Tips on overall robot design procces

[whytheheckme]

Typically, for every team that I've been on, the following process occurs:

Everyone who has any sort of idea writes it down and develops it on a piece of poster paper. Each idea is categorized (drive train, game piece manipulator, specialized scoring device), and KEPT SEPARATE (i.e. a drive train idea is not on the same poster paper as a manipulator), but it is noted on each idea which of the other ideas it works best with (ex. this claw works best with the 6-wheel-drive-omni design (see Drive #3)).

There is no limit to the number of these posters, and anyone on the team can create them (usually we wind up with ~20 ideas in total.)

After everyone has their ideas out on paper (usually by the end of day 1 or 2), we hang up all of the posters and start talking about the ideas. At this point we try to figure out how to combine ideas (i.e. 3 similar manipulators might be combined into one "super" idea!) At this point, it is also decided if some ideas are completely not feasible (BEWARE! Do not throw out ideas simply because they seem too outlandish. Some of the greatest ideas seem really insane at first!)

Once we have these consolidated ideas (say, perhaps 3 in each category), we decide on a plan of attack (which we'd like to take to the prototype stage to try out, etc). Usually out of 3 ideas in a category, one will become apparently non-feasable through the creation of the prototype, and then the other two will have completed prototypes.

At this point (week 2.5/3?) an evaluation needs to be made as to which prototype from each category will be kept and run with.

I hope this helps!
Jacob