Corrective actions to be taken in case of failure of parts:

We have scanned through several online papers that have been published and are related to our project. The papers helped us to find alternatives to our original ideas about the project. There have been several projects that have worked in line with some of the aspects in our project. For instance we will be using an inclinometer for measuring the inclination of the platform that will be carrying the load with respect to the horizontal. It is an instrument for measuring angles of slope or tilt, elevation or depression of an object with respect to gravity. An inclinometer can measure both inclines (ascending the staircase) as well as declines (descending the staircase). However it has a limitation. It has a accuracy which ranges from 0.01 degrees to 2 degrees which depends upon different factors like zero offset, sensitivity, sensor linearity, hysteresis, repeatability, and the temperature drifts. Also research has proved that inclinometers become extremely inaccurate when the angle of measurement becomes 90 degrees. Thus if we fail to implement the use of the inclinometer for measuring the level of the platform with respect to the ground, we have come up with an alternative of using a mercury switch instead. A mercury switch allows or interrupts the flow of electric current in an electrical circuit depending on the switch's physical position or alignment relative to the direction of the "pull" of earths gravity. Mercury switches consist of one or more sets of electrical contacts in a sealed glass envelope which contains a bead of mercury. In our case we are using two sets of electrical contacts; one which will be used while ascending the staircase and the other while descending. Gravity will constantly pull the drop of mercury to the lowest point in the envelope. When the switch is tilted in the appropriate direction (in the direction of ascent or descent), the mercury touches a set of contacts, thus completing the electrical circuit through those contacts. Tilting the switch in the opposite direction causes the mercury to move away from that set of contacts, towards another set of contacts thus completing the other circuit. In this switch contacts are enclosed, so oxidation of the contact points is unlikely. Contacts stay clean, and even if an internal arc is produced, the contact surfaces are renewed on every operation, so the contacts don't wear out. Even a small drop of mercury has a low resistance, so switches can carry useful amounts of current in a small size. However we are using the inclinometer because mercury switches have relatively slow operating speeds due to the inertia of the mercury drop, so they are not used when many operating cycles are required per second. Moreover mercury switches are sensitive to gravity. Glass envelopes and wire electrodes may be fragile and require flexible leads to prevent damaging the envelope. The second major concern in the project is the use of wheels. However we have chosen the diameter of the wheels to be more or less equal to the height of a normal staircase. As a result the vehicle will be able to climb the staircase efficiently. However if at all in the course of our project, the vehicle needs more grip to climb the staircase or it is tending to slip off, we will use

tracks similar to the ones used in military tanks. The tracks will have spikes on it so as to get a good grip of the staircase.

For efficient and better movement of the vehicle along the staircase, we are using a rack and pinion arrangement which is a type of linear actuator that comprises a pair of gears which convert rotational motion into linear motion. Rotational motion applied to the pinion will cause the rack to move to the side, up to the limit of its travel. For example, in a rack railway, the rotation of a pinion mounted on a locomotive or a railcar engages a rack between the rails and pulls a train along a steep slope. However this arrangement provides a lesser mechanical advantage than other mechanisms serving the same purpose with much less backlash and greater feedback. We have found an alternative so as to overcome the disadvantage of using a rack and pinion arrangement. We can use a ball and socket arrangement instead. This arrangement is capable of motion around an indefinite number of axis with a common centre. It enables rotation around 360 degrees.