F.I.R.S.T ROBOTICS Competition
Introduction
For four years in high school, I was an active member of the FIRST Robotics team. We competed in various tasks including building robots to collect objects and shoot balls into targets. One project I worked on was designing and constructing a collection robot to pick up large rubber balls called "cargo" and deposit them into upper and lower bins in the center of the playing field.
Design
I collaborated with teammates to brainstorm, prototype, and test designs for our collection robot. Using CAD software like Solidworks and Autodesk Inventor, we modeled and simulated the robot's mechanisms to optimize functionality. My responsibilities included designing the chassis structure using engineering calculations for strength and rigidity. I worked on the collection and shooting mechanisms, applying kinematics and robotic arm design principles for precision. I helped integrate sensors, motor controllers, and programmed feedback control systems for accurate positioning during object collection and shooting. Spatial reasoning and trajectory planning were key as we had to account for the robot's movements within the playing field.
Skills
3D modeling and simulations with CAD software (Solidworks, Autodesk Inventor)
Mechanical design and fabrication techniques
Application of kinematics, robotics, and control theory
Electronics design, sensor integration, motor control
Programming microcontrollers (C++, Java) and embedded systems
Understanding dynamics, and trajectory planning for robotic manipulators
Deliverables
Our team's build resulted in a highly capable collection robot that could efficiently navigate, collect the rubber cargo balls, and accurately deposit them into the designated upper and lower bins using calculated trajectories. The shooting mechanism I helped design used kinematics and dynamics modeling to allow for precise trajectory calculations to score by shooting balls into the target basket.
