109Z

Our design process starts with analyzing the game. We determine what points and firms of scoring are worth pursuing and which ones are not. After determining what methods of scoring we are going to pursue, we start brainstorming and prototyping.. We always start with the chassis. What type of chassis is it? What are its dimensions and are there any right spaces we need to fit in? The dimensions and type of chassis generally form the largest constraints on the rest of the robot as everything is built on the chassis. After determining the type and size of our chassis, we begin prototyping various different mechanisms for scoring. Depending on the year these range from double reverse four bars to catapults. Finally, after coming to a decision on what type of mechanism we will be using on every part of the robot, we CAD our final bot. Using CAD helps to visualize how each subsystem fits together before we build it and also makes sure that every brace we put in place actually lines up. Once the CAD is done we build the robot over the course of about 4-5 days. After completing the build of the robot, we enter the testing and programming phase of our design process. Our driver gets a ton of practice driving the robot before the competition and finds any problems or things we may need to adjust through this process. Additionally, our programmer starts working on autonomous. The final step is attending a competition. This is the highest level of stress the robot will endure and tends to bring up the most problems. After every competition we assess how we did, what we can improve, and what needs to change on the robot. Depending on the number of things wrong, we either make small changes to the existing robot or completely rebuild.