ESHS Robotics

February 14, 2009

2009-02-15T12:59:00.000-08:00

Today we split up into groups, this allowed us to be much more productive. We mounted the lexan, worked on changing the flag design to high resolution from a low resolution, and we finished installing the control. We also mounted the chute and hopper and we weaved the pneumatics. We are staying on task and being very productive.

Febuary 11, 2009

2009-02-14T10:34:00.000-08:00

Today we worked on mounting the lexan. We corrected the bumpers and sent off the final design for the flag. We worked on programming and prototyping the robot. We also installed the control board and the bumpers. We planned how to mount the wheels and axels. And we drew a design for how to mount the lexan and sono tubes. Today was a very productive day!

Febuary 10, 2009

2009-02-14T10:30:00.000-08:00

Today we installed the supports for the chute. We also worked on completing the hopper. We finalized the design for the flag and we updated our attendance records. All in all, the construction of the robot is going quite well.

Febuary 9, 2009

2009-02-10T18:49:00.000-08:00

We worked more on the chute supports. The programmers also worked on programming the robot. We drafted the hopper and chute design.

Febuary 8, 2009

2009-02-10T18:43:00.000-08:00

Today we worked on the chute and hopper construction. We hit a minor dilemma when we discovered that we had incorrect measurements for the chute support bars. We also cut Lexan to protect our precious control board. We had to rebuild the chute and hopper supports, but it was not that difficult. The shooting team also continued their research on the shooting statistics. Woooooo!!!!!!!! GO ROBOTICS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Statistics, Probability, Optimal Shot Diagram

2009-02-04T21:22:00.000-08:00

We have created a diagram to show where we will have the best chance to score; take a look:

The court is 18m wide by 9m high

Key:

Brown=One Hand Shot

Blue=Basketball Shot

Green=Soccer Throw

Lines are dashed/struck through with a particular color to show the best throw if facing away.

There are 3 shooting stations for the team, bottom left, bottom right, and top middle. The shooting arcs overlap, and the hardest part to hit is when the robot is in the middle orange. Lines overlap to show our common shooting ground. The middle bottom orange and purple/brown is the outer reaches for any shot, which is best shot one hand or soccer.

The overlap zone is marked with a yellow or brown outline, and look like eyes slanted towards the nose.

We expect a diminishing of 20% of sitting down shots due to positioning and potential path, which we altered the arcs to be 80% of the standing up shots range.

The maximum shot range for shots is as follows: 6.5m for basketball, 10.5 for soccer, and 16.5 for overhand. They can be exceeded by some members of the shooting crew, but it is not common to the squad.

Shooting Rules and arc ranges:

0-2m: One Hand with Soccer towards

2-4m: Basketball with Basketball towards

4-5.5m: Basketball with Basketball towards

5.5-6.5m: Soccer with Soccer towards

6.5-8m: Soccer with Soccer towards

8-10m: One Hand with Overhand towards

Anything beyond is highly unlikely to score. Shot type is not best suited for all throwers, some may show excellence in a particular throw due to sports.

At our build session today we continued working on the hopper and decided to built its frame out of aluminum rather than plastic. We had to go buy more aluminum so we went to Home Depot. Upon returning, we measured out the sizes of each piece of aluminum and finalized the format. We will cut the aluminum and assemble the frame on Saturday.

Continuing Steadily

2009-02-03T19:06:00.000-08:00

Today we:
-built and installed the crossbar supports to hold up the ramp on the hopper
-continued the programming
-practiced shooting tactics
-constructed a hopper design
-constructed the framework of the payload out of plastic. We had our misgivings about the the plastic being strong enough, and thought about making the framework out of aluminum, but once we but a crossbar on the plastic, it seemed to be a lot stronger.
-worked on the bumpers

January 28, 2009

2009-01-31T10:54:00.000-08:00

We submitted a new hopper design today. Otherwise, the robot is progressing on schedule.

January, 27 2009

2009-01-31T10:50:00.000-08:00

Today we spilt into groups to all work on different aspects of the robot. We cut and measured the supports for the robot. Programmers furthered their work on debugging the software. We also came up with a parallel design for mounting the drum. This now means we have a back up design. Yay!

Building Upwards

2009-01-25T14:55:00.000-08:00

January 25, 2009

Today we fixed the chassis and updated our website. We also worked on programming the robot (luc-E). We worked on autonomous today.

January 24, 2009

2009-01-25T14:15:00.000-08:00

Today we decided to split up into groups to all work on different parts for the robot. We managed to complete the final design for the chute. We also finished the prototype for the chute so now we can get the statistics for how far it will launch a ball. The average distance was 11.7 inches. The flag design was completed and we can not wait until we get to see it printed on fabric!

Our flag design!

Triumphant Tuesday

2009-01-20T18:56:00.000-08:00

Today we continued the programming, working on the electronic board and working on the chute.

One Step Closer

2009-01-18T13:30:00.000-08:00

One Step Closer to Success!
January 11, 2009
Today some of the robotics team worked on the chassis; the dimensions weren't right so the group took it apart and rearranged it. In addition, we talked about the programming behavior and action:

Behavior	Action
Turn right	Right wheels back, left wheels forward
Move forward	All wheels forward
Stop	Al wheels slow to stop in 5 seconds
Shoot all balls	Gate open
Shoot one ball	Gate open, wait, gate close
Move backward	All wheels gradually rotate back
Pivot turn right	Right wheel stop, left wheel forward
Save power	Reload motors A and B off, camera off, fire wheel off
reload	Reload motors A and B on
Avoid (touch sensor on)	Wheels stop, reverse, stop, turn, stop, forward

as well as other variables and how to control them.

January 13, 2009
Today we broke into a programming group, chassis group, and trailer group, continuing to assemble everything. The chassis group tried to attach the chains and worked with practice chains.

January 14, 2009
At our lunch meeting we voted on names for the robot. Here are some the creative names:
-colbot deux-steve in space
-lunatic
-space waste
-apocalypse tank
-ragna moon rock
-lucy
The tentative winner was Lucy. However, since not everyone came to the meeting, some students did not like this name. Therefore, we re-voted at the build sessions, modifying Lucy to Luc-E, and adding to the list: Moon Rock me Amadeus, Monte, and R.L.A. The winner again was Luc-E!

At the build session, we also worked on finishing the chain, programming, and protyping our chute design.

On the 18th, we discussed possible chute designs:
Design 1:
simple chute with gate
Design 2: chute with gate, then piston that raises the base of the hopper to roll the balls into the chute
Design 3: chute with two gates, drum with conveyer belt

Setting the Wheels in Motion

2009-01-10T12:48:00.000-08:00

We have set the wheels in motion to create a succesful robot. At the kickoff meeting at Northrop Grumman, on January 3rd, the team was eager to learn about the setup of the game and rules and restrictions for the robot. The buzz of excitement was palpable as we headed back to ESHS to discuss what we heard at the meeting and highlight the important aspects.

The next day, 1/4/09 we picked the materials for the trailer from Home Depot, worked on the trailer, strategized, threw around ideas while keeping in mind four necessary robot functions:
-4 wheel drive
-low center of gravity
-ability to score multible balls at once
-ability to move in all directions

Based on different strategies, we came up with two designs.
Possible Design 1: Chute
Objective: The chute will release balls two at time, based on the strategy to have mulitple opportunites to shoot balls into the opposing team's trailer.

Possible Design 2: Dump
Objective: The dump is a simpler design than the chute, and is based on the strategy to have one opportunity to dump all of the balls at once, seizing one open opportunity to score a lot of points.

On 1/6/09, we separated into two groups: one for the trailer, and one for the design. The trailer group worked on the plates of the trailer and the design group worked on the feasibilty of our designs while finalizing the dimensions of the drawings.

1/7/09: We decided no matter what, we would pick a design today, so we can start builiding on Saturday. As a group, we weighed the pros and the cons of each design and by the end of the meeting, chose a design.

and the winner is.....

THE CHUTE!

1/10/09 Commencing the Construction

Now that we have decided on a design, we worked on the chassis, and continued working on the trailer.
For the trailer,
We took the wood outside and began drilling at the specified markings to make holes in the trailer. We also used a saw to create a hole in the center. The circle did not come out as round as we had hoped but, like eagles, we soar above our problems and find ways to rectify them. As a result, to smooth out the edges, we used a metal file then put masking tape over the inner circle. The black pipe still did not fit as snugly as we had hoped, but it was definitely an improvement and the spaces were so small that we could simply wedge pieces of foam or a similar material to fill them.

What's New in Robotics?

2008-12-10T18:51:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick recap on everything we've done this year... so far:

-We broke up into teams for FTC:
-fundraising
-building:
-programming
-vehicle
-payload
-designing
-driving

-Demonstration of robot during Back to School Night

-Worked with mentors to develop skills in: programming, power tools, mill, and lathe

-Designed a T-shirt!

-Began work on our FTC robot

-Brainstormed ideas for fundraisers

-We are currently preparing for the FRC kickoff on January 3rd. We have done so by breaking up into teams, these include: finishing the FTC robot, programming, planning for the FRC robot, and fundraising.