Baseball Shagger

The purpose of our project is to allow players to hit baseballs on a baseball field and not have to worry about picking them up. By combining our knowledge of software and hardware, we developed the first design of a robot that “shags” baseballs. Our endeavor was only partially successful. The device was tested on grass, turf, and concrete. The motors did not have enough torque to get moving on grass. The device faired better on turf where it could move, but was quite jerky as the motor drive needed to be high to start moving, but once it was moving, full motor drive was often too much. On concrete, the device could move smoothly but this surface was not indicative of the conditions specified by our use case. Our software uses an onboard camera to take pictures of the field and relay the position of the baseballs to our Raspberry Pi (which acts as the brains of the device). We turn the balls location in the photo into an angle and a direction, and power our motors accordingly. After arriving at the ball, we attempt to pick up the baseball using a custom built arm. While the arm and motors worked independently, there were issues whenever they were both running at the same time

MICROWAVE SPECTRA, MOLECULAR GEOMETRIES AND BARRIERS TO INTERNAL ROTATION IN COMPLEXES OF Ar…C5H7N2 AND H2O…C5H7N2 (WHERE C5H7N2 IS 1-, 2-, 4- OR 5-METHYLIMIDAZOLE)

Experiments performed to observe the broadband microwave spectra of 1-methylimidazole, 2-methylimidazole, 4-methylimidazole and 5-methylimidazole also yielded the spectra of molecular complexes containing these molecules. The complexes were generated through laser vaporisation of a solid target rod in the presence of a gas sample undergoing supersonic expansion and containing Ar and H$_2$O precursors. Spectra have thus been recorded for a series of structural isomers of Ar$\cdots$C$_{5}$H$_{7}$N$_{2}$ and H$_{2}$O$\cdots$C$_{5}$H$_{7}$N$_{2}$ where C$_{5}$H$_{7}$N$_{2}$ is an isomer of methylimidazole. Rotational constants, {\it{B}}$_{0}$, centrifugal distortion constants, {\it{D}}$_{\it{J}}$, and nuclear quadrupole coupling constants, $\chi_{aa}$(N) and $\chi_{bb}$(N)-$\chi_{cc}$(N) have been determined through assignment of the observed rotational spectra. For each of the structural isomers identified, it will be shown that the argon atom of Ar$\cdots$C$_{5}$H$_{7}$N$_{2}$ coordinates to $\pi$ electrons of the aromatic ring of methylimidazole. The water molecule in H$_{2}$O$\cdots$C$_{5}$H$_{7}$N$_{2}$ binds to the pyridinic nitrogen atom of the methylimidazole sub-unit. For each complex, the barrier to internal rotation, ${\it{V}}_3$, of the methyl group has been determined

The pure rotational spectra of FCPtF and FptI

Transitions measured by a chirped pulse Fourier transform microwave spectrometer in the frequency range 6.5-18.5 GHz have been fitted and tentatively assigned to the linear molecules FCPtF and FPtI, each in a $^1\Sigma$ electronic state. Laser ablation was used to introduce Pt into the gas phase from a metal rod with natural isotopic abundance. \chem{CF_3I} was used as a source of C, F and I atoms. The products of reactions between the chemical precursors were cooled to a rotational temperature approaching 2K through supersonic expansion of the gaseous sample. Different isotopologues of Pt were observed. The spectra of other palladium and platinum containing complexes obtained in a similar way will be presented

Highly unsaturated platinum and palladium carbenes ptC3 and pdC3 isolated and characterized in the gas phase

Carbenes of platinum and palladium, \chem{PtC_3} and \chem{PdC_3}, were generated in the gas phase through laser vaporization of a metal target in the presence of a low concentration of a hydrocarbon precursor undergoing supersonic expansion. Rotational spectroscopy and \textit{ab initio} calculations confirm that both molecules are linear. The geometry of \chem{PtC_3} was accurately determined by fitting to the experimental moments of inertia of twenty-six isotopologues