FIRST Robotics 2019 - Countdown to Launch

Tomorrow the hectic FIRST robotics season begins in earnest.  It always starts with a flourish, FIRST keeps the details of each year's "game" top secret until a big reveal video at Kickoff.  

Various hints of course are given.  This year's game is called "Deep Space" and it features Boeing as a big time sponsor.  So probably it won't be Rain Forests or Submarines.

There is also a "teaser" video.  In past years these have contained useful clues along with a lot of static.  This year it is so generic that I'm not sure it helps at all.  Here's a link to it on YouTube if you are interested:

Hmmm.  Not much to go on.

We have had a few pre-season meetings and I've tossed out some quick design challenges to the team based on what I figure we might be asked to build.  Others have engaged in the more extensive and arcane discussions that FIRST always generates...and always ends up with the never to be realized prediction of a "Water Game" played in some kind of swimming pool.  This will happen....never.

So, my 2019 predictions.  On Monday I'll give my predictions the grades they will have earned.  I'll probably be using a red font to do so.

1. I figure we will have to open and close doors.  The central theme is a space station. Airlocks are important.  And it is a fun concept to work on when dreaming up robot components. Not really.  But there are hatch covers to place.  Sort of like doors.

2. Many years it is necessary for your robot to pick something up and launch it.  I'm not that excited about this one, our sole attempt at a launcher a few years ago was not very impressive.  (Although we learned things, which was the point of building it).
Again, partial credit.  We have to pick up big soft "playground style" balls.  But it looks more like placing them than launching.  Happy to be wrong on that.

3. Some kind of bumpy terrain.  Craters, hills, whatever.  Likely not too extreme as it is necessary to keep the game something that rookie teams can play on some level. Of course as rookies we came up with a robust solution for rough terrain.  This was an accident as we effectively built a steel tank for the one year in which durability was the absolute key... No, unless you count a sort of Olympics Awards Podium that can be climbed at the end.  

4. Dramatic end game.  This is a safe bet.  The game developers have done a good job in recent years creating a clock ticking, eye catching, sometimes match deciding final element.  I'll go out on a limb here and say there will be a suspended object at least 15 feet above the playing field that we have to "reach" in one fashion or another. Nope. Just wrong.