Tsunami started with a very different philosophy than many recent robots built by Robojackets. I returned as bot lead, but this year I was on a very different mission than I had been in the past (see Binari below). Our goal was to not only execute an idea, but to execute it with a focus on the details that are often our downfall competitively. These include ease of repair, isolation of subsystems, the ability to make spares, compactness, and parts availability. The design itself was a return to a more simple "beater bar" spinner. This reduction in complexity allowed us to focus more on each element in comparison to robots like Binari. We have also incorporated more advanced engineering techniques, using FEA to optimize our chassis and weapon designs. We have used new materials in the design such as titanium and UHMW Polyethylene, as well as reached out to the combat robotics community for advice throughout the process. As bot lead, I helped manage this process every step of the way, including creating sub-teams, design schedules, design reviews presentations, a comprehensive bill of materials and organizing weekly meetings. After an aggressive manufacturing cycle which included new techniques such as Wire EDM and a greater focus on CNC milling, we were able to do some crucial testing before competition. Our first competitive appearance at National Havoc Robotics League (the premier competition for battlebots under 250lbs) was a mixed bag. Despite winning a contested match, our run ended in disappointment as our drive motors experienced unexpected issues after taking hits that we were not able to replicate in our testing. We decided to change our electronics as well as make several other small improvements before entering into another tournament at NHRL. Our robot performed well, winning our first match, however before a crucial second match we had another crippling electronics issue. Although frustrating, Tsunami lived up to many of the goals we set out to achieve in the beginning, and was able to provide plenty of learning for the entire team. Its successor, Tsunamii, will incorporate lessons learned and hopefully will achieve even more competitive success. 

The idea for Binari originated in my freshman year, when I had been interested in making a dual weapon spinner in the 3lb class. Although that didn't make much sense at that size, I was able to convince my fellow Robojackets that it was worth a shot at the 30lb weight class. I also interviewed for and was appointed Bot Lead for the new concept, which went on to be named Binari. Being bot lead was a big step up in responsibility, which included running meetings, assigning subteams, creating BOMs, and multi-phase schedules. During the design phase, we decided that in order to accommodate two weapons while still being effective we needed more than 30lbs of weight. In battlebots, robots that use drive mechanisms other than wheels get a weight bonus, so we implemented a "shuffling" drivetrain into our design. Binari as a robot was very complex, and I am very proud to say that we managed to make every element work successfully. However, mostly because of this complexity, some details were missed that ultimately lead to it not being competitively successful. As a team, we focused on retaining and documenting the many lessons we learned from Binari, which were applied in Tsunami. 

During 2020, I worked with a team of returning members to redesign a 30lb battlebot, nicknamed Maorii, with a signature weapon known as a beater bar. Of course, the main challenge with any project during 2020 was to deal with COVID-19. During the design process for this robot,  I was able not only gain additional CAD skills using AutoDesk Inventor, but also learn how to collaborate with team members remotely on a technical project. In addition to completely virtual weekly team meetings, our manufacturing time was greatly reduced. In order to make the most of that time we used the productivity tracking platform ClickUp, which was  very valuable. Despite the challenges, Maorii progressed into the initial manufacturing stage and helped me improve my machining skills on the mill, lathe, and waterjet.  

During my first year with GT's robotics team, I was part of something called the 3lb Program. This program allows first year members to work with small groups of other first year members along with a more experienced mentor to design and manufacture a unique 3lb Battlebot. Our group chose to build a horizontal bar spinner design, nicknamed Hibachi, both for its relative simplicity and effectiveness. Despite its small size, the creation of this robot taught me very much about not only battlebot design, but engineering design in general. Every part of the robot had to withstand immense forces, but at the same time the robot had to adhere to an unforgiving weight penalty. During the creation of this robot, I began to develop my CAD skills using Autodesk Inventor, as well as got my first experience using large machine tools such as the mill, lathe, and waterjet. As a team, we had to deal with a multitude of problems during manufacturing, which required working long hours to get the robot finished and within weight parameters before the competition. In the end though, I am very proud to say that our robot made it to the highest level competitive round of any GT 3lb Combat Robot at Motorama 2020. Be sure to check out the clip below, it's worth the watch!