The robot shipped out on Tuesday, February 23 whether it was ready or not. We’re looking forward to seeing it again in a few weeks in Richmond at the Virginia Regional, and we hope you are too! In the mean time, here is a “teaser” video for the Sidewinder Preview Video:

Hey Everyone! Here’s an update of what we accomplished since the snow storm!

While the programming team worked on a new autonomous mode as well as how to effectively control the kicker mechanism using software, the electrical team was challenged since the robot had to be oriented in such a way that their boards could not be worked on. However, they quickly found something else to do and mounted our camera in a protective housing on our robot’s detachable,  angled “roof.” They also mounted some new sensors and configured various parts of the pneumatic system.

After some design considerations, the drive train team switched the gears in the gear boxes and installed traction wheels for our secondary drive train while the special operations team refined our kicker mechanism, worked on the pneumatics system, and fixed the mechanism to control the ball.

This last Saturday was our last full “build day.” Next Saturday, February 20, Team 1731 will be attending a practice session in Washington, D.C.

On Saturday, February 13, we also took a time-lapse movie throughout the entire day. We started recording at approximately 11 A.M. and ended at approximately 11 P.M. The camera took a picture every 5 minutes for a total of almost 150 pictures! So, here’s 12 hours with Team 1731 in 19 seconds.

The team has been keeping very busy despite the frightful weather. We are blessed because we are not confined to a school building that shuts down during the weather. In fact, two of our team members spent Thursday through Sunday at the farm working on the robot with the Leppkes.  They made lots of progress, but there is still much to be done.  It looks like another snow day on Tuesday evening.  Two weeks from today is the last day we can touch the robot! Stay tuned for updates!

We are now halfway through the season and into week 4. Here’s an update on where we stand:

The Special Operations team has decided on a new and improved kicker apparatus, and they have almost completed the pneumatics that control it. The Drive Train team is on a steady track to their final stages. The Electrical and Programing teams have updated the wiring board for the robot. During the driver’s practice, the students were surprised at the efficiency and rapid response of our machine! Also on Friday, January 30, the students gave a presentation to Mr. Hall of DRH Design Group from whom they have received faithful funding for now three consecutive years. Currently, there are several pending sponsors, and we are hoping to have sufficient funds to meet our budget. Week four has a lot in store for the team! Stay tuned for further progress as we finish out the second half of build season 2010!

We made a lot of progress this week! Here is a brief summary:

- Our Special Operations team decided that their design for our kicker did not work like they wanted it to. So, they’re going to brainstorm next week for another design to use. They also got our bumpers built and “1731″ painted on them.

- Our Drive Train team finished mounting our wheels onto the drivetrain. They also completed the roof for the robot.

- Our Software team is in the process of reprogramming our code. They also got our robot running with the help of the rest of the sub-teams!

- Our Electrical team got our camera up and running and was able to track the target.

We will keep you posted on our progress!

We had our first robotics meeting of January. We made a lot of progress in our sub-teams. Here’s an update from each:

In the drive train team, they designed and built the frame of our robot, attached the motors, and put together the bumpers.

In the special ops team, they made a prototype of the kicker that they are going to use in the game to kick the soccer ball. It successfully kicked the ball over the two barriers and into the goal!

In the electrical team, they built the circuit board which houses all C-rio and wires needed for driving the robot.

In the programing team, they updated our computers to lab view. They also tweaked it as needed.

We had a lot of fun this first week of building season and are excited about the upcoming 5 weeks!

Team 1731 is past the design phase and will now be building the robot until we ship it to Richmond on February 23. While we will not reveal our “best weapons,” we will have some pictures and brief reports abut the building process. The team learned of the game, Breakaway on Saturday, January 9, and spent the day brainstorming and presenting the many design options. Pictures from the kickoff can be found by clicking on “Pictures” in the navigation bar at the top of the page.

This year’s game looks simply awesome! It is based off a real, live sport: soccer, but it has many different aspects that allow for robots to be successful in playing the game! Team 1731 is looking forward to many long hours of building over the next six weeks! Stay tuned to our website for weekly updates. Click on “Game” in the navigation bar at the top of this page to see the game animation and a one-page game description.