Re: Near-death experiences or injuries during build season?
 

Two things that I try to instill in my students:

With these, most of our accidents are of the form "Wow, I sure am glad that I used (safety measure) while I was testing or else (consequence) could have happened."

Re: Near-death experiences or injuries during build season?
 

While setting up a simple test rig for a gyroscope, my mentor set the rig down on the robot and turned away. Unbenounced to him, he set it right on top of exposed battery terminals which the mechanics neglected to cover. The gyroscope proceeded to catch fire and a nasty plume of smoke came from the robot. We had to ventilate the room. From then on, we checked that the battery terminals were covered.

Lesson learned; cover all exposed terminals. And make sure not to use frayed PWM cables.

Re: Near-death experiences or injuries during build season?
 

Well this happen over the summer break not thinking about it. I cut toward my self using a knife. Then it slipped and almost cut my rist. I then had to go to the emergency room and get three sticths. But it was a lessen to all the incoming freshmen. Also this happen to me today, I was driving our 2010 not and it decides to go crazy while there are innocent students walk by. My insticts from last year kicked in the I stop the robot and turn it off. Luckly no one got hurt so I am glad. During the summer time our new electrical manager got shocked while wirring a battery 12 volts right in his face and by the computers to luckly not got burn and nobody got injured.:eek:

Re: Near-death experiences or injuries during build season?
 

Last year we had a four-foot-long pivoting arm to hold tubes and an about-face button on our controls. The about-face depended on the gyro, which wasn't plugged in properly. To make a long story short, the robot spun around at high speed flinging the arm out in an 8' diameter circle. That day we learned to slow the about-face down, secure the arm from lifting as well as from falling, and never test driving code in a tiny room.

Re: Near-death experiences or injuries during build season?
 

I was testing our electronics board layout in a cramped mechanical space. I had the battery with the quick-slot plug-in not on the Power board (yet). So the wires touched the metal and created a giant spark and left a physical mark on the robot. Also, a teammate was holding onto the bot with Kevlar gloves and was completely unaffected. That was very scary and I am more wary about this. Now my wires are secured and electrical taped. Careful with batteries and metal!::ouch::

No one was hurt in the making of this robot and we want to keep it this way!

Re: Near-death experiences or injuries during build season?
 

We have a our basketball hoops sitting right in front of a set of double doors in our shop.

I came in after work. Ducked to go under one of the middle backboards. I walked through forgot the rim was there and my forehead got cut on one of the net hooks. The students smiled and said your like the third person to do that and then said I was bleeding. I thought why not put caution tape or something across there.

2 days later.....

Our head mentor ducked to go under, walked through and stood up right into the rim. The top of his head was gauged by one of the hoop hooks. He bleed for about 5 minutes.

I suggested we put caution tape across there.....it sits waiting for the next victim. :(

Re: Near-death experiences or injuries during build season?
 

Why not go tape it yourself? By not doing anything about it, you're just as bad as the people you're telling to tape it.

Re: Near-death experiences or injuries during build season?
 

I think that's the wrong question to ask.

The REAL question is, why is the backboard set right in front of the double doors such that people have to go under it? If I left a hazard like that in that sort of location, I could reasonably expect to have to move it or take it down immediately.

Only use caution tape if the whole setup cannot be moved. Then use lots of caution tape, to get the point across that you really don't want to be going through there if you don't absolutely have to.

Re: Near-death experiences or injuries during build season?
 

I think they're both good questions. Yours goes to error-proofing, and hers goes to human factors (initiative, assumption of responsibility, etc.).

Re: Near-death experiences or injuries during build season?
 

Not sure if thats something to be proud of haha

That, and only use the belt sander if absolutely necessarily. I've only used it maybe twice since.

Re: Near-death experiences
 

electrical Shock is not the BIG danger:

Spewing melted metal onto skin or worse the eyes is the primary danger!

18AH batteries with internal resistance of .01 ohm are potentially capable of
Ipk= 12v/.01ohm = 1200 Apk
figure in .005ohm AL short then I=12v/.015 = 800A

more than capable of instantly melting and forcefully ejecting molten metal beads 6061 AL melts at ~580-660°C

It sticks to skin.. won't shake off..

BE SAFE! Sane & available to compete with both eyes and no hurtful scarred skin from a bad burn

Safety First..
Never use battery outside of your robot without a series circuit breaker! Never!
start at lowest needed Ampere rating, for testing the lever type is most useful

Re: Near-death experiences or injuries during build season?
 

There was one time during build on a rainy day when I slipped on a diamond plate panel while running between the machine shop and the classroom the team works in. Fortunately I didn't really get hurt despite landing hard on my back.
Unfortunately, the teacher-mentor of our team suffered a similar fate some time after that, and he wasn't as lucky. Can't remember exactly what the injury was, but it was foot/ankle related. Certainly made us realize how important he was to the team.
After that incident, the school added some sort of coating to the panel that made it less slippery.

Re: Near-death experiences or injuries during build season?
 

I still have a few days left to be hit by a flying bandsaw blade this season. I'm a senior; It happened every other year, so we know it's bound to happen.

Re: Near-death experiences or injuries during build season?
 

once, we put a cow on the roof
we had to build a crane to get it down

Re: Near-death experiences or injuries during build season?
 

Last night the deburring tool i was using on a part broke and tried to take two of my fingers with it.

Things I learned:
Don't show students blood. They pass out or puke.
Urgent Care is REALLY fast.
They really can superglue you back together! NEAT!
Tetanus boosters SUCK.