posted
Today I went to the Kickoff 2005 at the OSC. I will document our team's progress on here if you want. It is my first year doing this, and I am really looking forward to it!
For those of you who don't know what FIRST Robotics is, here is a brief overview. FIRST Robotics is a competition in which High School students comepte in. We build robots to do the task that is assigned to us at the kickoff, which I was at today. We have six weeks to build the aforesaid robot, which is a real crunch.
This is what the website says:
quote: The FIRST Robotics Competition is an exciting, multinational competition that teams professionals and young people to solve an engineering design problem in an intense and competitive way. The program is a life-changing, career-molding experience—and a lot of fun. In 2004 the competition will reach more than 20,000 students on over 900 teams in 27 competitions. Our teams come from Canada, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, Great Britain, and almost every U.S. state. The competitions are high-tech spectator sporting events, the result of lots of focused brainstorming, real-world teamwork, dedicated mentoring, project timelines, and deadlines.
Colleges, universities, corporations, businesses, and individuals provide scholarships to our participants. Involved engineers experience again many of the reasons they chose engineering as a profession, and the companies they work for contribute to the community while they prepare and create their future workforce. The competition shows students that the technological fields hold many opportunities and that the basic concepts of science, math, engineering, and invention are exciting and interesting.
The challenge this year is a lot less complex than last year, probably because of complaints from rookie teams that it was too hard. This year, on each playing "team" there are three team's robots competing together. There are two teams, red and blue. There is a rectangular playing field with six tetrahedric goals around the perimiter, one in each corner and one in the centre of each side. there is also a big goal, which is a skeletal tetrahedron on top of a square, in the middle. The goal of the game is to get smaller skeletal tetras, which are placed on random positions on the field, either in the big goals (1pt) or on top of them (2 pts). If you get a "row" diagonally, or across, at the end of the game, you get 10 extra points. If all three of the robots on your team are behind a line on your end of tyhe field at the endo of the game, you get another 10 points. The catches? 30-second autonomous mode at the beginning- no human controls. You don;t know who you are competing with/against until the day of the tournament. the six weeks.
All in all, this promises to be an exciting six weeks! If you would like me to keep you posted on developments as they happen, please let me know!
posted
Ooh, I did that one year when I was in high school. Good luck to your team! Remember that you don't necessarily have to win the matches; my team went to the national competition because we won a design award.
Posts: 3546 | Registered: Jul 2002
| IP: Logged |
I didn't even hear of this competition. Oh well, I'll just go back to my current robot. *twidles around with it.*
Posts: 1831 | Registered: Jan 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Yeah, our team came in second for the reagional Chairman's Award last year and has gotten the Judge's award all the years that we competed! So we're really going for it this year!
posted
I was a sponsor of our FIRST team a couple of years ago.
It doesn't really have much to do with robotics, but it is a great way to introduce people to the field of engineering. I had heard of engineering as a high schooler, but there was nothing like this around to make me realize how interesting/exciting/fun it can be. If there had, my life may very well have taken a different course.
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
My boyfriend went to that today. He's on the Purdue Advisors team this year. Last year we were both on our high school rookie team. It was a lot of fun. I love just watching the matches (I don't do any engineering). Our team was really weird, though, at its largest we had 22 people including advisors and teachers. The team Purdue sponsors has more than 22 advisors! I think that's more normal though.
Do you know what regionals you're going to yet?
I always thought you were a college student. Are you really a high school student?
Posts: 4655 | Registered: Jan 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
blacwolve: Yes, I am a high school student. Grade 10, to be exact.
We are going to the Greater Toronto area regionals.
Okay, so today was our first of many meetings. We basically brainstormed ideas for our robot, and tidied up the robot room at my school. We have some good ideas, I think. Since we didn't get our Chairman's Award application in on time, we are going for one of the other awards, probably the Xerox design or the Judge's Award. Last year we won the best costumes, so we are hoping for that again too!
CAUTION: GIRL WITH WRENCH!!!
Posts: 459 | Registered: Dec 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
So, yesterday I was at school from 8:10 until eight. Like, that's twelve hours. Robotics was only 4 hours- 4 til 8. We got Subway sandwiches for dinner and kept on brainstorming. I made a friend, Shyra. We worked on designing one part of the robot. We worked hard, and will probably get a scale model done by friday at the latest. I probably will spend over 100 hours at school doing robotics. I wish I was getting paid for that!
Here is a picture of me in our awsome costume! we also have flyswatters (SWAT is our team name, if I haven't said that already) that we carry around. And don't mind my dazed expression or the glint of my braces, please. And I am not really as fat as that picture makes me look- my kilt always bulges there 'cause i roll it.
And plus I am also on our school hockey team- so even on the Wednesdays that I gat off from Robotics, we have paractice. But to-day we had a game and we won 10-0 Posts: 459 | Registered: Dec 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
*grins* right before we had to ship the robot last year the guys on our team were working on it for 46 hours straight! They were kicked out of the shop, so they brought the robot to our physics teacher's room and worked on it in there. A bunch of the rest of us went in during lunch and treated it like a show.
*muses* That was the only time in my life I've ever been tempted to say, "Good Times, good times" */muses*
I love your shirts. I designed ours last year. I'll post this and go off looking for a picture. They were pretty simple, though, I don't know anything about designing things on computers, I just knew more than anyone else.
You're really pretty, too. But please take that in a very nonstalkerish coming from a heterosexual female sort of way. Posts: 4655 | Registered: Jan 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
apparently last year the team was at the school for like three days and two nights... they slept in the staff room. I'm a bit scared now imagine waking up to your teacher looking at you in the face...
It tenmds to be a bit of a show at our school too... our robot room has two glass walls... onw into the ELC and one into a hallway. It's like an aquarium.
:makes silly fish faces and noises:
Thanks for the compliment! I'm flattered.
Posts: 459 | Registered: Dec 2004
| IP: Logged |
For a second I thought you were someone else Desdemona..........someone I know from VBS........but your names are different...........my bad Posts: 6026 | Registered: Dec 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
*sighs* I have a ton of pictures from robot, but none that give you a good look a the shirt. Ah well
Posts: 4655 | Registered: Jan 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
Actually, they were taken during the Indiana Invitational this summer, so everyone's really laid back. Most of them are of two of the members who were dating, actually. I'll try to find some from the actual competition, I think my boyfriend or one of the other guys on the team might have some.
Just out of curiosity, did I mention that other than our teacher I was the only girl on the team?
Posts: 4655 | Registered: Jan 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
It would mean something if I had anything to do with it beyond being friends with some of the people of the team back then, but I'll take what I can get and exploit it as far as possible.
Posts: 291 | Registered: Jun 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
I just got back from Robotics. ick. I am totally brain-drained right now. So I'm going to sleeeeeeep. Darn all the piles of homework that I have. I'll do it on the bus tomorrow morning.
When I get on it at 6:40 in the morning. And spend over an hour and a half on the stupid thing.
But meeting was cancelled for tomorrow, so that means that I get to sleeeeeeeep.
So, I have been meeting regularly, but haven't bothered to bother you by bumping this thread again. But today, we actually got started on building. !
As well, I have been elected to help create the website. Any tips for Dreamweaver? I have never used it before, and am being counted on to create a really good website from scratch!
But, life is good. I have no time to do anything, and I have decided that I most definatly will have huge mark drops in the next 5 weeks. Oh well.
Caution: Girl With Wrench On Tetra (that I built!!)
Posts: 459 | Registered: Dec 2004
| IP: Logged |
I'm really starting to wish I knew anything about building a robot, because not only is my boyfriend on the team all but two of my friends are too. I'm living on a robot schedule and I'm not even in it!
*ponders randomly hanging out at robot meetings until someone gives her something to do*
*is too lazy*
I hope you don't mind me posting in this thread so much even though I don't have much to say. I really enjoyed robot when I did it, and when I post I feel like I'm doing it a little again. It's hard with the guys because they never really talk about the experience of robot, they just talk about the mechanics of it.
Posts: 4655 | Registered: Jan 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
time to bump this thread once again! it's good to have an audience...
So, today was the first meeting that I had been to since last Tuesday. I was sick, okay! I only missed 7 1/2 hours of work...
but really, nothing much was diffrent that I'm working on. We have our chassis built, and it's close to operational. I'm working on the drmth (secret-code encrypted so that none of you know and to make me feel special), and almost nothing had been done on them. Because of the PVC piping. Stupid PVC. Here is the saga: first, we decided to use 1/2' PVC conduit piping. We had small pieces for the trusses (tresses? Struts?), but we didn't have any long enough for the frame. We bought some, but it turned out that it was 3/4" piping, not 1/2". That was annoying, but it was only a minor inconvenience. We then asked a teacher to go buy us some rigid PVC conduit piping in 4 5' lengths. She comes back with 1/2" PVC plumbing pipe. Not conduit. these are flexible. NOT a good thing. nope, not at all. apparently, Home Depot doesn't sell 1/2 inch conduit PVC piping. then where did we get the stuff that we already had? We don't have a long enough piece to use for the frame.
Other than that, we are doing well. Laura, a friend of mine is almost done the electronics, our chassis should be working by tomorrow, and the drmth should be done soon. If we get some PVC piping.
Hey. At least we can change out of uniform for meetings now
blacwolve, I highly reccomend hanging around the meetings and getting something to do. It's so much fun!
Caution: Girl With Wrench Mad At Home Depot!!!
Posts: 459 | Registered: Dec 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
um, I know that nobody is probably actually reading this, but i like to get my thoughts down somewhere.
So, the things that i was working on got scrapped. We were almost done them, too. I had worked with them from their beginning, desingning them and everything. And now they're gone. I actually started crying. Like, full-out bawling. Which really isn't a good thing. I also left my laptop and digital camera in the Robot Room last night. Which wasn't a good thing, but nobody took them, so I just got them this morning.
Funny story: So, today I had math last period. I hate math class, especially the teacher, so I said that I was on bus, which meant I got to leave 10 mins early. That was all fine and dandy, so then I go to robotics. The supervising teacher had to go and get some materials, so they got a teacher to come and watch us. guess who that was? My math teacher. After I had skipped 10 mins of class. I actually went and hid in the robot room under a counter for an hour, while filing a piece of metal and listening to music on my laptop. I was COVERED in sawdust afterwards, but at least I didn't get in trouble:D.
So, there is your new update, for those of you who are actually reading this.
CAUTION: Girl with wrench proud of being in the second-nerdiest club in school:D
Posts: 459 | Registered: Dec 2004
| IP: Logged |
I just realised that I haven't said how much fun I'm having. I always laugh so hard at Robotics, and it has probably been some of the most fun weeks of my life so far. If I complain a lot here, it's because I take the happy times for granted. I love all the people there, and am really really happy that I joined. And sad that half the team will be gone next year.
I have some new photos up, if anybody would like to take a look!
Posts: 459 | Registered: Dec 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Oh, I have, I have. I used the 10' long PVC pipe to prop open the ceiling of the school to crawl around like Bean did. I then realised that the ceiling would not hold me. NOT smart.
I did it anyways, and almost fell through. It was kinda boring up there. and dusty.
Posts: 459 | Registered: Dec 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Dessy you get wackier and wackier as time goes on....but seeing as you are active here and now.....go post on VBS instead of keeping all of us over there waiting................please hurry.....we miss you Posts: 6026 | Registered: Dec 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Okay, another installment, because something GREAT happened today. Like, really, really great. I got informed that the things that I am working on are back in business! They are alive and then i had to redo all the markings. Oh well. Shyra will drill them Monday. After I was finished the markings, I helped Kate and Samina build another goal and another tetra. We then went out to the garage at the school to get out our 2002 robot, MilDREAD 2 so that we could get some pneumatics off of it. After that, my hands were FROZEN after carrying a metal robot that had been outside for 2 years through -8 degree weather. And then carrying it (100 llbs) up the stairs. All in a day's work. We then, while listening to We Didn't Start the Fire over and over and over and over, mounted the finished electronics board on the chassis. it was a productive and happy day.
CAUTION: Girl With Wrench Wrestling with Zip Ties!
Posts: 459 | Registered: Dec 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Another happening, another bump. I hope you don't mind.
Well, nothing really happened. Well, some things did, but nothing important. I've been having issues with life in general recently, and have been taking them out on some of my friends. So everybody hates me now.
Today, I got kicked off of the project I was working on and reassigned to the arm. I was kinda sad, seeing as I had worked with my project from the planning stage. But what are you going to do? I'm glad that I don't have Robotics tomorrow. I couldn't take another day in a row of it.
Well, that's it for today.
CAUTION: Girl with Wrench With Issues
Posts: 459 | Registered: Dec 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
I really think that I'm going to quit. Although Ms. Moore won't let me.
I'm having issues with people on the team. Samina just randomly picks up my laptop and starts usong it. I mean, come ON! who does that? I mean , I'd be okay with it if she asked before hand, but she doesn't, and that's what really bugs me. The other person who is REALLY REALLY driving me crazy os Shyra. OUR wings have turned inot HER wings. Now it's "Kate, go work on the arm in the robot room" when she is outside, joking with Samina when they work on my wings. I co-designed them. I marked them. i should at least have some part in how they're built!
She has been making snide comments. We have always play-insulted each other, but now she is deadly serious about what she says about me.
The worst thing is, she doesn't even realise that she's doing it. I am honestly ready to kill her.
I am human; I have feelings too. I love Robotics, but if this is how it's going to be, I'd rather not be there.
Wow. That was one large whine.
P.S. What I did today was build another small scoring tetra. entirely useless, since it broke.
posted
Forget foam sabers. We always settled things with death ball. Death ball is where you get an empty can, board with a rusty nail, broken toy, whatever, and find an alley between two walls. Mark two lines; there are two goalies. The goal is to get the object past the goalie and goal line to score as many times as possible in ten minutes. Only rule: no one can touch the object with their hands except the goalie. Kicking, biting, ripping clothes, all fair game. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Yes, afr, it needs some advice on how to build itself in 2 weeks!
*screams*
okay, we have 2 weeks. Our electronics are sparking, popping and smoking. Which I take is a bad sign. They set off a fire alarm on Tuesday. Our arm is a wood prototype. Metalworking hasn't started yet for it. The wings are done, but we need an extra in case one breaks. So I'm working on that with Steph and Lo. The chassis moves, but we need a bigger gear ratio to make it turn. We have some help coming from a really good team, Rick Hansen, tomorrow to fix our electronics and help with the programming. If this is what it's like this year, I shudder to think what it will be like next year with all of our leaders graduated. I'll whip 'em into shape.
But this year presents a more immediate problem. Such as the fact that we NEED to finish soon. Plus, I have 2 ISU's due next week which I haven't started. And I am having huge laptop problems. But that's okay, because Robotics is worth it! It's FUN!!!
CAUTION: Happy Girl With Wrench Stressed Beyond Belief!
Posts: 459 | Registered: Dec 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
Dessy you're hyperventilating.....take deep breaths......aah screw it.....*reaches out and grabs defibulator and puts it on Dessy's forehead screaming clear and administering an electric shock* Feel any better now? Posts: 6026 | Registered: Dec 2004
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
So we're really going for it this year!![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Break a leg! ![[Blushing]](graemlins/blushing.gif)
![[Angst]](graemlins/angst.gif)
imagine waking up to your teacher looking at you in the face... ![[Evil Laugh]](graemlins/evillaugh.gif)
![[Sleep]](graemlins/sleep.gif)
![[Grumble]](graemlins/grumble.gif)
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
![[Mad]](mad.gif)
![[Cry]](graemlins/cry.gif)
![[Dont Know]](graemlins/dontknow.gif)
