First, we learned about the different types of bridges. These bridges include arch, cable stayed, suspension, and truss bridges. We learned that truss bridges are the strongest due to the triangular shape. We did a few activities comparing square structures and triangular structures, and indeed triangular structures were stronger.

Our task for the Bridge and ROV project was to build a remote control car from a VEX Robotics kit that was capable of carrying 3 standard red bricks. We also had to create a 4 ft balsa wood bridge that would support this car as it travels across. The car had to autonomously turn itself around or be controlled by a remote. We had many requirements, such as the dimensions and materials limit.

Next, we experimented with the West Point Bridge Designer 2016 Software to create our bridge. When using the software, we had to stay within certain requirements, such as placing the deck 12 meters above water, using standard abutments, medium strength concrete, etc.

After, we began to construct our bridge. We had to cut the balsa wood precisely and glue it into place, while making sure the bridge was sturdy enough to support the car carrying 3 bricks. At the same time, half of our team began creating the robotic car and programming it to be autonomous and remote controlled.

 Then, we created a scale drawing of our bridge design. Another group created a model of our bridge to check the accuracy of our scale drawing. The scale model looks different because we had a different initial design. Nonetheless, our scale drawing translated well into a scale model.