denkbots DIY large visual displays for competition

[rufu5]

Good Afternoon ChiefDelphi!

Over at denkbots, several of our team members are FIRST mentors and alumni; In our continued effort to give back, we wanted to share a project we did this summer.

To promote our team at GenCon we created a large visual display of our team mascot which was mounted on a backpack style courier.

We wrote two segments to explain how we built our big blue friend, in hopes that others could use this construction technique to make their own creations.

The articles can be found consolidated on the page linked below:

https://denkbots.com/denk/denkcosplay/

We know how important team brand recognition and visibility are in the FRC community and at competitions, so we figured a few teams would appreciate a tutorial on how to create a large and unique visual display on a reasonable budget.

This is our first time writing a tutorial like this, so all feedback is appreciated and welcome!

If you find this article helpful and would like to suggest a future topic for us, just let us know on the denkbots' facebook or on twitter @denkbots

[Mr V]

Nice work.

One tip for cutting the foam rubber, an electric carving knife does a wonderful job. It just glides through with the counter acting blades doing all the work. Also works great to create a clean edge when doing Styrofoam.

[rufu5]

Thanks for the feedback Mr V!

I did a little searching and found people using electric kitchen knives for cutting foam: Is it really as simple as using something like this?!

https://www.amazon.com/Oster-FPSTEK2...dp/B00GMH7UW6/

[Mr V]

Yes that is one of the style that I've used before with good results. Depending on the thickness and density of the foam it pretty much just glides through.