2019 Robot: Neil

This year, we decided that we wanted to steer away from the concept of being a "jack-of-all-trades" bot, but instead focus on one thing: the cargo ship. We designed two intake systems: one for the cargo balls using a series of wheels similar to our power cube intake from 2018, and a pneumatic system using hook-and-loop tape to pick up hatch panels and small pistons to push them off. We were able to use these systems efficiently and with relatively high success rates. We used firm rubber wheels for our cargo intake, as the ball itself has plenty of give, and we wanted to make sure we could accommodate under-inflated cargo. Our hatch panel system could also launch a panel forward, which we used in competition to get around an obstruction in front of the cargo ship.

For our drive train, we used a mecanum system. This was because we recognized that agility and maneuverability was of the essence in our position as what was a robot playing more of a supporting role. The ability to slide laterally and diagonally helped us to avoid obstacles and was easier on new drivers to learn. (This was also aided by a change in our controller system from a pair of joysticks to a handheld controller.) In addition, we designed a level 2 climber, in which a larger piston in the rear of the robot with a set of wheels pushed the robot up along with two supporting pistons in the front, then drove forward onto the platform.

2020 Robot:

In order to satisfy the many tasks demanded of FIRST teams in 2020, we sought to design a robot which could be appealing to any alliance member. We did this by constructing a robot which could consistently shoot the Power Cells into the upper goal, pick up multiple Cells at once from the ground, spin the Control Panel using a color sensor mounted off the back of the robot, and climbed the tipping Shield Generator in the endgame.

We revisited a traditional four-wheel tank drivetrain for our chassis this year, opting for stability in a game which relied heavily on defense in order to stop the opposing team from scoring. As an alliance member, we were a primarily offensive-playing robot, scoring points and coordinating with our team to balance the Shield Generator as the clock wound down. We deployed two hooks with a winch mounted at the chassis to, then reversed the winch motor to hoist the robot over a foot into the air. While the rubber wheels we used limited our agility in terms of maneuvering, our drive team put in hours of drive practice using XBox controllers to ensure they would pilot to the best of their abilities.