Req 4b — Sketch the System

This is the point where your robot stops being an idea and becomes a plan. A strong design shows how the parts connect, what the robot needs to sense, and how it will move in more than one way. That last part matters because degrees of freedom means the robot can move through at least two independent motions, not just roll straight ahead.

Start with the big picture

Your design should answer four questions:

• What is the frame or structure?
• How does it move or act on the world?
• What sensor information does it use?
• What motions count as its degrees of freedom?

For a small drive robot with an arm, one degree of freedom might be forward-and-back drive movement, and another might be the arm lifting up and down. For a robotic arm, one degree of freedom might be shoulder rotation and another might be gripper open-and-close.

What “2 degrees of freedom” means

A degree of freedom is one independent way a system can move. If one motor motion changes and another can still change separately, you probably have multiple degrees of freedom.

Examples:

• Drive + arm lift
• Arm shoulder + elbow joint
• Turret rotation + launcher angle
• Lift motion + claw open/close

That does not mean you need two fancy arms or a complex humanoid robot. It means your design should do more than one distinct motion in a useful, controllable way.

What to draw and describe in your notebook

Your notebook entry should include more than one sketch if needed. A side view, top view, and close-up of a mechanism can be more helpful than one crowded drawing.

Include labels for:

• battery and controller location
• motors or servos
• sensors
• drive system or mechanism
• important dimensions
• where the robot will hold, lift, push, or detect something

Add a short written description under the sketch that explains how the parts work together. Imagine that another Scout had to build your robot from your notes.

Your plan is on paper. Next, turn those drawings into real parts and a working prototype.