READ OUR PORTFOLIO FOR THIS YEAR! It contains all that we have done over the year and is a good summary of our year. It’s available here.

This year, our challenge for my robotics class in school, was a game called Freight Frenzy, sponsored by Amazon (because of course it was). The game was a lot more organization, delivery, and automation-centered. The game centered around taking cargo to certain places, in the fastest, most efficient way possible. You also could score extra points by parking your robot in certain places.

If you want a better explanation, watch the game animation, available here.

Our Team⌗

Last year, our team was a mix of 8th and 7th graders. I was a 7th grader. However, our program for middle school has switched to FLL, we would still have an FTC team, but that would be for advanced kids. The others would do FLL, as an introductory to robotics.

Our team was comprised of i8th graders who were on the FTC team last year, (besides Luis, because he was too old for FLL. He did learn very fast though.)

Engineering⌗

This year we had 2 iterations of our robot.

Our first one was very long and big. Unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures to show, or else I would. But you will just have to trust me.

We created a gripper with some rubber bands and some basic TETRIX pieces, and we attached it to a bar that had a motor directly attached to the end.

This gave way to 2 big problems:

  1. The base was too long, and the bar was too short.

    We solved this problem by turning the bar into a linear slide. So it could extend out to reach in front and could reach very high. About 1.25 meters up.

  2. The motor we used to control the arm’s up and down movement did not have enough torque.

    In retrospect, this wouldn’t be such a problem, right? Just gear it down, or use different-sized sprockets and chains to get the same effect. And it wasn’t, we just had different plans.

After our 2nd meet, we took a vote, on rebuilding or trying to improve the robot we have. We voted to redesign our robot.

We went with a smaller, more rigid design, with a 4 bar arm.

The chassis looked more like a square compared to the rectangle we had earlier. The arm actually would lift due to a chain we set up, and our gripper had rubber bands that would wrap around the object because the cargo had different shapes. It was tight, yet conformable.

I’m very happy with our redesign. It was a lot faster, more efficient, and overall better.

Programming⌗

This year, We made an Android library designed to make programming easier, called FTC Layer.

I have gotten a lot better at programming, so this made something like a library a feasible project.

A big problem with modern programming in FTC is how hard it is. Programming with FTC kinda throws newbies into the deep end. Some high school teams do not run their first meet, because they can’t figure out how to make their robot move, and that sucks.

So something that makes programming, easier, and makes some complicated research into a couple lines of code you copy of a docs site, is a godsend.

Last year, we had no idea how to do computer vision. Thankfully, an experienced high schooler helped us with commuter vision. (Thank you, Logan.)

While computer vision is not yet supported, making EasyOpenCV, even easier is great for rookie teams.

We also, with the help of the amazing Jack Crane, set up a documentation site, containing information on how to install FTC Layer, and how to use it to your advantage.

Outreach, and helping our community⌗

Our school has a program called Snack Shak 4 Kids, that distribute food, and other essentials to kids in need.

We held a change drive, in which grades 6th through 8th would donate, and if a grade reached $150, said grade would get a long lunch.

Overall, with the change drive, we raised about $250. We donated that money to Snack Shak for them to buy and distribute essentials to kids from our schools, such as shampoo, razors, and other toiletries.

We reached out to a local team in the area, and they came over to our school and we discussed CAD, and our game strategies, so we could all grow.

And finally, why this year was a hectic nightmare⌗

This year was the first year where I really had to step up. Last year I still had to work, but we had a lot more people, 13 to be exact. This year we had 6, and we only had 5 for the first month.

While this year was kind of hectic, I’m still glad I did robotics. It was a learning experience, and while hectic, still an overall good one.