Robotics Log 02 - Kickoff Day 2
Mechanism & Prototype Discussions
Sunday, January 11 (10:00 AM - 5:00 PM)
At this meeting, we reviewed our decisions on what robot actions to pursue, and brainstormed mechanisms. After we drew the designs in groups and presented them to everyone, we sorted them into the MOSCOW chart and determined which to prototype (some with just wood/cardboard and some with CAD) and which to ignore. We also accidentally got a KitBot because our lead mentor forgot to opt out of it. Originally, I thought this was annoying, until we realized that we can prototype multiple of the ideas using it, some without even modifying it!
Here’s the list of prototypes that we’ll do
- CAD:
- Climber
- Note: We did not decide on a specific mechanism. We decided to find a group of people who were especially interested to design/test a climber, but we decided that a Level-1 climb would be easy.
- Turreted Shooter with Adjustable Hood
- Testing: Accuracy of shooter at various hood angles, turret passthrough
- Climber
- Rough/KitBot:
- Tube/Zig-zag/Tetra-style Indexer
- Testing: how many Fuel can be stored, how best to move around curves (belts or “bumpy wheel”
- Hopper (KitBot)
- Testing: Hoe many Fuel can be stored, how often does it get stuck (and if it gets stuck, how effective is a spinning agitator at the bottom?)
- Fixed-Hood Shooter (KitBot)
- Testing: Accuracy/firing angle with 3d printed hood extension, flywheel deceleration with multiple shots per second (and test max firing rate), see accuracy
- Bumper Cut-Out Intake (KitBot)
- Testing: How reliable is the default design, how does it work with Mecanum wheel flap-down aligner (ex: Orbit 2020)
- Tube/Zig-zag/Tetra-style Indexer
I am the lead of the Tube Indexer prototype, and I plan to get started on it next meeting.
We also talked a lot about the schedule for the next few weeks. Scrimmage is on February 22nd, and we plan to have the robot mechanically and electrically finished by then. We also hope to have some drive practice, as well as at least 1 auto by then. In order to meet these goals, Kylie (the other co-captain) and I decided that the robot must be mechanically and electrically finished in 4 weeks, so it really is go time!
Meetings until Scrimmage: 42
Things Completed at This Meeting:
Mechanical/CAD:
- Decided what prototypes/mechanisms to pursue/ignore
Strategy:
- Students brainstormed and presented mechanism concepts
- Sorted mechanisms into MOSCOW chart
Team Goals for Next Meeting:
Mechanical:
- Start progress on my prototype (Tube indexer) and have the KitBot ~30% completed by the end of the meeting
- CAD for prototypes are 50% (or more) done
My Goals for Next Meeting:
- Find 2-4 people who are interested in helping to prototype the tube indexer