In my initial conception of this project, I planned to drive the wicket back and forth along a length (3m) gantry system. This structure would be made from 2020 extrusion. The bed would slide back and forth via a motorized wheel that's engaged with the ground.

This was a pretty stupid idea. As you can see in the video, the wheel constantly slips on the ground. If I try applying more normal force, the motor slows down considerably. 

I had a few different solutions to this problem: pneumatic wheel, chain-driven system, amr wicket :))))

But it turns out the best solution was recycling. A previous team at the Fablab has built a massive 3D printer. Unfortunately, the mighty project had been scrapped and disassembled in the corner before I came. Fortunately, that means there are some LOOOONG linear actuators that need a new home. I whipped together a coupler to connect my motor to the linear actuator and it is really fast!

I am now printing out new motor/sensor mounts for this actuator. My push goal was to have all of the engineering work done by the end of next week. That'll give me enough time to also finish some exciting projects. Hopefully, I can still make that happen with this timeline!