Summer Project Poll

[Mr. Freeman]

I might try to make a (motorised) robot cart over the summer.

Team 1552 is planning on making "stalker bot". The plan is to equip it with the camera that we never got working to track different color T-shirts. It'll be almost completely autonomous (didn't see a software option in the poll) and will be able to avoid collisions with ultrasonic sensors. We might actually decide to actuate some of the ultrasonic sensors to get a better reading of what is in front of the bot at different angles.

[CrazyCarl461]

Sensors

Our team seems to build nice mechanisms and then outfit them with crummy sensors. This year our crab drive had to be locked into tank mode for Buckeye due to rotary encoder malfunction (all is well now). This summer we are going to develop some nice robust and lightweight sensor assemblies for all sorts of great sensing - because a good design is no good if the RC can't figure out what the heck is going on.

[Donut]

We will be doing some robot improvements/testing, including designing a new drive system (heavily looking at a half-track), and doing lots of sensor testing (if we get all the sensors working and developed I want to we could be looking at using 13-20 sensors next year).

Our biggest project is team support and organization though. We are going to have to plan out next year's schedule and start fundraising immensely in the summer, and we are also going to have to convince teachers willing to do things in the summer to stay interested and stay involved as major teacher sponsors (we have an unfortunate trend of being able to keep a "head" teacher who helps run much of the club for no more than 2 years, and this year is no exception as our current teacher sponsor will be leaving our school at the end of this year).

[Sharkbyte]

I want to try and make something like the wheels team #1 had on their robot. (the ones that can rotate nearly 360 horizantally)

Also I want to update the look of the web site

[Josh Murphy]

we don't really do much prototyping over the summer, we just go to the IRI, and have a big team picnic, but once we are back from summer break we start getting things ready to go and start sorting and getting things early ahead of time so during the season we aren't waiting for it. We take a break for the summer!!

[Jeremiah Johnson]

Originally Posted by Sharkbyte

I want to try and make something like the wheels team #1 had on their robot. (the ones that can rotate nearly 360 horizantally)

Also I want to update the look of the web site

I don't remember those wheels. One's that can rotate 360 degrees horizontally? Team 1 had a 6 wheel tank drive, not a crab drive if that's what you're thinking of. You guys were at MWR right next to us in the pits, maybe you were thinking of 71 or maybe you meant to put that down.

[Sharkbyte]

Originally Posted by Budda648

I don't remember those wheels. One's that can rotate 360 degrees horizontally? Team 1 had a 6 wheel tank drive, not a crab drive if that's what you're thinking of. You guys were at MWR right next to us in the pits, maybe you were thinking of 71 or maybe you meant to put that down.

Let's just say they were uber-manuverable

[Not2B]

Better frame designs that still fit our "Hacksaw and Drill" philosophy.

Writing down more of the "Hacksaw and Drill" Manifesto and philosophy to teach teams how to do more with less.

[Dillon Compton]

Team 1394:
-Further developing the Urban Support: FIRST program (including writing whitepapers, assembling data/statistics, creating an urban team network, among other things. Will be similar to Cybersonic's "Rural Support Network" but tailored to urban teams. Actually includes a lot of doing "more with less"- I'll be in touch with you, Not2B!).

-Our head teacher has convinced the school to offer a summer robotics science course for credit, so that'll be happening; will include the basic intro to FIRST (shop work, programming, electrical, etc...), as well as the applications of previously learned in-class science and math to robotics projects (physics, load calculations, what have you...). Probably will build a FIRST style robot out of our in shop materials and '04 control system, and hopefully work with Vex as well.

-Developing a "standard" drivebase and drivetrain [probably 2, actually- one with high manuverability (omni or mecanum wheels, holonomic system), and one that balances traction/power and manuverablity nicely.]; something that is functional, that we know like the back of our hands, and that we can put together in week 1 while having confidence that it will work well, and provide competitive power and/or manuverability. Also further shop training, teaching a few new programmers, etc...

Me:

-Holonomic/Tank(read tank as "high traction, standard drive configuration") combination drive system with single wheelset- not crab or swerve; if things work as I believe they will, expect a thread mid-july with explanations, diagrams, drawings, video, and photo.

-Further development of personal knowledge in the areas of software development and website programming.

-All of the 1394 stuff.

-Finish laying the groundwork and aquiring funders for a new team I recently started.

-More work with camera.

[Jeremiah Johnson]

Originally Posted by Sharkbyte

Let's just say they were uber-manuverable

This doesn't help. Can you puhlease give me more detail in what you are talking about. Their wheel sysemt was highly manueverable for a 6-wheel machine b/c not all the wheels were touching at the same time. I believe. They look like just regular wheels. Yeah... pictures tell all, 6 skyways. I still think you might be thinking of a different team.

Anyways... tonight at our meeting we talked about more offseason things. Possibly going to IRI. Maybe hosting our own offseason comp. Having a huge demo at the Mississippi Valley Fair with many of our past robots competing in a "new" game designed to fit all the robots specifications. We have about 4 usuable robots I think. We also talked about new FRC teams and Vex teams.

[supermosquito69]

Why stop at wheels!!!

Hell...let's get some powerful fans with a light-weight well designed structure so that you may be able to even fly!...(not above 4.5 ft..lol) But..helll....It would be ALOT of FUN!

[supermosquito69]

I mean...the human can only go as far as his mind takes him!

114 will be busy.

We're rebuilding our bot cart out of aluminum, instead of the heave steel that it is now.

We're going to teach a drive train seminar for local teams

We're doing demos at local schools

We're doing demos at all of our sponsors

LAN parties

and food.

[EHaskins]

My team is starting 2 lego teams. I got the coach to let me take the robot hoem for the sumer and work on a new program for it. I want to make better camera code, gyor code, accellorometer code, gear tooth sensor code, and mabe ultrasonic code. The building team doesn't do anything over the summer.

P.S. You need a programing choice on the poll!

[prettycolors91]

probably more work on CASEY (Our community robot...stands for Community Awareness of Science and Education Year-round)...we're going to attempt to put a speaker on it so we can "read" a story to little kids (Preferably entitled 'the little robot that could' ).

Also....more PR as always...and there's always the fourth of july parade. I think we're heading down to IRI.

Dunno what else...but I'm sure theres more