Guidelines for automaton report

Format: 3-5 pages. Submit hardcopy in class on the day of the demo, AND send a copy by email to eisenbea@cs.colorado.edu. The email version should be ascii ONLY -- no attachments, .zip files, etc. If you have diagrams, please send them in a separate message as .jpg files.

Abstract Include a one-paragraph summary of what your automaton is, what it does, and how it incorporates computation.
Design
  • Identify the mechanisms (both physical and computational) used by your automaton.
  • Describe the materials and construction techniques used to build your automaton. Include a description of any prototypes built.
  • Elaborate a little about your design process -- How did you arrive at your idea? How did you implement and revise your design? What obstacles did you run into and how did you overcome them?
Evaluation/Education
  • What, if anything, might someone learn from your automaton?
  • How easy is it for someone to pick up your automaton and figure out how it works?
  • Can you compare your automaton to any similar objects (maybe objects with a similar mechanism; or designed to illustrate the same principles...)?
  • Is your automaton intended to evoke any sort of affective response? If so, how well do you think it succeeded?