Ever wanted to build something but didn’t know how? Thought you couldn’t master the skills needed? Want to take an idea or solution to a problem and bring it into reality? This course will give you the confidence to design, prototype, and build solutions to real world problems. You’ll have the opportunity to pick up new skills, or expand and grow existing ones in CAD, Digital Fabrication, Circuit Design and Fabrication, Programing, and even the good old hammer. You’ll begin the year with “deep-dives”, building simple projects that grow your confidence in a range of these skills. As the semester progresses, you’ll have the opportunity in small teams to either propose your own projects/ideas, or service a client’s needs with an innovative solution. You’ll come out of this experience with transferable skills, and the tenacity to do anything from repairing a smartphone, through to designing your own sensor system to interface with it!

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Understand and gain experience with the process of prototyping--design, build, evaluate, iterate;
2. Develop, analyse, and critically evaluate alternative options in order to justify and generate solutions in a real-world project;
3. Demonstrate proficiency with a wide variety of key techniques in hands-on making, electronics;
4. Effectively communicate decisions and solutions using appropriate media to professional and lay audiences;

Required Resources

Project 1 will require you to download and use the Arduino IDE: https://www.arduino.cc/en/main/software

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback to whole class, groups, individuals, focus group etc

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Other Information

Students must enrol in PHYS6701 (6 units) consecutively over 2 semesters (12 units total).

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	PHYS6701 Rapid Prototyping and Systems Integration is taken as a 6 unit course in Semester 1. There is then the option to build on the skills developed in semester 2 by enrolling in the 6 unit course PHYS8702: Prototyping and Systems Integration
2	Project 1: Week 2-6. Self balancing two-wheeled robot Your first assessed project will be a self-balancing two-wheeled robot. The project will give you experience in 3D printing, soldering, programming Arduino microprocessors, and configuring PID controllers. This is an individual project, you each get to build your own robot. We understand that students will often work together on the project but the assessment is constructed such that you will have to demonstrate your understanding of the code and individuality of design. Initially, you will construct these robots from supplied parts and with moderately detailed instructions that will get you to the stage where your robot will balance on its own two wheels. After that, you will be expected to “improve” the robot to achieve better performance and/or greater functionality. Suggestions for improvements and upgrades include but are not limited to: · Mechanical improvements - 3D print a new and better chassis, change the position of the sensor and battery to achieve better stability, use larger/smaller wheels, increase the power to the electric motors, substitute stepper motors, etc. · Software improvements – re-write the code to reduce unwanted noise in the signal from the sensor unit, such as by changing the polling rate or programming a filter. · Remote control – add the ability to remotely command your robot to follow a path, or follow a pre-programmed path. · Line following – add the ability for your robot to follow a black line on the ground. · Dynamic balance – make the robot update its balance point so as not to roll forward when an off-centre weight is placed on the robot. The more of these improvements and features you include, the better. More details are available in the Project 1 folder on Wattle.	Short oral presentations and reports outlining progress. Check of log book to assess recording practices. Final report covering the whole project in more detail. This project will run over teaching weeks 2 to 6. In weeks 3, 4, and 5 you will give a 5 minute oral presentation as well as a roughly one page report on your progress. These presentations and reports are intended to show problems you have encountered, how you have solved them or are going about solving them, and your design considerations. Your lecturer will also check and mark your project log book, to ensure that you are properly documenting your design process. In week 6 you will demonstrate your final robot to your lecturers and class mates. You will demonstrate the stability and performance of the robot and any additional features you have added. Your final assessment for Project 1 will be a medium-length written report (roughly 5 pages), in a journal publication style, giving and overview of your final robot. More details of the assessments, as well as marking criteria are given in the Project 1 folder on Wattle.
3	week 7-11 Project 2: Kibble balance Your second assessed project is to design and build a Kibble balance (formerly known as a Watt balance), a device designed to precisely weigh a mass against the electrical power required to balance it. This project will be done in small groups and will require more research and design effort on the part of the students. This project is designed to give you further experience in fabrication and control loops but will emphasize sourcing and selection of components to meet requirements, systems integration, data acquisition, signal conditioning and analysis, and will require more effort in understanding the underlying science goal. This project is inspired by the NIST LEGO Watt Balance. You will have to research the purpose and functionality of a Kibble balance, design the mechanical structure, compare and select electronic components against requirements, program the control, data acquisition and analysis software, test the balance, and estimate its relative uncertainty. Get started researching and designing your Kibble balance early. You will have to clear the purchasing of any components you need to buy with the course convener, and then wait for them to be delivered. (Unless you are willing to spend your own money on the project in which case you are free to purchased what you want when you want.) More details are available in the Project 2 folder on Wattle.	Short oral presentations and reports outlining progress. Check of log book to assess recording practices. Final report covering the whole project in more detail. This project will run over teaching weeks 7 to 11 (though you will benefit from beginning you research during the teaching break). Note – we have no class on teaching week 7 because we have a clash with ANZAC day. In weeks 8, 9, and 10 you will give a roughly 5 minute oral presentation (as a group) as well as a roughly one page (group) report on your progress. These presentations and reports are intended to show problems you have encountered, how you have solved them or are going about solving them, and your design considerations. Your lecturer will also check and mark your project log book, to ensure that you are properly documenting your design process. In week 11 you will demonstrate your final Kibble balance to your lecturers and class mates. You will be given a calibration weight to calibrate you Kibble balance. You will then be given a known weight and asked to weigh it and present your uncertainty. Your final assessment for Project 2 will be a medium-length written report (roughly 5 pages), in a journal publication style, giving and overview of your Kibble balance design and performance. More details of the assessments, as well as marking criteria are given in the Project 2 folder on Wattle.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Learning Outcomes
Regular oral and written progress reports	20 %	1,2,3
Achievement of regular milestones	40 %	1,2
Final report	20 %	4
Final oral presentation	20 %	4

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Integrity . In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

Students are expected to contribute on an on-going basis throughout the semester.

Assessment Task 1

Regular oral and written progress reports

During the course of projects 1 and 2 you will give short presentations and provide short written updates on the progress of your project.

These are weekly/fortnightly assignments with due dates announced as the semester progresses.

• Students will be required to provide weekly 5 minutes oral report plus 6 fortnightly written project updates (approximately 1 page each).

Further information is provided in the course wattle site.

Assessment Task 2

Achievement of regular milestones

Reports at the conclusion of projects 1 and 2. Due dates announced as the semester progresses.

Regular assessment of project log book to observe proper recording and project management practices. These are weekly assessments with due dates announced as the semester progresses.

There will be weekly/fortnightly assignments with due dates announced as the semester progresses.

• This will be assessed via: a report at the end of projects 1 and 2 and weekly assessment of project log book.

Further information is provided in the course wattle site.

Assessment Task 3

Final report

This will be assessed via: a written report of the advanced project concept design and plan.

• Due: Friday 27 May, 2022
• Feedback returned: 1 week after

Assessment Task 4

Final oral presentation

This will be assessed via: an oral presentation of the advanced project concept design and plan.

Due: Monday 23 May 2022

Feedback returned: 1 week later

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically, committing to honest and responsible scholarly practice and upholding these values with respect and fairness.

The ANU commits to assisting all members of our community to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle and Academic Misconduct Rule, uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with.

The Academic Misconduct Rule is in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Very minor breaches of the academic integrity principle may result in a reduction of marks of up to 10% of the total marks available for the assessment. The ANU offers a number of online and in person services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. Visit the Academic Skills website for more information about academic integrity, your responsibilities and for assistance with your assignments, writing skills and study.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Late submission permitted. Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Returning Assignments

Assignments will be aimed to be returned within two weeks of submission.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students