With the official FIRST robotics build season only a few weeks away, Edina Robotics Team 1816 – The Green Machine members are working at a frantic pace to get ready. Not only are pre-build preparations for the mechanics of the robot necessary, but corporate funding needs to be secured, giveaways and t-shirts need to be designed, and members are being asked to help mentor rookie teams throughout the state.
To prepare for the upcoming fast-paced, six-week build season, build team members are experimenting with new tactics, plans, and most of all, new hand and power tools. For the last consecutive four Saturday afternoons, veteran members, novice members, and mentors have worked together to innovate and devise. Since there are too many aspects of the engineering project to tackle at once, team members are divided into specific groups, or subteams, each with specific tasks that require their interest and skills.
The Computer-Aided Design (CAD) subteam, which uses sophisticated software to help design the robot, is an example of one of these groups. Headed by junior David C., who also serves as co-captain of the team, members of the CAD subteam use Autodesk’s Inventor software to design a complete robot visually before it is built. This process helps make certain that every part utilized for the robot will fit together. Using Inventor, “you can even specify parts and e-mail them to a machine shop,” said David C., “and the design helps to coordinate everyone’s (tasks) during the build season.”
CAD members have been working with faculty at Dunwoody Institute to learn the program and to refine drafting skills that will be tapped during the build season. At the same time, the CAD subteam has been researching appropriate computer equipment upon which to install the software. Inventor requires more computing power than most home PCs. As such, the team will build up to three CAD stations specifically for this purpose.
Another essential group is the Programming Team. The captain is Matthew K, a senior and seasoned second-year team member. In response to the tantalizing hint dropped at the national competition last year, the programming team has been experimenting with cameras and a vision system that can “locate and see” game targets. Using a CMU cam, this subteam has been successful tracking both light position and color. These techniques will hopefully prove useful when the mysterious upcoming game is revealed at the kick-off event January 6, 2007.
At the same time, programming subteam members also are working on developing more sensors to use during competitions. They hope to help create a robot that can execute sophisticated maneuvers during both the autonomous (robot runs by itself) and manually-controlled modes.
“The sensors developed so far report the orientation of the robot, how far it has moved relative to its starting point, and how far the motor has turned,” said Matthew K.
These subteams are only two of the groups that fall under the umbrella of the build team. Other subteams include those devoted to building a manipulator (an extending arm or other mechanism); pneumatics, which uses air pressure to move a manipulator; the chassis (body of the robot itself); and “non-robot” construction, which concentrates on tasks such as constructing a cart that can be used to transport the robot between competition playing field and workshop space.
At the same time, Team 1816 in Fall 2006 was chosen to participate in a pilot program involving incorporation of alternative-energy sources into a competition-ready robot. Using hydrogen-based fuel cells (a fuel cell is an electrochemical device that combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, with water and heat given off), the team is working with a mentor to learn the ropes of using alternative energy resources.
While immersed in pre-season build-side projects, team members also are involved with business operations. These include developing a budget, securing financial support from corporations, and mentoring new FIRST teams.
Several veteran members are helping establish, stabilize, and advise new rookie teams across the state via a supportive outreach program. In particular, the team is working with newly established teams at Minneapolis’ Southwest High School and one in Irondale, Minn.
Every team member also has been assigned a company to contact about becoming a sponsor of The Green Machine. Learning how to present information and work with corporate sponsors is a key aspect of the FIRST program, and team members are trying hard to learn how this works.
Two of the newest members of the team were assigned the task of drawing up a budget for the team. They have worked to put keep the team on track with its budget, and are now keeping track of money, approving purchases, and reimbursing members that buy supplies with their own money.
The team’s website, launched over the summer, undergoes constant updating and scrutiny by a small subteam well-versed in various computer programming languages and computer-generated graphics. The site also has a forum, open to visitors, and a calendar of upcoming events.
With the great amount of pre-season work being done, team captain Chris M. has high hopes for this year. “We know what we’re doing this year,” exulted Chris M., a senior. “We have a workshop, real equipment, enthusiastic people, high attendance rates, and everyone has something to do. Last year we had no expectations, but this year we are staying very focused.”
Not only will the team compete at the Wisconsin Regional tournament, Milwaukee, Wisc., during the first week of March, but Team 1816 also secured a spot at the National Competition in Atlanta due to their participation in the Fuel Cell competition. The team hopes that all their hard work during the preseason will give fruit to a successful build season and competition performance.