Kickoff!

At 3pm we gathered in the workshop after the Christmas break for the annual discipline unveiling ceremony for this year's First Robotics Competition, called Reefscape. At about 6:30 we were revealed which tasks our robots would be scored for in this year's edition. The first task is to hang pieces of hollow pvc pipe on poles resembling a coat rack. The next task is to score a goal with a large soft ball into a goal the size of a floorball goal that is 20 cm above the ground. Given the distribution of points, which is heavily in favor of the pipes, we immediately determined that the pipes were our main target. 

Each team gets one last chance to score points at the end, when they must latch onto an iron half-meter high cage suspended by chains. The chains and the top of the cage must not be touched. The tricky part of this task is that the robot has to stay on the cage for five seconds after the end of the game when it is completely switched off.

Bonus points will be awarded to those who manage some of these tasks in the first 15 seconds, when the robot has to control itself completely without the help of a computer driver. After listening to the introductory explanation, it was time to study the game rules thoroughly. These are over 150 pages long each year and contain all the information about the game and the game elements and all the rules of the competition. 

Half an hour after the end of the broadcast, the first robot concepts were already being created on whiteboards. Within an hour or so, the entire building was echoing with discussions of specific mechanisms for performing the game acts. Before midnight, the debate moved to the workshop, where the final vision was agreed upon. 

Our plans include many elements that our team has experience with from previous years, combined with creative innovations forced by the particularly difficult climbing that will likely be the biggest challenge.

The first version of the mechanism for collecting pipes into the robot was built before midnight. While this version mainly used a wooden, improvised system and a manually powered drill, its success confirmed us in the potential of this concept. By 12:30 a.m., we had a version with two axes and two drills that could both lift the pipe off the ground and deliver it to the inside of the robot. 

We also agreed on the size of the chassis and the layout of the mechanisms, battery, electrical wiring and cables across the chassis. This gave us a foundation and allowed us to know our space and weight limitations for each part of the robot.

We're looking forward to the challenges and innovations this season will bring. Thank you for supporting us and stay tuned for more news directly from the workshop.