Diya Gupta Portfolio - Main Season 2026

Overview

During the main season I worked on code, electrical, assembly, and prototyping for our 2026 robot, with the goal of understanding how all these disciplines come together to create a reliable competition robot. Throughout the build process, I aimed to deepen my programming skills while also learning hands-on skills like wiring, crimping, and mechanical assembly so I could contribute across the entire robot instead of just one area.

For the robot's main mechanisms, I focused on how the intake, superstructure, and drivers controls would work together as a coherent system, even before building and wiring everything. On the code side, this meant planning how superstructure file would connect all the subsystem commands so that the robot behaved predicatbly when drivers used the controls. Mechanically, I contributed to concepts around how the enrgy chain and wiring would be routed around neighboring mechanisms like the encorder and drive base to keep everything protected and to prevent them from grinding and breaking.

A big part of my work was testing systems and then iterating on the code and the hardware when things did not work as expected. For example, we had to remake the energy chain almost 12 times because the encasing kept breaking; we eventually scrapped the encasing and switched to wire sheathing, then adjusted again when the sheathing slid around on the wires. I also tested and refined the button board and its wiring. By going back and forth between the driver and operator to determine how they want to control the robot, we built the OI board accrodingly. One the mechanical side, I fixed the intake multiple times, swapping out pulleys and adjusting the assembly when issues showed up during testing, I helped iterate on the spindexcer and other mechanisms while putting them on the robot. I worked on wiring the drive base, and changing the configuration when we needed to add or remove certain components.

I worked on half-pit crew and also as interim drive coach this season, by shadowing Zoe, our drive coach. I shadowed strategy meetings and worked on understanding the different routes and approaches to a match. On half-pit crew, I was thrilled to work on any task that came up, whether it be fixing bumpers, cooling motors, swapping intake pulleys, rewiring wires that came undone, learning auto-paths, or making quick code changing.

Code

For code, I worked on programming the intake, superstucture, and binding the OI, to ensure the robot's major systems worked together smoothly. I focused on writing and refining code for subsytem control and to improve reliability. I also worked on binding the OI, as aforementioned which helped connect the driver and operator controls to the robot's actions in a clear and effective way;. Through this work, I strengthened my programming skills while gaining a better understanding of how software interacts with the rest of the robot. The superstructure is the file that connects all the subsystems' commands. I enjoyed working on this as well because it helped to expand my understanding of how these systems interact with each other physically.

Electrical/Assembly

This season, I learned a lot of electrical and assembly. By binding the button board, fixing the energy chain and reiterating on it just under 12 times, wiring the drive base, crimping lots of wries, and soldering, I have really enjoyed doing electrical work. We had to remake the energy chain several times because the encasing kept breaking. We ended up just scrapping the encasing and keeping the wires in sheathing. Even still, this didn't work flawlessly because the sheathing would slide around on the wires. I also wired the button board for the operator. This was very full-circle because I was able to combine all my favorite disciplines: code, electrical, and assembly. This involved soldering, crimping, and binding to code, as well as testing pi's. I also worked on the encoder, and had to work to wire it around the energy chain and other neighboring mechanisms. Furthermore, I wired the drive base and learned about the basics of electrical like can loops etc. Assembly wise, I fixed the intake a couple times, swapping the pulleys out for new ones. I also worked on the spindexer and on putting mechanisms onto the robot.