Innovative Prototyping and Robot Design Team 40

Speaker  Dan Larochelle CTO - intelitek FRC and VRC team #40 - Trinity HS 15 years FRC experience

Overview  Prototyping Platforms  Mini FRC video  Prototyping tips  Bench testing motors and electronics  Purchasing sources  Team 40 Frame design

Prototyping Platforms  Vex  IFI – Vex Robotic Competition (VRC)  Savage Soccer  easyC and REC robotic training tools  Lego NXT  FLL  FTC – Tetrix  Cardboard and 2x4s  Popsicle sticks

Team 40 Pre-season Training  REC  ACS I and II – Trinity HS  REC Vex robotic curriculum to teach robotic fundamentals and concepts  Robot Competitions  Savage Soccer  Vex Robotic Competition  Practice Iteration  Build confidence  Learn how to iterate design ideas

What is Mini FRC?  2007  2008

Mini FRC Goals  Enhance current brainstorming techniques with the Vex platform.  Rapid prototype 6 mini robots for to prove out the validity of our ideas from our initial brainstorming session in week 1.  Limit the build to 2-3 days.  Compete the various designs against each other and see what happens.

2006 Aim High Mini FRC Video  This video can be downloaded from the intelitek website at

What did we learn about the game?  Winning autonomous was a big advantage, it put the losing team in catch up mode.  Good shooting robots are hard to beat.  Shooters missed a lot more than they got in.  Ramp points weighed heavy in low scoring matches.  The field was littered with balls after the first few periods, picking up balls from the floor was key.  A good defensive robot can nullify a good offensive robot, especially while a shooter is shooting!  Mobility was important, the field was crowded and there were lots of places the robot could be pinned

How did it affect our team?  First project in 15 years that involved every single member of an FRC team.  Leveled the playing field enabling younger students to learn and share their ideas with their more experienced teammates.  Higher level of thinking about the game. Game strategies could be played out in real time.  Students were challenged to show their ideas  It made believers out of the skeptics that felt that MiniFRC project was a waste of time.  Team bonded together and had a lot of fun.

How did it affect our FRC robot?  Focused our design on being effective in autonomous  A rapid fire shooter  Mobility traded off for strength – Mechanum wheels  Use the camera to aim shooter to avoid wasting balls  Dual conveyors to harvest balls from both sides  Educated decisions were made early in the design process. Reduced guessing!

What did the students learn?  Working in smaller groups allowed more ideas to be developed and tested.  Students not intimidated by the hardware, permitting greater experimentation and innovation.  The competitive element of the competition drove them to keep making their robots better.  The engineering design process was dramatically reinforced through competition, especially the concept of design iterations  Making minirobots is FUN!

What did the mentors learn?  Mentors became facilitators, empowering the students.  The students had to understand the Rules of the game. This led to a better informed team.  Leveled the playing field between the boys and the girls.  Robustness of the Vex platform allowed for a direct correlation of concepts and ideas to our FRC robot.  Team spent time testing ideas and strategies in week 1 and 2 rather than week 6 when it is typically too late!  Increased comfort level with trying out new ideas.  Training prior to kickoff with Vex, easyC and REC made the project run smoothly.

Was it worth it? Absolutely!  Increased comfort level with final design  Great team building exercise.  Increased student knowledge and awareness  Surprise! – Regional competition confirmed most of our Mini FRC findings

Would we do it again? Yes! - We have done this process the past 3 years.  Set firm dates for mini completion – know when to end the mini robots and start the big one.  Integrate more sensors and programming into the mini designs

Prototyping Tips  Assemble the Kit Bot  Keep prototypes simple  Use materials you have on hand to test your ideas  Plywood and Cardboard work great!  Do not try to reinvent the wheel, literally!  Use premade gearboxes and wheels to meet the needs of your design (  80/20 Aluminum extrusion

Testing your Motors and Electronics  It is very important to test all of your control system components and motors early.  This can be done in parallel with the main robot design.  Allow electrical people and programmers access to the hardware early instead of 5 minutes before it has to ship out the door!

Purchasing Sources  Grainger   MSC   McMaster Carr   IFI   AndyMark   Home Depot/Lowes

Team 40 Frame Design  1”x1” 1/8” square tubing  1”x1” angle brackets used for mounting frame members together  hole pattern easy to drill and tap into frame members  ½” holes can be drilled into frame members to reduce weight after design is finalized

Team 40 Frame Design  The angle brackets allow us to quickly assemble and test the frame  This bracket system allows for quick modifications to the frame.  The brackets also make perfect fixtures for welding.

Thank You! Good Luck this year!