Last year as a rookie team one of my teammates and I drove two hours to meet with an animatronics expert
....he ended up being an invaluable resource because he pretty much taught us all about pneumatics and how they could be implemented not only in our design but in the real world
....he also had tons of toys to show off
( a full size raptor that could move and talk)
Another would have to been the times when we went to companies in the area that decided to donate metal to use and we ended up getting tours of their factory and learning how their product is made
