In semester 1, the hardware team has worked hard on designing new systems as well as reviewing current systems for the autonomous vehicle. However, the implementation of the designs could not be carried out due to the COVID restrictions.
Dynamic obstacle drive unit
The current gear shifting system is being reworked as it is quite unreliable, though progress on the rework has been slow as a result of not being able to work on the car physically.
Dynamic obstacle exterior casing
More progress has been made on the design of a prototype remote controlled dynamic obstacle. This remote controlled dynamic obstacle is designed to mimic real life obstacles such as pedestrians without putting anyone in danger. The design is complete but it could not be built yet.
The hardware team has also designed a new cage to house all the different parts needed to compute and process data in the Subaru. The team hopes that this project will help with the organisation of the contents inside the vehicle.
Next semester, the team hopes to build some of the designs that were completed, but the lack of funding and continuation of restrictions make this unlikely. Furthermore, design work will begin on a more complex and robust dynamic obstacle platform and they are hoping to be able to work on wire management inside the car to make it more organised.