| Michael
Coleman, an undergraduate mathematics major, has been awarded a prize
for his poster presentation at the AMS-MAA Annual Meeting held in
Phoenix, January 6-10, 2004. His project, called MODELING iBOT BELT
DYNAMICS, was completed at an REU at Worcester Polytechnic Institute
under Professor Suzanne L. Weekes. The project was motivated by the
DEKA Research and Development Corporation in Manchester, NH where
a mathematical model was necessary for the manufacturing of an electric
wheelchair prototype known as "iBOT."
Other
students on this project came from around the country at
universities including WPI, Cornell University, University of issouri
at Rolla and University of Arkansas. We were awarded one out of
thirty-two $100 prizes for the quality and presentation of the poster
as determined by a number of judges from various U.S. institutions.
Title
and Abstract
--------------------------------
MODELING iBOT BELT DYNAMICS
The
iBOT, a revolutionary personal mobility device developed by DEKA
Research and Development Corporation, contains several belts that
transfer mechanical power through the system. The dynamic characteristics
of the belts are obviously important to the operation of the iBOT.
Our task is to create a mathematical model of some aspects of the
belt dynamics. Partial and ordinary differential equations and Lagrangian
dynamics are employed to understand the elements of this electro-mechanical
system. Ultimately, finite difference numerical methods are applied
to solve the rather complicated system of governing equations developed.
The results from our mathematical model are compared with those
from actual experiments.
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