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Originally Posted by TheAnsweris42
Here's a tip to the rookies, from a rookie - Curb your teammates enthusiasm for complicated ideas. This week is starting to leave me a little bit worried that a big portion of the team's lust for a 'cool looking' design that will 'pick up chicks' (don't ask) is going to leave us with a box of parts on ship day
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the way to make sure you show up at your regional with a functioning robot is to follow a strict schedule. By the end of the day friday your team should have analyzed the game to calculate all the scoring possibilties, and come up with a primary scoring and defensive strategy.
So by saturday morning your team is in agreement with the big doubleyou: WHAT your robot shall do. I would not put more than one or two functions on your robot, for example: push balls into the corner goals, and be able to climb up on the ramp at the end of the match. Or toss balls into the center goal, and be able to play defense on the corner goals (whatever your team decides).
When you know the WHAT part then you can brainstorm the best way for a robot to do those things: the HOW (the design concept). By the end of the second week your team should be in agreement on the HOW, for example: two wheel drive, or 4 wheel drive, or tank treads + an arm to pick up balls and push them in the goal, or a snow plow blade, or a kicker.
then you have 4 weeks left to start building and fabricating the parts, and assembling it.
If you dont take these two steps now, your team will be running in several directions, starting one idea, then getting a 'better' idea 3 weeks from now and starting over. You cant let that happen.
follow a schedule. Once you know the WHAT, that part of the design cycle is over, and you focus on the HOW. Once you choose the HOW that part is over and you focus on fabrication, assembly, test and driver practice.