FIRST Robotics 2025 - Report One

And so it begins.

I probably won't hold to a linear narrative of this year's build and competition season, things happen at variable speeds and on multiple levels.  But for the moment, lets look at a few pictures from the first week of the build season.

Monday

Remarkably the first prototype for our main "manipulator" was virtually designed in the 48 hours after kickoff and a temporary plastic prototype cut during the school day.  It of course needed bearings, wheels, axels, etc, but by the end of our first work session it had been assembled and tested to very promising results.

While designs are being finished there are always multiple things that must be done.  Every year we have to construct elaborate field elements to practice with.  This year there is steel pipe involved.  Our team is fortunate to have a significant pool of adult volunteers.  About a half dozen who are in the trenches almost every session, and another half dozen for niche jobs.  Here "Grandpa Ken" is helping with field element construction.  

Tuesday

We have the three 8th graders on the team often working together as a unit.  Here they are taking one of our left over bumper sets - kitted out with a base and wheels - to explore geometry of a catchment device.

This year's game involves putting sections of PVC pipe onto various levels of iron pipe.  Quickly and accurately.  And as we shall see....there are obstacles.

Thursday

Said obstacles are these big, clumsy inflated balls.  They need to be removed.  So, will the device used to manipulate the pipe sections somehow deal with these?

Well that's encouraging.  The device in use above is designed to place the PVC pipes.  For actually picking them up another device is being prototyped.  It will scoop 'em up off the floor or off a shelf and hold them steady for the smaller grabber.  Testing on that should happen on Saturday.

Here's the two gadgets, one half finished, in their working configuration.  Stay tuned.

So to make a long post shorter, the team is off to a good start.