This is 2702 Rebels' 2022 Rapid React Robot
LeRobot
LeRobot
My team, 2702 Rebels, is a FIRST Robotics FRC Team.
Every year, a new game is announced, and a team of highschool students, parents, and mentors work together to build robots to compete in these games. (Considered competitions). The competition is designed to inspire students to pursue careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields.
I was part of the Intake team, responsible for brainstorming, planning, modelling, and constructing the part of the robot that intakes and loads cargo, (the balls), into the robot. I was taught basic SolidWorks and industry engineering principles, which I apply in my work/hobbies to this day.
Much of my contribution had been in the brainstorming process of the actual build. I was able to contrubite to some measurements and modelling of the actual intake subsystem in SolidWorks. Below is a picture of the issue I resolved with the retraction of the intake system inside of the frame with the previous cylinder setup.
I was able to learn a touch of SolidWorks, but also using revision control with TortoiseSVN. A software used to let multiple people work on the same project, creates backups, tracks all changes and history of the project, and combine and merge contributions from all the members editing the digital model of the robot.
This was particularly useful, as COVID-19 has impacted this year's build season, meaning that much of the work to the robot had been online, and meetings with other team members had to be through Google Meet and forum chats.
At the time, the CNE had been open to the public since COVID. The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) is an annual 18-day fair and exhibition held in Toronto, Canada. It features a wide range of attractions, including rides, games, agricultural displays, concerts, shopping, and food vendors offering a variety of unique and traditional fair foods. The CNE is a beloved tradition that draws over a million visitors each year.
We were lucky enough to play some exhibition matches to display our robot to the region.
This was probably the best looking robot we have created so far. I am very proud of its design and its functionality.
Design principles and hard skills aside, the friends I have made along the way has solidified my love and passion for engineering as a whole. This community that has been curated over the years has led me to believe that I am and will be an engineer in the future.