We have discovered that creating a trebuchet that is completely controlled robotically is very difficult. This is because of several factors. The main factor affecting our creation is that we tried to limit ourselves to Lego built parts. We could have created the robot entirely out of cut pieces from the laser printer, but there are two issues with that. First, we felt it would truer to try and use Lego pieces rather than build our project entirely out of created pieces (probably the only Lego that would have been used would have been the engines). Secondly, we felt we didn't have the time to teach ourselves how to use the drawing program to create said pieces.

We also have come to realize that things can be very finicky, one wrong piece (i.e. slightly out of alignment) and the whole thing refuses to work. The sling continues to trouble us, but we have figured out that if we use a pin on the arm with one end of the string tied to it, when the arm extends to throw then half of the sling opens up. The throw is, thus, much smoother and free of friction.

Finally, we have enjoyed working with Legos and programming. Simplicity is what we strive for, but it is often the hardest to achieve. This project was fun and if you have any questions please feel free to email mvara@wellesley.edu or aortiz2@wellesley.edu. Thank you very much!