then there will be no creative component. Part of the purpose of engaging with this in this manner is to teach you to assess yourself in your own creativity. Then, we will assess you on your self-assessment. Don't worry, this will seem natural soon enough.

The design challenge is due two weeks after the assignment released (will be indicated on Canvas).