This week we ran tests to measure the energy expenditure of a robotic arm. We gathered static test data on the shoulder at various angles from 0 to 90 degrees. The program measured the angle degree, current, voltage, and time. We varied the proportional-integral-derivative control system in order to stabilize the arm movement. After completing the static tests, we performed various dynamic tests using five trajectories. We ran tests at different speeds while adjusting the degree of just the shoulder, just the elbow, both the elbow and shoulder at the same time, and elbow and shoulder at different times. Again, we measured the angle degree, current, voltage, and time. The image below displays the part of the code from LabView that generates the graphs and data logging in excel, which we will analyze next week. On Wednesday, Ken Gracey from Parallax presented 00001010 Microcontroller Projects in 00010100 Minutes (10 Microcontroller Projects in 20 Minutes). He demonstrated different ways to incorporate microcontrollers in the classroom. Ken Gracey also informed us about several new Parallax related innovations.