M.O.E. and the Miracle Workerz John Larock December 4, 2000 Engineering Inventors

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Collaborative Problem Solving
Bill Hommes
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What am I going to tell you about?

• Creative Process we have used for the past
• 6 years to develop the concept for our robot
• Final concept is selected in 3 days
• Full participation by Students in Concept
  development and selection everyone has equal
  input
• Have always stuck with concept selected with full
  team support no second guessing

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To Thrive in the Age of Instability Requires a
Distinctive Corporate Culture.
a culture that breeds an endless search for
ideas that stand or fall on their merits, rather
than the rank of their originator, a culture
that brings every mind into the game.
(Jack Welch)
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Collaborative Problem Solving
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Key Factors in Consensus Decision Making
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Whats your Teams Common Goal?

• Functional Robot
• Competitive Regionally
• Regional Champion
• Competitive nationally
• National Champion

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Day 1 Goal - Develop Understanding of Game

• Common Understanding of game
• Potential Robot Capabilities
• Game Strategies

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Day 1 Common Understanding

• Watch Kick-off event
• Goal is to insure everyone has understanding
• of the game
• Game description
• Field Layout
• Scoring
• Chart key points
• Make Sketch of field layout

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Day 1 Potential Robot Capabilities

• Brainstorm WHAT functional capabilities you
  might want your robot to have

• Goal is to continue to improve understanding of
  game and implications on robot
• List all suggestions but do NOT discuss HOW to
  do these things!!!!

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Day 1 Potential Strategies

• Brainstorm what strategies are possible
• Block others from capping
• Maximize Tetras score as many tetras as
  possible
• Maximize rows - focus on completing rows rather
  than s
• Maximize value of autonomous
• Add tetras to game
• Prevent opponents from getting tetras
• Select up to four strategies to develop further
  CONCEPT STRENGTHENING

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Goal of Concept Strengthening

• Develop and strengthen the strategies by
  identifying and overcoming key limitations
• Avoid the common idea-slaughtering that occurs
  when groups confront novel or unusual options

Involve Everyone !!!

• Break into 4 groups one for each strategy
• Select leader for group (1 student/1 mentor)
• Spend 20 minutes working on your strategy
• Rotate to next group
• Leaders stay behind to explain to new group
• Spend 10 minutes improving
• Rotate to next group

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Concept Strengthening

• Advantages List the top 2-3 advantages of
  strategy
• Limitations why might this strategy not work,
  where might it fall short
• Unique Qualities what are the unique elements
  we need to preserve
• What does this strategy have that few or none of
  the others have
• Why is this strategy different
• Develop detailed game strategies to overcome key
  limitations describe 2 minute matches

2 min.
2 min.
3 min.
13 min.
20 minutes
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Day 1 - Wrap-up

• Each group reports back
• Do they recommend continuing to pursue strategy
• If yes, what is best means of implementing.
  Described a
• a 2 minute match
• Homework - Think of how you would build a robot
  to implement what
• you think is the best strategy

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Day 2 - Creativity
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Problem Statement
In what ways might we build a robot to play
triple play?
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The best way to get a good idea is to get lots
of ideas.
(Linus Pauling)
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Creativity Lateral Thinking - DeBono
Channeled into following patterns
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Creativity Lateral Thinking
Breaking Patterns
Better solutions will be obvious AFTER you find
them.
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Guidelines for Creativity Session
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Concept Sheet
Sequentially number concepts as presented

• Record Idea on Concept
• Sheet
• One idea per Sheet

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Agenda for Day 2 Idea Generation
Idea Generation 15 min Brain Dump
10 min Idea Generation Part II -
Lateral Thinking Organization 10
min Develop Categories Sharing 90
min Share Ideas
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Forced Relationships

• Randomly grab a concept from a neighbor
• and combine it with the last concept you created
  and come up with at least one new idea that
  combines the two.

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Forced Visual Relationships

• Write down 3-5 attributes of one of the robots I
  am going to show
• Pick one set of attributes
• Then think of how to build a robot for triple
  play
• using that attribute
• Sketch it on an Concept Sheet

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Collect pictures to stimulate your teams
creativity
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Worst Idea
Everyone, Pick your worst idea. UNLOCK
YOUR THINKING Now, Lets try to make it
work
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Categories

• After sharing we will need to group ideas by
• category
• Goal is about 5-10 ideas per category
• Look over your ideas and think of some
  categories
• What categories did you identify need ? 20

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Categories for Grouping Ideas
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Share Concepts
Category
Sequentially number concepts

• Share using
• Transparency
• Document Camera
• Post on Wall under Category Heading

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Post Concepts by Category
5 Stabilizers
11 Auto Loading/Placers
19 Integration Concepts
88 Total Concepts Generated
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Day 3 Concept Selection

• Select final concept that
• Meets team goals
• Team supports
• Will not second guess in week 2

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Selection Criteria

• Ability to play game
• of Points
• flexibility in strategy
• Feasibility
• Can we finish in 6 weeks
• Robot Robustness

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Preliminary Selection

• Identify the top 4 ideas keep criteria in mind
• Review Ideas and make note of best ideas
• Trust your first impressions - decide quickly
• Once everyone has decided we will poll the group

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Preliminary Selection
Preliminary Selection - total votes by concept

• Place dot on selected concepts
• Or if available Wireless Polling technology
• Everyone decides before they vote
• Avoids Herd Mentality

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Cluster Ideas Remaining after Preliminary
Selection
All Concepts Receiving Votes Grouped into
Clusters
Cluster 1 Helper Bot feed tetras to
partner Cluster 2 Load Station/GoalPlacement Clu
ster 3 Telescoping/Rotating Arm Cluster 4
Fork lift Cluster 5 - Articulating Arm Cluster
6 Gripper concepts Cluster 7 Defensive Bot
block other robots
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Final Ranking of Clusters
Telescoping/ Rotating Arm
Articulating Arm
Fork Lift
Helper bot
Defensive bot

• Rank Clusters
• Ability to play game
• Feasibility of completing in six weeks
• Everyone votes (1-10)
• Tally votes
• Discuss Select final Concept

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Final Results

• Team Selected Fork Lift Concept
• Recognized value of rotating fork lift to more
  easily place tetras
• agreed could incorporate if identify simple
  means to
• implement
• Agreed defensive Helper bots did not meet Team
  Goals

Rotating Arm with Fork Lift
Fork Lift
Tetra Storage
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Six Weeks Later
Meet Moebius
Fork Lift
Telescoping Arm
Defensive bots
Tetra Storage
Rotating Arm