The name for this year’s robot has been chosen! In keeping with the tradition of naming our robot after Greek Gods, our team unanimously decided this morning upon the name Hermes. Here is a little background on this name:

CORE successfully bagged the competition robot on Tuesday night, and thus ending the build season for 2014. As the team transitions into competition prep, the mechanical group is working on finishing the second robot so our driver’s can start practicing. Also, the programming sub-team is waiting for the robot to work on code while Controls is wiring the robot, working closely with mechanical students. Other non-robot related sub-teams are preparing for the Wisconsin Regional. Chairman’s is working on the Chairman’s presentation and video, while the web design sub-team is pushing out a new update to CORE’s website. As a team, we are getting ready to perform our best for the Wisconsin Regional, and carrying the momentum from previous weeks into the competition season.

Students and mentors collaborate to meet the build season deadline.

With under three hours until the robot must be bagged and left untouched until competition, work at CORE has reached an incredible level of excitement. While school was dismissed early yesterday and all after school activities canceled, the team is still at a good place today. Mechanical is currently finishing several final touches on the robot and preparing to pass it off to controls for testing and observations. Final pictures and measurements are being taken in anticipation of a month of waiting and nerves before competition. Chairman’s has been very busy recently as well, with robot spec booklets to complete, sponsor panels to create, a speech to write, and a video to create. The scoutegy sub team is currently preparing to train new scouts for competition, and website has exciting updates planned specifically concerning the safety section of the website. Be sure to check out the competition page of the website for specifications on this year’s robot, and stay tuned for pictures of the completed robot!

Here at C.O.R.E. the work goes on. Media is creating slide shows of our lovely team. Bumpers is fabricating (with fabric) their easy color switch design. Controls has put in network cabling to connect wiring on opposing sides of the robot and is currently running hosing for pneumatics. Programming is working on vision and detection of the hot goal. Mechanical is working on the robot’s six wheeled tank drive as well as a catcher. CAD is adding a blocker to their models and putting on a few finishing touches. Last but not least, safety is keeping everybody safe. Happy day of build everybody!

C.O.R.E., or more specifically our CAD sub team, is working non-stop to create computer models of all robot parts. It is a daunting task, as the robot is constantly being worked and reworked. CAD often needs to change their models as the thoughts of the mechanical team are turning over one new leaf after another. Also, props to mechanical for all of their efforts. In the past week they have met multiple times outside of scheduled attendance, totaling about 20 hours in extra hard work and dedication. They pore over printed models while becoming one with the gear boxes. Currently, mechanical maintains that the robot’s drive train is close to completion and they expect to begin working on actuators soon.

While the wheels are turning in mechanical, programming is working on the digital side of the robot world. They collectively spend their days coding for subsystems such as shooter, wheel, blocker, and drive. They test their code on a previous robot, patiently waiting for the chance to work this year’s robotic treasure. Through the subtle touch of symbols, numbers, and letters they can move mountains (and probably game elements).

The safety sub team is moving something entirely different. They are moving for the protection of our world’s workforce. The robotics business can be dangerous, and they do their best to spread the caution. Currently, they are training our newest safety padawan to update our safety website and prepare safety demos.

Thanks C.O.R.E. members for all of your time and good luck to all as the end of build season approaches!

This week we have been very busy working to reach our goals in terms of the programming, design, and mechanics of the robot. While we have a lot which remains to be done we are treading carefully to ensure that everything is done well. In the words of engineering project manager, Erik Orlowski, “We are a bit behind but we are taking our time to be thorough and make sure we don’t have any problems later in the season.”  In other news, the website design team has made significant progress in learning new programming languages and is ready to begin redesigning our website for this year. Additionally the Chairman’s sub team has begun contacting a number of perspective sponsors and working on this year’s Chairman’s essay.

Week two is coming to a close and C.O.R.E. is working hard to  prototype, design, and CAD our designs. We are also contacting sponsors, creating a scouting database, updating our safety database, and taking care of a variety of other matters of business. Some of our newest members are setting about learning how to do these things. From beginning programmers to beginning drivers room 108 is bursting with open minds.

With another year brings another consensus. This is a process we C.O.R.E. people use to make some initial team wide decisions. It requires that everyone on the team either agrees with, or can live with, a proposal. Eventually, consensus brings the team to a basic robot concept/design which the mechanical, electrical, and programming sub teams will use to create a final product. However, before getting to that point, our team must first talk strategy. We use a few days to go over all of the game’s possibilities and weight their importance. Then, with the most important aspects in mind, team members and mentors submit concepts to be discussed by the team. Currently, we are down to three possible basic robot designs and will soon be choosing a final. Additionally, we have also decided on our type of drive train using a decision matrix from Team 1114, Simbotics (thank you) which gives the different drive types values for how well they rank in categories such as agility and strength.

Welcome to the 2014 season!

Here at South High School, and at WCTC, kickoff has just begun for C.O.R.E. 2062. The game is Aerial Assist, and it involves throwing a two-foot diameter track ball into goals at the end of the field. Extra points are awarded for the robots on a three robot alliance that assist in getting the goal. Additionally, alliance members will be attempting to toss the ball over a six-foot high metal truss in the center of the field, and possibly catch it on the other side. Soon we will be designing a robot to maybe do just this sort of trickery, and the excitement is quickly mounting. As I type this,  conversion is running absolutely rampant through room 108.

Here’s to hoping that no robots will be crushed by the falling balls, and here’s to our future robot’s design! GO C.O.R.E!

Here is this season’s pre-season CAD models.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_CE1K8YUTq4RXBMSzExWEJNRTQ/edit?usp=sharing