For my final project I had been hoping to make a remote controlled RC car. I'm beginning to think that I will not be able to do that in a satisfactory way in a single week (lots of finals to study for).
So I decided to make a set of car pedals (from a standard/stickshift car). The idea being that someone could practice driving stick without the stress of being on the road, and without risking damage to the car.
I have seen "gaming" pedals before but nothing that actually recreates the pedals in the same way they are made in a car (long lever arm from the top). The pedals are made this way in a car to help "amplify" the force of your foot, which works against me for my design.
My idea differs from previous work because it will have motors in the pedals to provide variable levels of resistance (based on how far the pedal has been depressed)
I will try to use metal for the pedal arms, acryllic for the mechanism, and wood for the box/platform it all sits on. I hope to get these materials from central machine shop. I will use geared DC motors I have let over from MASLAB, and drive them with a variable current limited H-bridge.
I will use use the router and possibly water jet for fabrication, and hope to have the physical fabrication done by this weekend so I can "relax" and work from my room as I study for finals.
Finaly, I think the project should be evaluated on its "feel" (ie. how closely/accurately did I re-create the sensation of a clutch,brake, gas pedal)