Building The Game Bot: Day 4 and 5

Day 4:
We have basically finished our robot.  We made a slight modification on the arm's gears.  We also scrapped the rubber band idea.  We also did some test runs.  For some reason we didn't add a second column BR's to the axles.  This will be tomorrow's goal though.

Day 5:
Today we quickly added those BR's.  We had a small chance between our competitions.  We won every round!

Building the Game Bot: Day 3

Today, we tried attaching the arm to the body.  This didn't work, because the bot was top heavy, making it tip over.  So before we could test (due to the end of the hour), we put the arm sideways.  Hopefully, this will provide a stable way to pick up the tennis balls and footballs.  Our goal for tomorrow is to test the robot's stability, and then do some practice games.

Building the Game Bot: Day 1 and 2

Day 1:
Today we finalized our concept and we started building the base.  We also started the arm, but we didn't get very far into building the mouth.

Day 2:
Today we finished the base, and started working on the mouth and arm.  We are having a little bit of a problem with the grips.  We plan to put a plate under the mouth for a kind of platform for the balls to rest on.

Build Reflection

The best part of our robot was the back conveyor belt. It did a good job at keeping the tennis balls in the track, on their way to the basket. We could have put the mouth of our robot on a stable holder, instead of a free flapping hinge. Our next build will do okay. The crane neck will be difficult to sort out, and will have problems. We plan to have a big pincher on the end of our robot. The major problem we will have with this pincher is weight.

Free Build #2

Our free build is a bit iffy right now. We are on the idea of an arm that sucks up the tennis balls and puts them on a conveyor belt to the basket. The major problems we are crossing right now is getting a working arm to bring in the tennis balls. We plan to move the wheels further out for a farther range. Our budget is pretty good, around 110 shoebucks, even after the expensive conveyor belt links. Group Question: Our group is working together quite well. Not many fights are had, aside from the occasional crazy Cyrus rant. Jenny is very good for coming up with ideas. Cyrus is good for building structured frames. Andre is a good driver and screwing in the tiny bolts and screws.

Relay Build

This time limit challenge was stressful, but was a unique twist to a regular build. Sectioning the bot was an important thing to help us succeed and not waste time on picking up where another person left off. We probably would have sectioned it even more to maximize efficiency in our creation process. Working with a partner made the process incredibly faster. It allowed mistakes to be prevented and fixed faster. It also helped us win the awesome motor.

Free Build

We picked a direct drive train for our robot because we wanted to make it small. We also didn't need to go to fast through the course, so we focused on turning more than speed. The direct drive allowed us to have two, strong wheels. I don't believe there were any disadvantages to this drive train in the situation. If we were to put this bot into a race, we would have probably come in at last place due to no gearing. I think our bot was perfect as it was, other than the trouble we had with the faulty mini battery-packs.

Shoebucks?

Tumbler Vs. Protobot

Creating an inventory for the tumbler was stressful. I myself made a few mistakes, and had to redo the part I did. The protobot with its more lax inventory rules made it much easier. Since we have already gotten the hang of it, it was much better. When building the tumbler, we had a few problems with the placement of some of the screws and we ended up having to take it apart to move a couple things. When we got around to the protobot though, we made sure we were much more accurate. The tumbler had a very stable, easy to repair/tighten structure. For some reason on the protobot, the pieces kept falling off, even though we tightened them as much as we could. The build is also more complex so it takes a bit longer to find what is broken/loose and repair it. I don't think there is much we could have done differently to make the bot better.

Building the Tumbler: Day 2

If I could go back and change our inventory, there would be some changes I would make. I would make sure I got the motor extenders. We also took the wrong pieces. I'd also make sure to check all the pieces over again to see if I got the right ones.

Building theTumbler: Day 1

Today we finished collecting all of our parts for the build (Yet we still forgot/mistakenly grabbed around 4 pieces). After a few errors like this, things finally started rolling. Cyrus and I started the construction of the left half of the car, while Andre and Jenny worked on the right half. Some of the picture steps were at a confusing angle, but we still figured it out. The team is doing well. Tomorrow we hope to finish the robot.

Robotics in Careers

What career paths are you looking into?: I am interested in a few careers. One career I am interested is being an artst. I like to draw and create stuff that I find interesting. Although this is more of a hobby. The second career I am interested in is getting into crime scene investigation. I find it interesting on how you can find so much data and narrow down the possiblities just by thin traces of oil on a random object in the room.- How might you see robotics in your career?: For artists there may be automatic paint fillers so you don't have to worry about refilling the paint pallet if you are busy. Another thing for artists is machines that clean brushes and sharpen and refine pencils. It'd be useful to not have to worry about cleaning up. You would need to know how to use the buttons on the machine, and it would be good to know what part needs to be fixed or replaced. For crime scene investigation, you could have an on-the-scene machine that would automatically test multiple samples, to save time. How might you interact with robotics/automation in your career?: You would need to push the buttons/ pull the levers of the machines. It would be much easier for artists to not get paint over everything, and keep things clean. For the investigators, it would save a lot of time and be easier for everyone.

History of Robots

1495: Leonardo made complex sketches of human-like robots.- 1913: Henry Ford made a conveyor belt assembly line for building cars.- 1930's: The development of toy robots like the wind-up started.- 1957: Sputnik was launched by Russia.- 1964: IBM mass-produced the first computer- 1997: IBM created a computer that won against world chess champion Garry Kasparov.- 2008: The Roomba vacuum robot became a huge success.- Today: iPhones and other smart phones sit in the bottom of the pocket of almost every obese American, used for 2 dollar games and texting friends, and not for an actual, productive use.

Robotic Job Opportunities

Robotic Technician: A 2-year associate degrees in robot technology is required for this job. Usually engineers and technicians work together, with the technician being an assistant. Many robotic engineers work in the electronic robotics field.*** Robotic Engineer: A bachelor's degree is required for this job. Usually engineers and technicians work together, with the technician being an assistant. Engineers are responsible for creating and designing, testing, and fixing glitches or problems with their robots. Many robotic engineers work in the electronic robotics field.*** Both robotic engineers and technicians make robots that help with weapons, mass production, surgeries, and safety. Also, both engineers and technicians are responsible for maintenance, testing, welding, and programming.

What is a Robot?

I think that robots are machines that automatically perform repetitive tasks. An example of this could be a car-building machine. A robot could also be something as simple as a blender, or a calculator. Robots do not need to be electronic to be classified as a robot.

Profile Assignment

I interviewed Andre James Harder. He was born in Omaha Nebraska. His hobbies are writing and video games. He has 2 dogs. One day, Andre wishes to major as a business manager, to manage an Asian company that makes clothes. I interviewed Derick Zanger. He was born October 25th, 1996, in Detriot. His hobbies are Tae Kwon Do and boyscouts. He is a senior. He is more mechanical, or he would rather make robots than design robots, when it comes to building robots. I interviewed Gabe Lacki. He was born in Texas. His favourite colour is blue. He is a Junior. His hobbies are board games, reading, and walking. I interviewed myself, Asa Pierce. I am a sophmore. I was born on September 7th, 1998, in Michigan. My hobbies are drawing and video games. My favorite colour is purple.