Our Robot for PowerPlay had 3 main teams. Notebook, Mechanical, and Programming. Each team was divided into smaller sub-teams to work on the Robot. Each team worked really hard on our Robot, creating the entire robot from scratch, all the way from the top to bottom. Below is more information on our Robot, and all the teams that created the NiskyRobo-Warriors PowerPlay Robot!

Programming

Tele-Op

For the teleoperated period (Tele-Op), our development was based off of the foundations of the 2021 - 2022 Freight Frenzy Robot. Previous seasons taught us that optimizing the ability for the driver and operator to performs is a very important part of gaining points in FTC. Therefore, this year we placed more emphasis on creating controls that were centered around the preferences of the driver and operator. We added some new features, such as a straight-movement assist for the driver, as well as joystick-controlled adjustment of the linear slides for the operator. We also improved the experience for our drivers by switching from our older logitech game pads to newer dual shock controllers.

Autonomous Systen

We structured our autonomous period to be able to cater to the diverse array of possible alliance teams. We built flexibility into our autonomous programs by creating different paths, which we can switch between depending on the position that we decide with our alliance partner and our signal sleeve. Our current strategy involves using computer vision to park in the area corresponding to the signal sleeve. We structured our autonomous period to be able to cater to the diverse array of possible alliance teams.

Main Frame

To start the frame, we took inspiration from last year’s compact and fast moving design, in addition to this we also used some of the materials. We used an aluminum frame to construct the base and frame of the robot. This frame served as a starting point for other components for the robot such as the wheels, REV hubs, and intake system. After securing these parts, the frame was ready for the linear slides team to attach the slides. To affix the linear slides, we placed metal plates on the sides of the robot, drilled holes into them, and then secured the slides to them. This year, the frame is smaller so it could better maneuver the obstacles in the playing field. The frame design went through many iterations as our goal was to condense and shrink the overall size of the robot in order to increase its speed. The frame was the key part of the robot that housed all of the other parts and was the representation of our combined efforts from the frame, linear slides, and intake team.

A notable challenge we faced when constructing the frame was how we would incorporate the intake system into the robot. In order to collect and raise the cones above the ground we need to construct an efficient, accurate, and precise intake system. Our intake system is a 3D printed horse-shoe like shape which is attached to the linear slides in order to place the cones on top of the yellow poles. The intake system functions like so: the horse-shoe shape is lowered underneath the cone, scoops up the cone, raises the cone to the appropriate height, and drops the cone on top of the pole. A problem we encountered was that the horse-shoe’s width was too thin which was causing the intake system to fail. We solved this problem by using a more robust 3D printing filament and making the legs of the horse-shoe thicker.

Linear Slides & Claw

We decided to use intake anf lifting systems we have used in the past, because we are familiar with these components and what needs to be done to keep them efficient. However,we kept an open mind and tried to come up with other designs/ideas such as complaint wheels to suck cones into our claw, an elevator system to lift the cones while negating the need to turn but all those ideas were subpar or would take too much time and effort compared to our current design. Additionally, we improved upon our previous designs as they have proven to be inferior to competitor's robots from their years. We purchased brand new linear slides and replaced the loose, somewhat tangled string which had gotten unstrung multiple times in previous competitions with tight, organized string that we have had no issues with. We also improved the claw by 3-D printing a claw tested to pick up the cones as efficient as possible with wheels laced inside to grab cones without them sliding away.