Kickoff 2017
Welcome to the Gatorbotics newsletter! We are excited to share news of our team with you, whether you are a sponsor, a former mentor, a current parent, or just a general fan of our team. Keep an eye out for more newsletters from us, particularly as we continue building our robot and holding outreach events throughout January and February. Go Gators!
Kickoff 2017!
Gatorbotics has been hard at work since Kickoff on January 7. After receiving this year’s FIRST Steamworks challenge, the Gatorbotics team spent the day brainstorming a list of priorities and possible robot designs, according to build team co-lead Kathleen Mhatre ’17.
This year’s 2017 FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) challenges teams to build a robot that scores balls, called “fuels,” in boilers to create “steam pressure.” Throughout the race, robots may also deliver gears to the “airship,” a tall building with four rotors and missing gears. Additional points are earned for the number of turning gears by the end of the match, as well as the amount of steam pressure built.
Programming member, Vanessa Woo ’18, said that for the programming team, this year’s challenge is less difficult than last year’s; “It’s a lot easier than last year’s just because of the approach that we are taking,” said Woo. “We made different strategy decisions, so we're taking a different route this year.”
According to Woo, the programming team’s efficiency has allowed them to try out a new system called Vision. This section of code enables a camera on the robot to identify the goals, so the robots can automatically drive up to them.
In addition to the programming team’s productivity, Woo mentioned the inclusivity fostered within the team. “We’re actually on schedule in terms of programming, which has never happened,” said Woo. “I think we are making a bigger effort to include new members. All of the robot code was written with the new members… Everything except Vision is theirs, and right now they are shadowing us on Vision while we try to figure things out.”
Like Woo, Mhatre said the build team is ahead of schedule, allowing them to build a practice robot before FRC. According to Mhatre, the main reason for the team’s timeliness is the entire team’s use of Computer Aided Design (CAD), rather than a single “CADer” like in previous years.
“OnShape, the CAD software we are using, is basically like the Google Drive of CAD, so multiple people can work on one document at once,” said Mhatre. “I think it is really helpful for giving everyone a better understanding of our robot and giving everyone a chance to work on the design.”
The Castilleja Robotics team has bonded and become a strong, cohesive group, according to new build member Sophia Nesamoney ’19. “I’m having a great time on the team,” said Nesamoney. “Everyone is really welcoming, and [older members] have taught me so many new skills, such as soldering and using different tools and saws.”
New build member, Alexandra Saffold ’20, said that all the returning members have encouraged her participation in the building process. “I’ve helped with figuring out how big we want the robot to be, brainstorming ideas for climbing, and also with building the parts on the gear slot... There’s always something different to do!”
As a whole, the team looks forward to completing the robot and seeing their work in action at competitions!
Big Gator and Little Gator Program
This season, Gatorbotics started the Big Gator/Little Gator program to connect new team members to returning ones, helping them connect with experienced upperclassmen. The Big Gator/Little Gator pairs met three times in the fall and whenever needed during the season. We hope that this profile of a Big Gator/Little Gator pair, Katie Mishra '18 and Olivia Danner '20 gives you an idea of the program!
Katie Mishra is a junior who has been on Gatorbotics for three years. She is the Strategies and Scouting lead as well as the Research and Development lead. She originally joined Gatorbotics because she needed a green t-shirt for spirit day (green is the freshman class color) and Gatorbotics was giving them out to everyone who signed up. She ended up really enjoying the whole robotics experience and continued in the following years! Katie volunteered to be a Big Gator because she understands the struggles freshmen face as new members on the team. She can answer her Little Gator's questions about logistics, offer advice, and connect with the underclassmen.
Olivia Danner is a freshman who is new to Gatorbotics this year. She joined the programming team to learn about programming. She is extremely excited to attend competitions during the year and to participate in robotics as much as possible. She is glad to have a Big Gator who can answer all her questions and help out with any problems as they are both on the programming team. This season, she hopes to actively contribute to the team and learn more about robotics.
Build Updates
The build team is currently working on CAD-ing various parts of the robot. Sara Bell ’17 says that it’s important to CAD to ensure that all the dimensions of the parts will work before beginning the physical build process and to prevent future struggles. Ella Henn ’19 and Riona Yoshida ’19 were trying to help prototype so another group of members could CAD their successful designs. As two members who don’t yet know how to CAD, it is extremely helpful that they can rely on other members to help them.
Cat Raanes ’17, Rashi Bose ’18, and Natalie Dean ’17 have prototyped an effective gear mechanism for the robot. All three agreed that the design process involves “thinking of strange designs and then being able to prototype them.” They also discussed the general process that they have already completed with regards to the robot. The team begins by analyzing a game strategy and thinking about what they want to accomplish with their robot. The whole team then thinks of and visualize their designs using CAD. Later, the team will build prototypes in trying to choose a final design; careful consideration and analysis of these prototypes help the team eliminate or develop certain ideas. The rest of the season is then used for building and fixing the robot.
