<![CDATA[Higher Order Innovation - Blog]]>Mon, 22 May 2023 09:32:16 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Projects We've Worked On]]>Wed, 02 Oct 2019 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.higherorderinnovation.com/blog/projects-weve-worked-onEven though Higher Order Innovation no longer considers itself an engineering design services firm, we are proud of the projects that we have worked on over the years.  Here's a look at some of those projects:
  • Athletic assessment systems:  Professional athletic training and assessment is something that most athletes only see at professional combine events. Dashr is an athletic assessment system of sensor modules and a mobile app that brings professional level accuracy to training programs at a price point that is acceptable to even the smallest programs.
  • Robotic medical devices:  Surgical robots are the future of minimally invasive procedures due to their great benefits in augmenting a surgeon’s abilities. Several years of experience were gained through research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln while working under Department of Defense and NASA grants. This research involved the design and creation of entire integrated robotic platforms, including the mechanical, electrical, and software systems.
  • Mechanical design patent:  Large venues are constantly running electrical and network cables across the floor. Every time these cables pass across a walkway, the cables must be covered or otherwise protected to minimize the trip hazard to the attendees. Higher Order Innovation designed a novel new tape dispenser to help automate and ease this taping process. The mechanical design work led to a currently pending patent.
  • ​Wireless asset tracking system: On-job sites large and small, the efficient usage and allotment of assets can drastically impact a company's bottom line. Higher Order Innovation created a turnkey system of Bluetooth asset tags combined with a mobile app that enables tracking of the assets as they move across and among jobsites. Higher Order Innovation developed all aspects of this project; mechanical, electrical, and software.
  • Grocery store technology:  Creating solutions for the brick-and-mortar shops, Higher Order Innovation has worked closely with an industry leader to create conceptual designs and product developments that enabled the company to continue to push the boundaries. Higher Order Innovation also provided engineering consultation to the patent attorneys for these new products, providing feedback that enabled better claims in a shorter amount of time.​
]]><![CDATA[3 Steps to Choosing a Robot Controller]]>Tue, 01 Oct 2019 15:29:16 GMThttps://www.higherorderinnovation.com/blog/3-steps-to-choosing-a-robot-controllerWhen it comes to choosing a control system for your robot, there are many considerations and nearly infinite options available. ​  How do you choose Arduino vs Raspberry Pi vs all the other possibilities?!  We've broken it down into three simple steps.
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1.  Understand what features and functions you want a robotic control system to perform.  Any system that is going to integrate into a robot needs at a minimum to respond to a wireless remote and to be able to drive the motors of the robot.  For the purposes of this discussion, our robot will be assumed to be driven by standard 3-wire driven motors, similar to VEX robotics 3-wire motors or standard servo cabling.  

2.  Decide what types of sensors and remote control you want to use with your robot.  If your team is familiar with the xBox style remote control, maybe you want to integrate that controller.  Maybe using a Wiimote to drive the robot sounds like an interesting challenge and is a goal for the year.  

3.  Research options.  There are many pros and cons to each of the options and it can be very important to do a little research before selecting a controller that will come up short or be unnecessarily complicated. 

There are many different combinations that can be implemented successfully onto a competitive robot.  Below are three options that could be used:

Option #1 - Raspberry Pi running Linux
A Raspberry Pi is a battery operated Single Board Computer (SBC) that most often runs a version of the Linux operating system.  One of the biggest downsides of the RaspBerry Pi can be the boot up time, but in applications where the Computer can be powered up ahead of time, this effect can be minimized.  The system running Linux is not the same as a dedicated microController in that the Linux board has many different processes going on at once, whereas the microController is more focused.
Pros: 
  • Linux programming usually in Python
  • Drivers/Examples for connecting to common remote controllers
  • Wireless reprogramming and debugging
Cons:
  • May want to connect a microController as well to handle reading sensors and driving motors
  • Boot time if power is temporarily lost
  • Linux filesystem can be confusing

Option #2 - Arduino MicroController with USB Host Shield
This combination allows for a dedicated microController that can connect a remote to a bluetooth USB dongle.  This setup is known to work with PS3, PS4, xBox, and Wiimotes.
Pros:
  • Efficient and dedicated control
  • Can use familiar remote controllers
  • The Arduino IDE is free to use
Cons:
  • Wiring control of motors can be messy
 
Option #3 - Apollo MicroController with Bluetooth Remote Controller
The Apollo MicroController is based on the popular ESP-32 MicroController which has built in Bluetooth and Wifi capability.  One configuration of this controller takes advantage of the Bluetooth to connect the Apollo to a mobile phone. The phone acts as a middleman to relay messages from the Bluetooth Remote to the robot.  
Pros: 
  • Dedicated 3-wire motor and sensor ports
  • Access to a touchscreen for debugging and control
  • Allows for custom Android App configurations to fit the needs of a robot
  • Compatible with Bluetooth controller
Cons:
  • Requires a mobile phone to operate a robot (must download Google Play Store or MIT App Inventor Apollo mobile app)


]]><![CDATA[The Story of Higher Order Innovation]]>Tue, 01 Oct 2019 01:36:49 GMThttps://www.higherorderinnovation.com/blog/the-story-of-higher-order-innovationThe Past Picture
Higher Order Innovation began with a doctoral student's dedication to make the art, creativity, and beauty of engineering accessible to a wider audience.  Tom Frederick founded Higher Order Innovation, LLC, in 2013 while working on his graduate studies at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln.  Higher Order Innovation began as an engineering design firm, providing engineering services throughout all phases of the product design and development process primarily in the eastern Nebraska region.  Tom's interests in a wide array of disciplines has allowed him to gain valuable expertise in medical devices, robotics, agriculture, mechanical design, patent drafting, start-up businesses, product development, and academic research. This diversity of experience allows Higher Order Innovation to approach any project from a systems level, considering all aspects from early start-ups prototype development through full scale production.  ​

​One of our first clients was the CREATE Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to aiding educational organizations, students, teachers and mentors in advancing the education of our youth in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).  Higher Order Innovation developed open source robotics tournament products for CREATE,  allowing more schools and more students to participate in competitive robotics programs.

The Present
No project has been able to excite us as much as educational robotics. 
In 2018, Higher Order Innovation decided to expand it's offerings into other educational robotics products, beyond the tournament hardware we had developed for the CREATE Foundation and in 2019 we have decided to focus solely on STEM education.  Here are the products that we currently have available for purchase:
  • ​Apollo Microcontroller, including App Upgrade and Joystick Controller Package
  • Atlas Robotics Kit, including Open Program Structural Package
  • CREATE Open Tournament Hardware, including Hermes Reoff Switch and Athena Control System
  • CREATE Drones Program Hardware, including drones and accessories​

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The Future

We want to bring the excitement and passion that we see at robotics tournaments into the classrooms for all students.  We want to connect with teachers as well as students.  We want engineering and robotics education to be the norm in schools.  Higher Order Innovation's mission statement is Innovation through Education.  We believe that everyone has the potential for true innovation within themselves, they only need to be given the opportunities to show the world what they are capable of becoming. 

Will you help us?
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