Week Two Recap

The mechanical subteam for 111 disassembled their gear boxes to clean them and reassembled them. They have also been working hard on their CAD (computer-aided-design) which shows models of what they want the robots to look like in software. They are close to finishing their CAD and are hoping to have it done soon so they can start building more of the larger components. 112 on the other hand has taken a different approach to complete their robot. They have been both building and working on their CAD at the same time. 112 has finished their drive base, and a large portion of their CAD. They have finished the CAD for their launcher and drive base. The drive base has been tested, and it runs! They are planning on working more on their CAD next week, and starting the construction of their shooter.

The software subteam for 111 has been working on manipulator and shooter programs to carry and move cargo on the field. They’re waiting for the mechanical subteam to decide which one to use in the meantime. 112’s software team has been working on coding with Java. They’ve been learning the basics and being taught different concepts of it. During this time, they’ve been looking at codes from past years to help get a better understanding of it. Their goals for the future are to be able to code on their own.

Team 111’s electrical subteam hasn’t been able to make much progress this week as the drive train for their robot is still not yet complete. They have still been productive as they worked on making sure that our bins are organized so that later in the season their workflow can be more efficient and they won’t have to scramble looking for parts. They also have been working on helping mentor students on 112 as they get their drivetrain working, sharing their experience working with wiring for robots. Once mechanical finishes the drivetrain, 111’s electrical subteam will be able to wire everything together and make sure it works. The electrical subteam for 112 has been working on the drive base. They created the motor sheet which will map out where the motors are, what their purpose is, and how they’re going to be wired. They also have installed essential components for the robot to run such as the battery, and roboRIO to communicate with the drive team, and other necessary equipment. They also will be working on moving those systems onto a permanent bed as it is all currently placed on a temporary one while the team is still prototyping its components. They also have to ensure their work won’t break the robot!

The strategy subteam, with students from both 111 and 112, has completed their smart stats. Smart stats are the ratio and percentages of the game, for example the amounts of shots taken to cargo being scored. This project starts our new scouting app WildRank. Although this app has been in the works for a few years, this is the first year when movement is actually taking place and the app is expected to be used during competition season. After finishing the smart stats part of the app, strategy moved onto debugging. This process of improving WildRank will continue throughout the build season. Since the smart stats are done, there isn’t much to do until competitions begin. The strategy team is eagerly awaiting week 0 competitions, as a real competition is the best way to make sure WildRank is the best that it can be. During these week 0 competitions, the WildRank app will be used as if WildStang and Plus One are actually competing, to test out strategies and practice scouting, which is the entire idea of WildRank. They are very excited for the future and are looking forward to competition season to work out the bugs of their app.

The communications subteam, which also includes students from both teams, has started off strong. They wrote the week one recap you might have read, the Rapid React game overview, and filmed both 111 and 112 getting started on their robots. This upcoming week they hope to establish 112’s social media presence and incorporate 112 into the wildstang.org website. The communications subteam also plans to write the week 2 recap (you’re reading it right now!) and create new graphics for WildStang Robotics Program to incorporate both 111 and 112 into the website. They will also continue to film and take photos throughout the week so we can share them with you when build season is over!