When doing my weekly updates on the hectic FIRST robotics build season I sometimes go back to previous years....where were we at? How confident did I sound? It can be sobering...
So here's a few images from Week Two (of practically speaking, five) to get 'er done.
Base frame and elevator assembled. Additional supports and braces were added the next session.
In the background are various other things including the field element we interact with and the two main manipulator devices in prototypical form.
In the software room a version of Helios, last year's robot, is our test bed for new and updated electronics, and to go forward with more sophisticated vision tracking. Note the camera looking back at you. The robot being mobile, and still under iffy control, it has temporary bumpers made of some foam we did not select for later use. I call this "Helios the White", and was pleased that at least a couple of the students got the Tolkien reference.
This year the robot weight limit is 115 pounds. We are at 85, but don't have everything piled on the scale yet. The nuts, bolts, wires, and who knows what else always add up. Stay tuned, you'll see this view again. We've been burned before, so our scale now has a sign on it:
We'll have some fun Youtube video up in a couple of days, showing our prototype mechanisms takin' care of business with the objects they are designed to handle. Perhaps the best way to close out the week is with an elevator now ready to be rigged with cable and motors...
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