Team members:
- Andrew Cober
- Dan Crowe
- Anthony Schubert
- Ryan Yeash
Our goal is to design a device that can be used to keep a ferromagnetic object held in mid air. It will use several electromagnets and optical/ultrasonic sensors along with a closed loop control system to achieve this goal. Initially, the device will hold an object in a stationary position, but eventually it should be able to control the object's position in three dimensions (pitch, roll, and yaw). The magnets will be controlled with DC-DC converters that will allow control of the voltage from 0-32V ideally. Each electromagnet will have a distance sensor in alignment so that the distance from each magnet can be controlled.
Theory of Operation: A ferromagnetic object can be attracted by a magnet. By using electrically controlled magnets connected to a series of sensors, it should be possible to control the position and motion of the object.
Physical Characteristics: The device will be a square box with open sides and top. Magnets and sensors will be mounted on the top and vertices of the box. The mass of the object to be lifted will be determined by experimentation.
Limitations: Power limitations could restrict the mass of the object being levitated. Only a ferromagnetic object will be levitated at this point. Due to sensor and controller limitation, it may be necessary for the object to be symmetrical.