Being the first in person kickoff since 2020, Green Machine team members – veteran and new– came excited to share their ideas for the newest competition, Rapid React. While we all watched the game reveal “at home,” there was homework to be done before our afternoon gatherings. We started out by discussing our ideas and important details in randomized groups facilitated by mentors. Discussion turned to drafting as we sketched designs for the future robot and, to get an understanding of others’ thoughts, we did a gallery walk. This also helped us to make improvements to our own concepts, as we may have liked something someone else did. Shortly after, we combined ideas with our groups to create a final robot sketch which was presented by 1-2 group members. For Day 2 (Sunday) we started off strong by using a MiRO board to have a “this or that” discussion. Virtual sticky notes moved all over the board! This helped us to narrow down our design ideas and come to formulate a more concrete plan of action. Finally we had to decide as a team whether to focus on perfecting cargo collection (9.5 inch balls covered in fuzzy material, like tennis balls); climbing a jungle gym apparatus in the final moments of the match, or to find a common ground between them. To do this we classified our priorities based on capability, execution, and scoring. When we left our brainstorm on Sunday, we agreed it was best to build a robot for precise cargo pick up/shooting and attempt to add a climbing mechanism later on. Onward to prototyping and testing our ideas.
– By Nora B.