Summer and Robotics?
 

So summer is just around the corner. Our team (Team Fusion 364) holds a summer robotics camp, we teach young kids about Robotics and other similar things. I look forward to this camp, because it gives me a chance to share what I know with young kids that share the same intrest. Out of this camp we have had a few kids join the team when they reach High School. We look at it as a great opportunity to get more involed, and have fun with each other during the summer. So I ask you does your team do anything during the summer, if so what?

Re: Summer and Robotics?
 

we are doing Girls Camp this year and FLL Camp.

Girls Camp teaches girls on our team how to use the machines. we'll be making a gear this year. last year it was a nut and bolt. this is the 2nd one.

FLL camp is new for our team. teaching the kids how to use the mindstorm kit and have a game goal for them to achieve by the end of the week.

Re: Summer and Robotics?
 

Fundraising, fundraising, fundraising!!! Dear me, so much fundraising. We are bound and determined to have money this year!

Re: Summer and Robotics?
 

Hopefully lots of fundraising and site matinance(this time with someone besides just Ellery doing all the work).

Re: Summer and Robotics?
 

We run a completely student organized and ran Lego Camp. Similar to FLL, but with smaller designs by "steps." The small challenges lead up to big ones, allowing kids to design simple machines, and then combine different ideas from different challenges for more difficult challenges.

We will be working with rookie teams around the clock, trying to get these prospective teams excited and geared up for robotics.

We will give presentations to wherever it is needed, from summer programs for preschoolers to engineers.

And we shall compete wherever we can!

Re: Summer and Robotics?
 

Our team has the FLL come to the high school and do stuff in the same rooms we built the FRC robots. We host a FLL invitational in August at our town fair and I think they have like 24 or 25 teams usually show up.

We'll also be attending some off season events and doing work to raise money for abused children.

This summer I'm guessing we're going to do some new chasis ideas and fool around with different ideas. This year's chasis and gearbox was pretty good, but I'm guessing they're going to practice other deisgns, that way in January they could decide on a good base chasis and get right to work like we did this year with the KOP one (this is the first time the 1071 advisors could remember between their years on GUS and MAX that they had a chasis, gearbox, and electronics on a working robot 3 days after kick off).

Reasons why 1-4yr teams should do R&D during the summer (or doing drastic R&D in the off season events like team MAX) and the performance difference it made to my team:

2003 - we tipped every other match. (note - 2004 and 2005 we needed A LOT of help to tip)

2004 - we couldn't lock the arm to stay on the bar (note - 2005 how we came up with the ratchet design and our arm locks into place... not mention the reason why we became 2005 UTC regional champions).. We also have better ideas and theories we didn't test about how to climb step easier than what we did in 2004.

2005 - slow for the third year in a row and our "gripping" system of the arm had flaws (guess what team in 2006 won't be slow and will have hopefully a flawless gripping system on the arm?)

Re: Summer and Robotics?
 

My team was thinking about starting our own summer competition, but our lead mentor found one already running during the summer. So I made a few phone calls and now instead of 3 people mentoring a group of 25 kids, our team has added 8 more people myself included that will volunteer and help out at this event. The camp is for kids entering 7th through 9th grade and they will be building Lego mind storms. And the best part about it the 9th graders if they are interested enough they can join our team. We intend on doing a demo with our 2005 robot to show that if they have the interest we have a place for them to pursue it. And I hope we can help out in the years to come.

Re: Summer and Robotics?
 

What do you mean by "making a gear" :confused:

and "last it was a nut and bolt" :confused:

Re: Summer and Robotics?
 

You can make a gear really easily on a regular bridgeport milling machine (basic gear).. However for most teams who don't have a bunch of people working in a machine shop, or team that dosen't have the cutting tools and kids like me who could do it, it's easier (probably cheaper) to go to McMaster Carr..
They're refering to last year they taught the girls how to make nuts and bolts useing lathes and I'm assumeing a milling machine (could make a HEX shape on a surface grinder but I doubt they'd have kids useing those in a summer camp)

Re: Summer and Robotics?
 

I'm always amazed when I read about the dedication of the teams who host the summer camps, etc.! That's wonderful! How do you get the facility and funding to do that, and how do you get enough support from your team members (adults and students)? Most of our adults and students are working during the summer months or traveling with their families on vacation. And in the case of the adults, have already taken 6 or more days of vacation to travel with the team and want to spend their remaining time with their families. We meet year-round, we attend off-season events, plan our teambuilding weekend in the fall, plan educational activities we want to do in the fall with the students, do fundraising, do post-season self-assessment interviews, clean our facility.

Re: Summer and Robotics?
 

a good thing to do in summer: BUILD ANOTHER ROBOT :D

thats what our team is considering doing... the local rotary club aproached us and asked us to build a big R2D2 for their parada deal. . they have a float with whole starwars theme.. . and they want the r2d2 for the floor.. 8 weeks, 1k cash + old parts from previous (canadian first) robots.. :D sounds fun :D

Re: Summer and Robotics?
 

We have lots of stuff to do over the summer Not summer but next weekend Our robot will be pulling an all nighter with our team at the local Relay For Life. Over the summer we continue to meet weekly with the small group, this summer we plan on experimenting with different arm designs, we also are overhauling our team handbook, we are planning fundraisers, we also will be at some local festivals.

Re: Summer and Robotics?
 

I'll be finding a team to help out :p

Re: Summer and Robotics?
 

The Firebirds will be fundraising of course! Money issues this year=no fun. So we're working on getting new sponsors, still trying to get Starbucks and Wawa to help us out (our school is only like their biggest supporter), team car wash, tie a teacher to a tree for a dollar (ok, that was all mr. foell's idea), experimenting with our new material for our chassis next year ( :D )....

Re: Summer and Robotics?
 

We (573) will be working on some prototypes, fundraising, communications, and perhaps organization of a Lego League team at my old school. If all goes as planned, I may also be working with my future team (830) on some designs.

Yet one more thing - I'll be getting that MWDU I keep talking about off on a good foot for the 2006 FIRST season (given that there is more interest).