Learning to Build Robots

We don't build our brand new competition robot until January, but in the meantime we've been working on making some changed to our robot from last year as a way to teach our new members about building robots. We drove last year's robot in a school assembly a few weeks ago, and we noticed that the drive train we were using had a very difficult time turning on the gym floor, and later the concrete floor of our shop. During competitions we drive on carpet, so the wheels weren't an issue, but we figured it would be useful to change the wheels to omni-wheels, which would let it turn really well on any flat surface.

The Robot (Named Mjolnir, after Thor's Hammer)

Over the last few weeks we made several major changes to the robot. In order to better access the electronics, we removed the arm that we used last year to cross ramp obstacles in competition, since we wouldn't really need it any more. That way we could mount the bridge in a more secure position and actually reach the ports on the RoboRio.

In addition, like I mentioned earlier, we replaced the regular wheels we had before with omni-wheels so it could turn properly on hard surfaces. Our regular wheels wouldn't let the robot turn without skidding because there was too much friction when you try to move the wheel sideways. The omni-wheels have smaller wheels built in to the edges so it can move freely in any direction.

To do all these changes, we needed to completely dissemble both sides of the drive train. Also, the new wheels were slightly different smaller, so we had to create new spacers to let the wheels fit in without too much slop.

Front: Jahad
Back (Right to Left): Jonathan, Wesley, Mikhail, Julian, and Thomas

These high-schoolers, some of whom had never even touched an allen wrench before this school year, practically replaced every part on that robot, in some cases more than once. They've already learned many new skills and have a much better understanding of robotics and engineering in general. We will begin going over electrical aspects of the robot, as well as get a chance to program the robot within the next few weeks. With all this practice, we will be more than prepared for build season when it comes!

-Jonathan Hacker