Our objective ... capture ideas, approaches, and lessons learned for future Pirate Robotic teams to build upon.

Topics include:

• Training Approach

• Defining our season approach which includes:

  • Strategy selection

  • Concept sketch development

  • Prototypes approaches (pictures, videos, data, & lessons learned)

  • Design decisions

  • Build process concepts

  • Programming objectives to accomplish competition tasks

  • Robot testing

• Media, Marketing & Fundraising Initiatives

• Team Handbook

• Robotics Engineering Class Documentation

• STEM Camp resources

• Program Administration

Quick Links:

1. FIRST At A Glance

2. FIRST Annual Impact Report

3. Resource Library, FIRST Impact

4. The FIRST Longitudinal Study: 10 Years of Follow-up Data, Final Report. Brandeis University. September 2024.

5. Transforming STEM Outcomes: Results from a seven-year follow-up study of an after-school robotics program’s impacts on freshman students School Science and Mathematics – November 1, 2022.

6. Impacts of After-School Robotics Programming on STEM Interests and Attitudes American Educational Research Association - April 13, 2018

7. Do After-school Robotics Programs Expand the Pipeline into STEM Majors in College? Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research 9:2 (2019) 1–13

Program Overview

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is an international youth organization founded by inventor Dean Kamen in 1989 that operates robotics competitions across different age groups:

• FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC): Grades 9-12

• FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC): Grades 7-12

• FIRST LEGO League (FLL): Elementary and middle school students

• FIRST LEGO League Jr.: K-4th grade

International Footprint

• 51,000+ teams worldwide with over 679,000 student participants annually

• FIRST Robotics Competition: 3,900+ teams (2,600+ US, 1,300+ International)

• FIRST Tech Challenge: 8,100+ teams (5,300+ US, 2,800+ International)

• FIRST LEGO League: 39,000+ teams (15,000+ US, 24,000+ International)

• Teams & events in 100+ countries leading to global collaboration

More from the FIRST Longitudinal Study

• FIRST alumni are more than twice as likely to report an increase in STEM interest than the comparison group.

• 61% of FIRST participants majored in either Engineering or Computer Sciences, as compared to just 26% among comparison students.

• FIRST alumni are significantly more likely to major in any STEM field (Biology, Computer Science, Engineering, Health Professions, Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Vocational/Technical fields, Robotics).

• FIRST alumni are at least twice as likely as comparison students to take Engineering or Computer Sciences courses and declare majors in either of these fields.

• FIRST participants who built the robot, provided team support, and rated the quality of the program and quality of their mentor experience as high reported significantly higher outcomes on all five STEM attitude scales (STEM interest, STEM activity, STEM careers, STEM identity, STEM knowledge).

• Female FIRST alumni are more than 3 times as likely to major in Engineering than the comparison group females.

• Underrepresented racial and ethnic groups in FIRST are significantly and substantially more likely to major in Computer Science or Engineering.

• Leadership, teamwork, effective problem solving, communication, and public presentations at an early age were mentioned most often as the skills and experiences that stuck with participants and have been used in their work lives 10 years after.

• The Core Values of FIRST, Gracious Professionalism® (“encouragement of high-quality work, emphasis on valuing others, and respect for individuals and the community” ) and Coopertition® (“embodies the spirit of competing while assisting and enabling others whenever possible”), were central themes in the interviews with female FIRST alumni.

1. Team members will act in a safe manner AT ALL TIMES. This includes during any team-related activity while traveling to team events, and during competitions.

2. Team members will be respectful of the Safety Captain(s) and adhere to any reasonable requests made by the Safety Captain(s).

3. Team members will be expected to attend a safety seminar and pass a Safety Quiz. Power tools or equipment may only be used under the supervision of an adult mentor.

4. Team members will be expected to wear safety glasses at work sites and in the pit area at all competitions. In addition, team members may be asked to wear gloves, face masks, and ear protection during certain tasks.

5. Horseplay will not be tolerated at any time.

6. All work areas will be cleaned up at the end of every day including sweeping the floors and work surfaces, putting away tools and materials, and throwing away trash.

7. Students will not socialize or linger in the workshop once the designated task(s) are completed.

8. Team members will not directly or indirectly give out personal information about themselves or other team members while using any form of online/Internet communications or media. This includes all social media (Twitter, Facebook, et al), Pirate Robotics, other FIRST teams or other FIRST-sponsored Forums, wikis or any Internet/Web/mobile device (smartphones, cellphones). As Pirate Robotics members, students’ communications through any media are representative of the team and should not negatively reflect on the team and should at all times reflect the tenets of FIRST and “Gracious Professionalism.”

Annual:

• Fancloth and/or Spring

• Applebee's Short Stacks for a Tall Cause

• Avon stuffed animals for CASA

Successful in the past:

• Dayton Dragons game

• Car Show & Silent Auction

• Applebee's Short Stacks for a Tall Cause

Past Fundraisers

Reminder about our eligibility requirements: click here

Please Note: The schedule below is for last year's (2023-2024) season. The schedule for 2024-2025 will be updated at some point during Fall 2024.

2024 Season Schedule:

Download a Copy:

Safety Quiz Review Slides

Youth Protection Program Guide (see Fundamental Safety Requirements and Recommendations)

Team 6032: Our Mission, Vision, & Purpose

FRC Culture

More than Robots

Dr. Woodie Flowers, MIT professor & FRC co-founder:

FIRST is more than robots. The robot is a vehicle for learning about science and technology, and also a process for learning about self and society. It's STEM augmented with creative thinking, critical thinking, and leadership.

What is FRC?

Under strict rules, with limited time and resources, FIRST® Robotics Competition teams use sophisticated technology to build and program industrial-sized robots to play a themed field game in an action-packed alliance format. It’s as close to real-world engineering as a student can get. Each team develops a brand, raises funds to meet its goals, and works to promote STEM in the local community. - FIRST

Learn more .

Gracious Professionalism & Coopertition

Dr. Woodie Flowers created these two core philosophies as the foundation of FRC culture.

• Gracious Professionalism: We embrace competition, but we are empathetic and kind to our teammates, competitors, and volunteers at the same time. In FRC we try hard but never want to succeed by unfair means or at the expense of others.

• Coopertition: We cooperate and compete at the same time. We are all working toward a larger mission than the competition. In FRC we share resources and parts, help solve problems or fix other teams' robots, and work together to help us all have a better experience.

FIRST Core Values

Communication

Email: All team members, mentors, and parents should check their email addresses regularly for updates and important team information.

Discord: Discord is a group messaging app used by the team to communicate with one another throughout the season. Our server name is “6032 Discord”. Updates and reminders are sent out from time to time, so team members are encouraged to "enable notifications." Ask the lead mentor for an invitation to join.

Team Website: The team website () will display pictures, news releases, the team handbook, calendar, and other information throughout the season.

Any distributed roster of the team members, parents, and mentors is designated for team use only.

Online Resources:

Pirate Robotics #6032 Website () and online documentation ()

FIRST Official Website:

The Blue Alliance (stats, history, competition live-stream and schedules):

New workshop coming in 2026 ......

Tools

Robots

Storage...and more!

Logo

• • Access all native files and multiple versions of the logo for dark backgrounds, light backgrounds, white outline, etc.

Google Slides Template

• (Click "Make a Copy" to create your own presentation).

Fonts

Colors

We have always used a cut-out frame to intake game pieces. This year, we decided to prototype an over-the-bumper intake mechanism.

4/14/2021

• We used Protopipe and VersaRollers to build a basic over-the-bumper intake for the Infinite Recharge power cells.

• This first version uses the HTD belts we had on hand. It may perform better with different sized belts.

5/4/2021

• Modified the setup to make initial contact with the ball consistent.

• The arm can rotate slightly as the ball moves through the intake. This flexibility improved performance. It just worked better!

  • Flexibility is also nice in competition because if it hits another robot or the wall, it is more likely to bend and bounce back, not break.

Students are required to attend all FIRST Robotics Competitions with the team. All meal expenses are paid by each student and adult traveling with the team. Travel itinerary and information will be provided mid-season. Student MUST attend the competitions (in their entirety) each year for two years to meet .

Expectations of students while traveling

• Be a member in good standing (see Member Requirements).

• Arrange ahead of time with their teachers to make-up any work missed (students will miss school on Thursday and Friday for regional competitions, plus Wednesday if we compete in the FIRST Championships).

• Complete all necessary paperwork for travel (all , the Consent & Release in your online dashboard at , Pirate Robotics Handbook Acknowledgement Form, Safety Form, and any travel forms such as Permission Forms and the Student Behavior Expectation Form, etc).

• Attends mandatory travel meeting(s).

• Abide by all rules of conduct for traveling with the team (to be distributed prior to traveling).

• Exhibit team spirit and “Gracious Professionalism” at all times while traveling.

• Students must travel as a team.

• Students will not be allowed to change travel arrangements or housing.

• After each event, all team members must return with the team to help unload all equipment.

This was the first year of our Robotics Engineering class.

This class focuses on individual and team growth. We take the time to try new ideas that might be too difficult or time-consuming to attempt during a normal season.

Most notably, we have never attempted any high-goal shooters before this class. Explore our Frisbee Shooters, Ball Shooter, and other prototypes from this class.

Parent Checklist

• Complete all WCHS .

• Log in or create an account at

  • Register/Re-register your student on our team (FRC 6032)

  • Accept the online Consent & Release form (look for "Youth Options"). (if you'd like directions for both of the items above, )

• Sign and return the Handbook Acknowledgement Form and the Safety Form.

Forms are available at team meetings, or

How to build FRC Bumpers:

Go to page 53 in the 2020 Robonauts Everybot Build Documentation:

How to iron on numbers:

How to mount bumpers:

We typically use these brackets:

Remember to check the rules for the bumper zone so you know how high the bumpers should be above the ground.

Game & Season Info

Official Game Manual & Team Updates:

Field & Arena:

Scoring:

Robot Construction Rules:

• Maximum starting height: 4 ft 6 in (54 in)

• Maximum height during match play: 6 ft 6 in (78 in)

• Maximum frame perimeter: 120 in

• Maximum extension beyond frame perimeter: 48 inches

• Robots may not extend beyond frame perimeter in more than one direction at a time.

• Maximum weight: 125 lbs

Bumpers:

• Bumper zone: from floor up to 7.5 inches above floor

• Each set must weigh no more than 15 lbs

Wiring:

Ideas from Previous Seasons

2016 Intakes

2481 Roboteers: Over-the bumper intake with passive auto-center, raises ball up to shooter:

1690 Orbit Intake uses regular wheels to auto center, cut-out drivetrain. Prototype:

Final Bot:

1241 Theory6 Over-the-bumper intake, no auto-center, delivers to large conveyor system

2363 Triple Helix: Over-the-bumper intake:

971 Mechanum, cutout drivetrain:

Floppy over-the-bumper intake:

2019 Intakes

Mecanum Intake with Omni wheels in center:

Roller Intake into Wheels that hold ball on its sides:

Compliant Wheels grab ball on top and bottom:

Omni Wheels on sides, Compliant Wheels in Center, structure auto centers ball:

Featurescripts

FRC has an active, helpful community of Onshape users. People have created custom features, called FeatureScripts, that are especially useful for designing FRC robots.

onshape4frc.com has on the FeatureScripts we'll use.

MKCad

There's also a common parts library, called MKCad, where you'll find things like motors, gearboxes, wheels, shafts, spacers, and so much more... Basically, all of the common parts used in FRC have already been modeled for you!

Please watch this video to learn how to use the common parts in MKCad and convenient FeatureScripts. (Thanks for the video, Spectrum!)

Follow along so you can practice using these tools!

Also, check out . This is a helpful resource with guides on how to use FeatureScripts, MKCad, design calculators, and more.

Now, you're ready to work on your design skills and start creating real FRC robots in Onshape!

Objective: Create a short (less than 5 minute) presentation about projects you have worked on and anything you have learned in this class this semester.

Helpful Tips:

• Use the .

• Use pictures, GIFs, & notes from this site.

• Add your own additional insights:

  • What you learned (what worked, what didn't and WHY)

  • Next Steps: how to improve & iterate on your project

  • Reflections on prototyping, and thinking ahead (areas for future growth)

Make it your own - as long as you are on the topic of this class and FRC, you'll do well.

Share your presentation with Mr. Neal when it's complete.

Recommended Resources

Spectrum 3847:

• http://training.spectrum3847.org

• http://spectrum3847.org/recommendedreading/

• http://cadcollection.spectrum3847.org

FRC 1678 Citrus Circuits:

• https://www.citruscircuits.org/fallworkshops.html

FRC 2468 Team Appreciate:

• https://frc2468.org/first-in-focus/

NASA Robotics Alliance

• Design Guide

FRC 971 Spartan Robotics:

• https://frc971.org/workshops

FRC 125 Nutrons:

• https://www.nutrons.com/resources

Robonauts Build Blogs:

• https://robonauts2018.tumblr.com/

• https://robonauts2019.tumblr.com/

Parts to Keep in Mind:

• Linear Servos: https://www.actuonix.com/L16-R-Miniature-Linear-Servo-For-RC-p/l16-r.htm

• Robust linear slide rails: https://www.actuonix.com/Actuonix-S9-linear-slide-rail-200mm-p/s9-200.htm

Table of Contents

History Membership Requirements

• Code of Conduct

• Reporting Process

• Student Eligibility

• Parental Obligations

• Lettering & School Recognition

Team Organization Funding and Financials Safety Team Travel Communication & Resources Checklist & Forms

Create an Account

Set up your free Onshape Educational account here: https://www.onshape.com/en/education

Where to begin?

Go to www.onshape4frc.com. Follow the instructions to install the MKCad App. This app helps us easily access parts commonly used in FRC Robot assemblies.

A good introductory project is the Skateboard project. Open this Onshape Document, make a copy, and follow the steps to model a skateboard assembly!

Onshape Self-Guided Courses

These courses are recommended. They're located in the CAD Basics Learning Pathway.

• Introduction to Parametric Feature-Based CAD

• Introduction to Part Design

• Introduction to Assembly Design

• Introduction to 2D Drawings

Next Steps

Ok, so you have completed all four courses in the CAD Basics Learning Pathway. You're ready dive a little deeper...

Continue to practice some of the most important skills by completing these courses, in order:

1. Introduction to Sketching

2. Part Design Using Part Studios

3. Multi-Part Part Studios

4. Managed In-Context Design

Those last two are especially useful for designing a robot!

Next, you'll learn all about the special ways Onshape works so well in the world of FRC. Onward!

Code of Conduct

“Gracious professionalism,” one of the founding philosophies of FIRST, is essential to team participation. “It's a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community” (www.firstinspires.org). Disciplinary actions, to be determined by team coaches and mentors, may include suspension from team activities, ineligibility to travel with the team, or removal from the team.

• Students will display “Gracious Professionalism” – the motto of FIRST – at all times and promote the ideals of FIRST.

• Students will sign an agreement and follow the same rules as dictated by West Carrollton High School, including those in regard to alcohol and chemical substances.

• Students will not violate the racial / religious / harassment / violence / and hazing bylaws of the West Carrollton City Schools.

• Students are expected to behave in a courteous and cooperative manner.

• Students are expected to be respectful of others and behave in a way that protects the health and safety of themselves and others.

• Students shall be respectful of the facilities, tools, equipment and all things being used by the team.

• Students shall not use profane, obscene or vulgar language in written, gestured, or verbal form. Pirate Robotics abides by West Carrollton City School’s Acceptable Use Policy for all communications, including all social media and Internet usage. Students' Internet/social media/online communications are team communications and will be regarded as such.

• Students visiting or working at corporate sites are guests of the corporations and must be courteous and respectful. While at a corporate site, students are expected to follow the general rules and safety rules posted at the site.

• Students are expected to keep current with team activities and requirements by checking the website, email, and any other forms of communication established.

• In the event that a relationship develops or is ongoing, there are certain guidelines that must be adhered to at all times when engaged in team activities local and away. Disciplinary actions will be taken against students who refuse to cooperate. Hugging, kissing, sitting on laps, and other expressions of affection are prohibited at all times. Handholding is strongly discouraged. The couple must also travel in a group. Couples may not wander off alone or sit alone. The couple should not appear as a couple but, rather, as a part of the team.

Reporting Process

Student Eligibility

• Students must be a high school student in West Carrollton High School.

• Students must maintain a GPA of at least 2.0 (C- average) AND may not have any F’s.

• If a student is suspended from school during robotics season, he or she may not participate in the following competition. The Code of Conduct will be referenced to determine if further disciplinary action is required. If a student is suspended twice, he or she will be removed from the team.

• Students are expected to make a significant time commitment to the team, actively participating in meetings, workshops, and events. Commitment to the team increases significantly during the months of January – March. Attendance for all meetings is encouraged. See the team schedule for official meeting dates and times.

• Students are expected to be reliable (on-time, prepared to work, clean up, positive attitude, assist newer members, responsive to mentors and other adult volunteers) and assist with fundraising and other team administrative tasks.

• Students and parents must complete the necessary forms noted in the checklist at the end of this handbook.

Parental Obligations

All parents are expected to provide additional support to the team, including chaperoning, making travel arrangements, providing meals, assisting with fundraisers, assisting with outreach events, donation of general supplies (snacks/water), and assisting team mentors as requested.

Lettering and School Recognition

The faculty advisers, with input from the team mentors, will determine which students receive a West Carrollton High School letter and/or school and team recognition awards.

Students must meet all three requirements to receive a letter:

• Students must be an active participant of the team and member in good standing for each of two years (please note the 80% attendance requirement).

• Student must attend all competitions in their entirety for each of the two years.

• Student must maintain a GPA of at least 2.0 (C- average) AND may not have any F’s.

Exceptions may be made at the discretion of the faculty advisors.

August

1. Introduction to our team!

   1. What is FRC? - Slides

   2. Team Handbook Overview - Slides

      Discuss commitment, attendance, grades, lettering requirements, gracious professionalism, teamwork, diversity & inclusion

2. Overview of an FRC Season - Slides

September

1. Workshop Safety, then “Station to Station” - Slides, Day 1 Stations How to use drills, belt sander, band saw, drill press, miter saw, crimping Anderson PowerPole connectors, "Protopipe" connectors for prototyping, "Make-Do" tools for prototyping with cardboard, 80/20 aluminum extrusions, tool chest organization, components in bins, types of motors

2. Continue last week's “Station-to-Station” training, including all power tools & equipment - Slides

October

1. Engineering Design Process (JVN) then Prototyping competition 1 (Wind Turbine)

2. Prototyping competition 2 (tennis ball launcher, day 1)

3. Prototyping competition (tennis ball launcher, day 2)

4. CAD day

November

1. Programming Day

2. Electrical & the FRC Control System

3. What to expect at Kickoff, preparation for season, schedule reminder, 90% attendance reminder, check to make sure all forms are signed and returned, Final Forms complete, signed up on firstinspires.org, joined Discord, joined Remind, receiving Mr. Neal's emails.

December

1. Mock Kickoff if we have time

Budget

FIRST requires its teams to secure funding from corporations and other business sponsors. For this reason, funding for Pirate Robotics comes from these sources:

• Corporate and Educational Sponsors: Corporations, education-related and other non-profit organizations that donate funds. This constitutes the majority of the funds. Our sponsor levels for the current season are noted in the Sponsor Information Packet on the sponsorship page of our website.

• Fundraising Campaigns: Pirate Robotics will conduct multiple fundraisers. Students are required to fully participate in all fundraisers. Requirements will vary based upon the event or campaign.

• Individual Team Members: food costs and other miscellaneous costs (example: purchases made at events or traveling) are all funded by the team member. The typical cost per student is $100-200 for the season.

Pirate Robotics deeply thanks its Corporate Sponsors for their ongoing support of our participation in the FIRST Robotics Competition. Every year, our team must solicit corporate sponsorships and donations to support a $20,000+ budget to design and build a competition-ready robot.

Learn Java in 3 Hours - Bill Barnum

Beginner-Friendly Guide by Team 167

This is another great place to begin - A guide created by team 167.

Codecademy

Explore Java in more depth on Codecademy.

Deep Dive With Team 4627

Apply some of these skills to FRC robots. I highly recommend this series of videos.

Official FRC Documentation

WPILib is the official & best resource when you're ready to work on the robot.

Note that three programming languages are commonly used...LabVIEW, C++, and Java. We use Java.

Romi Course

(One day we might buy some Romi kits to practice programming)

Grant Applications

Overview

• Our Mission: To spread the values of FIRST by providing young people in our community with high-impact STEM experiences.

• Our Vision: We will build an inclusive team by valuing diversity, doing the right thing, and treating everyone with kindness, fairness, and respect.

• Our Purpose: We're here to inspire the next generation of STEM leaders and creative problem solvers.

Pirate Robotics is a team of students from West Carrollton High School in Dayton, Ohio. We participate in the FIRST Robotics Competition. Every year, our team designs, builds, and programs an original robot to compete in a new, exciting, and complex game.

Mentorship: During the season, students work with mentors who are professional engineers, scientists, and businesspeople from the Dayton area. The mentorship aspect of our program leaves a lasting impact on our students.

More than Robots: One of our team slogans is "More than Robots." We create meaningful experiences that provide opportunities for growth beyond the technical skills students must learn. Students become leaders in their community by organizing programs such as our summer STEM camps and numerous outreach events.

Demographics:

• Ages 14 - 18

• 30 students: 13 female, 17 male.

• 53.58% of students in our school district qualify for free or reduced lunch. Data from ODE

Budget:

• Our total annual budget is $32,000.00

• This includes registration for at least 2 competitions (one local, one out-of-town), robot parts, tools, and travel expenses.

• Competitions are 3 days each.

Financial support to our team will be used to help register for competitions, purchase robot supplies and tools, and cover some of the travel expenses incurred while competing out-of-state.

Every year, we see how impactful this hands-on, mentor-based experience can be for the young people in our community. The experience is inspiring. Upon graduation, many of our seniors describe their time on the robotics team as the most important part of their high school experience. We are creating special opportunities that will ignite our students with a passion for STEM, teamwork, and creative problem solving.

I invite you to explore the pictures on our website (www.wcrobotics.org) to see the kind of experience these students are describing. The season is fun, highly competitive, and high-impact. Students learn more than how to build a robot. They develop as leaders, work as a team, network with future colleagues, and foster a positive sense of self.

Thank you for your consideration.

For more information about our team, please visit www.wcrobotics.org. For more information about FIRST Robotics, visit please www.firstinspires.org.

Social Media Handles:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robopirates6032/

• Instagram: @robopirates6032

• Twitter: @robopirates6032

Our Progress

• We are prototyping a small, two-stage telescoping arm.

Materials:

• Stages:

  • Base: 1" Poly Pipe

  • Stage 1: 3/4" Poly Pipe

  • Stage 2: 7/16" Dowel Rod

• 3D Printed End Caps Onshape Link

• Tape Measure

• 3D Printed Spool for Tape Measure: Onshape Link

4/29/2021

• After some trial and error with the 3D printed fittings, assembly is starting to come together.

5/11/2021

Worked on the tape measure spool, and determined it needed a cover to help make sure the tape was contained and did not unwind too much.

Onshape link to the spool & cover

5/12/2021

• The "proof of concept" is there, but we learned a lot, and would make many changes.

• Tape measure is flimsy and this method does not reliably extend the tape measure. Extending the tape measure works, but not very well.

Inspiration

Another effective & simple climber:

Game & Season Info

General Design Rules:

• Maximum STARTING CONFIGURATION Height: 4 ft. 4 in.

• In the HANGAR ZONE, maximum height 5 ft. 6 in. During match play, the robot may not exceed a height of 4 ft. 4 in. except if it is in the HANGAR ZONE.

• Maximum FRAME PERIMETER: 120 In.

• Maximum extension beyond FRAME PERIMETER: 16 in.

• Maximum weight: 125 lbs, excluding bumpers and battery.

• Robots are not allowed to catch CARGO from the UPPER EXIT, deliberately or not.

• Make sure the robot can fit through a doorway.

Bumpers:

• We will use bumpers that protect all sides and corners on the robot.

• If we cut out a section of the frame, there must be AT LEAST 6 in. of frame from each corner.

• BUMPER ZONE: from the floor up to 7.5"

• Bumper weight limit: 15 lbs

• Bumpers constructed of 3/4" Plywood, width 4.5 - 5.5 inches.

Wiring:

General Game Play Notes:

Climbing:

• G208: If a robot is contacting MID, HIGH, or TRAVERSAL RUNGS, you're protected from contact.

• G208: Robots must stay out of the opponent's HANGAR ZONE during the final 30 seconds of the match.

• No rule prevents a robot from starting to climb before the last 30 seconds of the match.

Autonomous:

• Pre-Load 1 CARGO.

• During AUTO, do not cross over to the other side of the field.

• The HUMAN PLAYER can shoot CARGO into the UPPER HUB from the TERMINAL AREA - only during AUTO.

Teleoperated:

• No "straddling" the LOWER EXITS.

• We are allowed to hold 2 CARGO at a time.

• Robots are protected while contacting their own LAUNCHPAD.

• CARGO may only be introduced into the ARENA by a HUMAN PLAYER through the GUARD on the TERMINAL.

Scoring:

Arena

Our Robot Will...

• Pick up Cargo from the floor, possibly while bouncing.

• Hold 2 Cargo.

• Score Cargo in the (upper or lower?) Hub.

• Score from the Fender or close to the Fender.

• Climb to the Low and Mid Rung.

• Be able to play defense.

Spectrum Protopipe

We are using , designed by team 3847 Spectrum. This system uses 3D printed brackets and 1/2" PVC to quickly build and test ideas. It's inexpensive and versatile.

Group 1: Monday/Wednesday

2/3/2021

• Demonstrated proof of concept. It worked!

• Need to use stronger wheels (higher durometer) because the green wheels were visibly expanding at high speeds. This could lead to delamination and is unsafe.

• The frisbee only flew about 5-10 feet at these speeds before we became nervous about the wheels becoming unsafe.

2/10/2021

• Used motor brackets that had two supports to make the motors more rigid.

• Used one blue wheel (moderately stiff) and one black wheel (most stiff).

• Rigid setup was important.

• We think the green wheels would be better because they have more grip & make more contact with the frisbee. However, they are unsafe because they expand significantly at high speeds, and risk flying apart. So we decided to use stiff wheels (for safety) and increase compression of the frisbee by moving them closer.

2/24/2021

• Increased compression of frisbee.

• Experimented with wheel spacing. Wheels should be close together.

• Rigidity of entire mechanism is very important.

• All of the above adjustments led to improved results.

3/8/2021

• The Frisbee hit the target!

• Tested different wheels. We had the most success with a .

• MiniCIM motors at maximum speed (~6200 RPM). This wheel is rated for 2000 RPM. This presents a safety risk. We need to ensure safety by enclosing this mechanism.

• The wheels need to be at least a little soft to get a good grip on the frisbee during launch, but not too soft or you run the risk of delamination.

• Results from different wheels:

  • : Too stiff, not enough grip on the frisbee.

  • : Too soft, worried about safety (nervous about delamination of the wheel at high speeds).

  • : Good stiffness, decent backup, but the Banebots version of this wheel works better due to the geometry of the wheel.

  • : This is the same wheel used on the KitBot chassis. Worst wheel that we tested because it had the least amount of grip on the frisbee. Even when we increased compression, it still did not grip it well enough for a decent launch.

Group 2: Tuesday/Thursday

The group decided this layout would not work because the frisbee would not be given any spin. It would just be "chucked" without rotating. In order for the frisbee to fly, it would need to be launched while spinning.

2/25/2021

• Successful launch, proof of concept!

• Experimented with varying wheel speeds (2nd wheel faster than 1st wheel). More experimentation needed to determine if this is better than having both wheels at full speed.

• Used 3M high grip tape on the outside of the wheels to try and increase the friction between the wheel and the frisbee.

• Adjusted compression of the frisbee.

Day 1: Intro to Java Programming - Slides, Video

Day 2: Intro to FRC Control System and Installing WPI Lib Software - Slides part 1, Slides part 2, Video

Day 3: Beginner FRC Programming 1 - Slides, Video

Day 4: Beginner FRC Control Loops & Elevator Simulation - Slides, Video

Java Cheat Sheet

Click to download

All important dates and deadlines: registration, FIRST Choice, payment deadlines, event dates, championship dates, etc.

Registration fees and payment deadlines

FIRST Payment Terms

Prototype Bot

This bare-bones robot features a full control board. We can connect prototypes, test new programs, and practice driving.

FRC Motor Testing

...with a PWM Generator

This setup allows us to run motors by manually creating a PWM signal and sending it to the motor controllers, effectively bypassing the RoboRio. This way, we don't need to write any code (we don't even need access to a computer) to use motors in our prototypes.

We use Servo Motor testers to create a PWM signal. (Servo Motors, just like our motor controllers, accept a PWM signal). You can find them on .

Use the 5V 500mA output from the VRM to power the servo controller. The output of the servo controller connects to the motor controller's PWM input.

We've gotten this to work well with with Victor SP and Victor SPX (the CAN wire on the Victor SPX works as a PWM input - green is ground, yellow is your signal). This will probably also work with SparkMAX controllers, but you have to connect the SparkMAX to a computer and use the SparkMAX software to set it to PWM mode.

As an alternative, the does the same thing. It is powered by a 9V battery instead of a VRM or another power supply.

Pneumatics

We use this pneumatics module to test ideas and learn about how an FRC pneumatics system works.

Spectrum Protopipe

We enjoy using Spectrum Protopipe to quickly build and test ideas. Huge thanks to Team 3847 for creating a prototyping system that's inexpensive and easy to use, and for sharing it with the FRC community.

Check out our .

HYPEBlocks

Created by Team 5254, these 3D printed blocks clamp on 1x1 or 1x2 tube (or 80/20 extrusions). Great for prototyping. For example, easily adjust the position of a shaft or motor by sliding it along the tube. Check out their

HYPEBlocks, Pirate Style

We use modified HYPEBlocks to mount motors or bearings. Attach one to an 80/20 extrusion or clamp a pair together over any 1"x1" square tube (using #10-32 SHCS & nuts). Mounting holes work for VersaPlanetary Gearboxes, CIM, NEO, and Falcon 500 motors.

Examples:

Access the . Dimensions are optimized for printing on a Makerbot Replicator Mini+.

MakeDo

is a convenient system of tools & screws to easily work with cardboard. A nice way to build fast and communicate ideas.

Plus, you can 3D print parts that are compatible with MakeDo:

• for Scru

• for Scru

3D Printed Parts

Helpful to have on hand:

• Hex Shaft Collars (one-piece, clamping, no hardware required):

• Hex Shaft Collars (two-piece, balanced, tighten with 1/4-20 SHCS):

• Snap-on spacers for 1/2" hex shaft:

• Printable GT2 Pulleys:

• Microsoft LifeCam HD-3000 Webcam Mount:

• RoboRio Pin Protectors:

Inspiration

Check out these great prototypes that we can learn from.

"You don't have to prototype everything...just whatever you want to work."

Check out the prototypes in the first 30 seconds of this Team 254 recap video:

Purpose:

• To explore shooter design concepts in FRC.

• To develop an adjustable shooter prototype that can be modified for different game pieces.

V1: Double Shaft Configuration

Design Notes:

• 80/20 structure is rigid and adjustable.

• Bearings and motors mounted to frame with 3D printed brackets (modified ).

• Large Colson wheels (4" x 2") will hopefully provide grip and sufficient angular momentum. Wheels can be easily swapped out.

• Falcon 500's with a CIM Mount, 1:1 VersaPlanetary

  • 1/2" Hex VP output with shaft coupler (shown)

  Or

  • VP Universal Female Output with female 1/2" Hex adapter

• Adjust wheel speed with . Slower on top and faster on bottom should increase the angle of release and give it some backspin.

• Consider adding side guards and a feeder ramp (wood, lexan, cardboard, ...) for safety and so balls are fed in a consistent manner.

• This could be modified as a hooded shooter, and modified for different sized game pieces.

• Access the for more details.

3/23/2021

• When mounting anything to a Falcon 500 motor, you need to use very short screws. 0.5" is too long because it will bind with the motor internally.

  • Use #10-32 SHCS, 0.375" long to mount a CIM adapter to a Falcon.

3/24/2021

• Proof of concept

• Next steps:

  • Adjust wheel speeds to "dial in" on a target and evaluate consistency.

  • Consider adding to shafts, see if that impacts consistency & range.

3/26/2021

• The flywheels gave us a more consistent shot when sending many balls in succession.

• Students adjusted shaft speeds to aim for a specific point on the wall. They started with slow shaft speeds and increased the speed of each motor one at a time, dialing in on the target.

• Next Steps:

  • Integrate this mechanism onto a robot.

  • Work on ball intake.

  • Work on ball storage & how to feed them into the shooter.

4/15/2021

• Integrated the Shooter onto a prototype robot.

• Feeder mechanism supplies balls to the shooter wheels.

  • Already have some backspin before entering the shooter - this is good.

• Next Steps:

  • Continue to "work backwards" & think about how balls can be fed into the feeder mechanism. Maybe from the front of the robot, or maybe behind the wheels.

V2: Hooded Configuration

Design Notes:

• Similar to the Double Flywheel version above, modified by removing one shaft and replacing it with a hood.

• May need to use second motor and/or speed it up with a belt & pulleys.

• Insert dowel rods in holes or use long standoffs/churro/thunderhex. Fasten a flexible polycarbonate sheet to the dowel rods to create a smooth hood.

• Adjust compression and release angle by using different holes for the dowel rods.

Inspiration

Team 5013 Trobots

This shooter uses two sets of wheels. You can control release angle by adjusting the speed of the top and bottom wheels.

Ri3D Team 1.0

Here is a prototype version of a similar idea to team 5013.

3847 Spectrum

is made with Protopipe.

2706

This design features a simple over the bumper intake, low profile, and shooter with a non-adjustable hood.

5712 Gray Matter Robotics

1690 Orbit

This team was able to adjust the angle of their entire shooter in order to adjust the release angle.

6328 Littleton Robotics

Team 6328 has an amazing shooter, with available in Onshape. We can learn a lot from these details in CAD.

Schedule

For more details, click here.

Materials

Robot Olympics

Detailed Plans, based on VEX template (Link to Google Doc):

Day 1

1. Students Install VEXcodeIQ on their Chromebooks.

2. Students build the Autopilot configuration with their kits. This may take about an hour.

After building:

1. Pair the controller with the robot brain.

2. Students practice driving the robot with the controller.

3. After practicing, students can compete in a few games of Robot Soccer! Click here for the rules. Teachers, set up the field ahead of time. Use tape and tennis balls.

4. For the rest of today's time, complete the Level Up activities on page 2 of the rules for Robot Soccer.

When there is 15 minutes left in the session:

• Teacher may need to update the firmware in all kits, otherwise the programming abilities may not work on the Chromebooks.

• Have the students plug everything from their kits into the brain.

• Follow the directions here or in this video:

Day 2

Drive Forward and Reverse STEM Lab

1. Students already built the Autopilot robot yesterday, so they can jump straight to the "Play" section to begin programming.

2. In VEXcodeIQ on the Chromebooks, students click File - Examples - Templates - Autopilot (Drivetrain)

3. Follow the steps under the Play and then Rethink pages of the stem lab.

Turning STEM Lab

1. Complete the Play and Rethink sections of the stem lab.

2. Emphasize how to save programs into one of the 4 slots in the brain.

Extension:

1. Teacher sets up an obstacle course. Can students pre-program their robots to move from point A to point B while avoiding obstacles?

2. Which group can do it in the shortest time?

3. Can groups design an attachment to push/pull one or two tennis balls through the obstacle course?

4. Teams "joust" against one another:

   1. Team A builds something to push a tennis ball forward (must be to the right of the robot)

   2. Team B builds something that is supposed to knock the tennis ball out of Team A's robot. Could be designed to scoop, poke, or push the ball.

   3. Both teams drive forward and see who wins the joust!

Day 3

Note: Instead of aluminum soda cans, use the colorful plastic VEX blocks.

Speedy Delivery STEM Lab

1. Students modify their robots into the Clawbot design. (recall the 3 ways to find buildig directions from day 1)

2. Complete the Play and Rethink (Package Dash) sections of the Speedy Delivery STEM Lab.

Extension:

1. Bonus Challenge: Add sounds for when the robot is backing up and lights from the Touch LED to indicate when the robot has picked a package up and placed it in the loading dock.

2. Increase complexity: Add more packages (cans) that the robot must pick up! Multiple rounds can be played.

Day 4

Loop There it Is STEM Lab

1. Students complete the Play and Rethink sections.

Extension: Add sounds from the brain and colored lights from the Touch LED to make your dance routine even more exciting!

To Do, or Not To Do STEM Lab

1. Students complete the Play and Rethink sections.

Day 5

Clawbot with Controller STEM Lab

1. Students complete the Play and Rethink sections.

Robot Shot Put

Robot Relay Race

Notes from 2021 Camp

Week 1

• Day 1: Build the autopilot configuration and drive with the controller

• Day 2: Program the autopilot to drive through a maze

• Day 3: Build the Clawbot and drive it with the controller. Have a competition! Race to grab more blocks than the other group (hungry hungry hippos)

• Day 4: For the first hour, some students finish building their clawbots. Some students can choose to program their clawbot to navigate a maze. Others can compete in hungry hungry hippos.

Week 2

• Day 1: Build the autopilot configuration (most groups finished). For the last 45 minutes or so, play a game:

  • Four robots start out in a corner of a large square. Three tennis balls are placed in the middle of the arena. The object of the game is to push a tennis ball into an opponent's corner. If a ball reaches your corner, you're out. Play 1-minute matches, anyone who's out sits out the next game so new teams can join. The matches are quick so that if you lose, you can re-join soon.

  • Optional: Add blocks to the middle of the arena as obstacles.

  • Optional: Teams can build attachments to the front of their robots to make it better at pushing the tennis balls.

• Day 2: Finish building the autopilot, or at least add the Gyro sensor (it just has to be vertical). Learn how to code so the robots can navigate various mazes.

• Day 3: Build the Clawbot! Some groups may not completely finish, and will need to finish at the begining of day 4.

• Day 4: Finish building clawbots, Hungry Hungry Hippos and other games with the clawbots!

• Day 5: Part 1 - Program the clawbots to navigate mazes. Part 2 - Modify the clawbots to carry as many cubes as possible. Compete in the arena to collect as many cubes as you can!

Game & Season Info

Official Game Manual & Team Updates

CRESCENDO - Season Materials

Field & Arena:

Scoring:

Robot Construction Rules

Our Workshop

Frisbee Shooter Prototype

Ball Shooter CAD & Prototype

Over The Bumper Intake Prototype

Telescoping Climber Prototype

3D Printed HYPEBlocks...Pirate Style

Student Leadership

Team Captain

• A mature, responsible, and positive leader who oversees, but does not micromanage, all operations. Ensures all subgroups are operating effectively. Monitors progress of all groups. Anticipates potential issues before they become a problem. Keeps up with FIRST weekly updates () and is an expert of the season’s game, rules, and field. Frequently reads Chief Delphi () to keep a pulse on what other teams are doing throughout the season. Communicates relevant game updates and rule changes to the team. Inclusive philosophy. Encourages, inspires, and leads by example. Savvy strategist. Resolves disputes. Willing to assist any sub-group with anything at any time. Attends all meetings. Most importantly, the team captain is easy to work with and exemplifies the most positive qualities of our team.

Head of Engineering

• Oversees the design, build, and test phases of the robot throughout the build season. An expert on game rules, robot rules/requirements, and conducts research to become an expert on other team’s robots (via The Blue Alliance, Chief Delphi, YouTube, and other team’s social media postings). Ensures the mechanical and programming teams are progressing effectively. Anticipates and helps solve robot design issues. A safety expert. Helps make a bill of materials (BOM) and calculates robot cost. Attends all design sessions, programming sessions, build sessions, and other robot-specific meetings.

Head of Marketing

• Oversees all operations related to the imagery, outreach, and brand of our team. An effective leader who will seek creative ideas from the team before offering their own. Understands that no idea is a bad idea when trying to be creative (even the crazy ones may lead to something great), but can help guide the group to create and execute a successful plan. Ensures all PR/Marketing efforts are on track and able to succeed.

More Roles

CAD Team Members

• Think of design ideas and model them in Onshape. The CAD team may work in small groups, with each group focusing on one mechanism (ex: Intake, Launcher, etc.). By the end of the season, the CAD team will have created a full, detailed design of the robot in Onshape. The CAD team anticipates design issues throughout the season and proactively presents ideas to solve them. Their goal is to communicate a realistic vision for the design of sub-assemblies, and to show how they will integrate into a full, working robot. Always thinking about how the next step in the build process will work.

Build Team Members

• Members of the build team know how to stay safe in the workshop. They understand the importance of safety, cleanliness, and organization. The build team prototypes as many ideas as possible to learn what works and what does not. Sometimes, things that sound easy are hard, and things that sound hard are easy. We learn by building prototypes. As the season progresses, the design of the robot narrows, and the build team works with the CAD team to build the competition robot. All members of the build team value teamwork, and they understand that the process (design/build/test/repeat) is more important than any single idea.

Programming Team Members

• The programming team uses Java to program our robot. Programmers always save and back up all versions of code/projects properly. Programmers know that their programs never work the first time, and always require a little debugging. This is a normal and expected part of the process. Programmers work on autonomous and tele-operated modes. They work with the drive team to ensure the joystick/controller can be used in the most effective way based on the drivers' preferences.

Marketing Team Members

• Outreach: Some members of the marketing team organize and run our outreach events. They ensure that each team member has an important job to make every outreach event a success. They are creative and passionate about providing high-impact STEM opportunities to our community, and they love to inspire others to explore the excitement of STEM.

• Awards: The marketing team also creates a creative plan and apply for desired awards. They keep track of deadlines to ensure all materials are submitted on time. They work with the judging spokespersons and other members of the team to execute a plan to compete for desired awards. Must possess excellent writing skills.

• Judging Spokespersons: Friendly, well-spoken, knowledgeable experts who will talk to the judges as well as other team’s spokespersons while at competitions. Remains in the pit during their designated shifts, ready to talk to anyone who stops by. Spokespersons are experts on our robot, how it was built, team organization, outreach events, and team history.

• Web Designer: Maintains the Pirate Robotics website () and keeps it up to date with pictures, videos, results from competition, awards, and more.

• Videographer: Records video during outreach events, fundraisers, workshop build times, competitions, and more. Creates videos and posts them to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Creative and passionate about sharing our team’s positive energy with the world.

• Social Media Specialists: Takes pictures throughout the season to document the entire process of designing, building, testing, and competing with our robot. Skilled at capturing the team’s excitement and sharing it through multiple promotional videos and pictures. Posts to the team’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube accounts. Interacts with other teams via social media.

Scouting Team Members

• Scouters & Strategists: Develop a strategy for succeeding in upcoming matches while at competition. Helps the team make design decisions from a game strategy perspective. Forms a “pick list” at competitions. Highly organized and able to develop and recognize creative strategies for game play. Friendly with other teams. Familiar with the capabilities of all robots at a competition.

Safety Captain

• Ensures the workshop and pit are always safe, clean, and organized. Recognizes and fixes situations and behaviors which are potentially unsafe. Creates and updates the safety manual. Leads the effort to compete for the safety award while at competition.

Drive Team

A drive team will be selected based on skill, merit, leadership, responsibility, and the ability to stay calm under pressure. The drive team will be an exemplary representation of our team while at competitions. They will work with other teams to form strategy and will represent the city of West Carrollton with pride. The drive team must be experts on the game rules, numerous strategies, and be knowledgeable about other teams. Most importantly, they must always exemplify Gracious Professionalism at competitions.

• Drive Coach: The leader of our team while on the field. Works with other teams and their field coaches (who may be adults) to form a strategy for the alliance.

• Driver: Primarily operates the robot’s drive train during a match.

• Operator: Controls the robot’s numerous mechanisms during a match. The driver and operator must be able to anticipate one another’s actions and will work as a single unit.

• Human Player: Responsibilities change depending on the rules of the game. Human players typically provide extra help with game pieces and communication during a match.

• Technician: Pushes the robot cart and works with the rest of the drive team to prepare the robot for matches (ensures we have the correct bumpers before every match, checks the robot for issues before and after matches, etc.).

Summary of Competitions & Awards

Visit our page on The Blue Alliance for a complete history of competitions and awards.

2024: Crescendo

The 2024 team was led by Team Co-Captains Nahom Giorgis (senior) and Jacob Pecore (senior) with mentors David Maciupa, Michael Neal, Joe Neyhart, and Norb Schertzer. The WCHS Faculty Mentors were Ms. McGuff (Marketing), and Mrs. Reynolds (Marketing).

We competed in the Miami Valley Regional at the Cintas Center on the campus of Xavier University. Our record was 3-8, and we finished in 47th place out of 50 teams. Although team 6032 did not make the playoffs, we were very proud of our robot. Most notably, this was the first year our team built a "high goal" launcher.

2023: Charged Up

The 2023 team was led by Team Captain Aiden Davey (senior) with mentors David Maciupa, Joe Neyhart, and Norb Schertzer. The WCHS Faculty Mentors were Michael Neal (Engineering), Ms. McGuff (Marketing), and Mrs. Reynolds (Marketing).

We competed in the Miami Valley Regional and the Greater Pittsburgh Regional. At the Greater Pittsburgh Regional, we were ranked as high as 4th place late in the competition! Team 6032 finished the event in 22nd place out of 48 teams.

The highlight of this year's robot was its swerve drive chassis. It was our first year competing with this type of drive train. This was an enormous leap in mechanical, electrical, and programming complexity. In addition, the robot featured a tube-and-gusset style construction (also for the first time). This was only possible thanks to our advances in CAD.

2022: Rapid React

The student leadership team was led by Team Captain Aiden Davey (junior). Key mentors included John Durham, David Maciupa, Joe Neyhart, and Norb Schertzer. The WCHS Advisers were Michael Neal (Engineering), Ms. McGuff (Marketing), and Mrs. Reynolds (Marketing).

Our only competition this season was the Greater Pittsburgh Regional. The Miami Valley Regional was not held this year.

We were very proud of our robot this season, especially the two telescoping climbing arms that were used to consistently score points during the endgame. The telescoping arms, as well as the mechanism that moved our main intake, represented significant increases in the engineering quality of our robot compared to previous seasons.

After our competition, we built our first ever swerve drive chassis. We used Swerve Drive Specialities MK4 modules with NEO motors, a Pigeon 2.0 IMU, and CANCoders (encoders) on all modules.

2021: Infinite Recharge At Home

Our sixth season was rather non-traditional due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All in-person competitions were canceled by FIRST, and school policies limited in-person gatherings.

Fortunately, this was the inaugural year of a new elective course, Robotics Engineering.

A small group of students who participated in this class built numerous prototypes, pushing our team to accomplish more difficult tasks that we typically don't have time to attempt in a normal season. It was a year of incredible growth.

Check out some pictures and videos from the class.

2020: Infinite Recharge

The student leadership team was led by Team Captain Ryan Brown (senior, class of 2020), Head of Engineering Chase Adams (junior, class of 2021), Head of Marketing Zoe Bowman (junior, class of 2021), and Head of Scouting and Program Management Ashton Davey (junior, class of 2021).

The drive team consisted of Driver Layton Schroyer (senior, class of 2020), Operator Mason Lyons (senior, class of 2020), Drive Coach Chase Adams (junior, class of 2021), Human Player Zach Fourman (junior, class of 2020), and Technician Ryan Brown (junior, class of 2020).

Key Mentors included Bruce Fourman (ESI Electrical Contractors), John Hinch (Norwood Medical), and Joe Neyhart (SAS Automation). The WCHS advisers were Mr. Neal (Engineering), Mrs. McGuff (Marketing), and Mrs. Reynolds (Marketing).

Our first competition was the Miami Valley Regional, where we finished the qualification round with a record of 5-4 in 25th place. We did not make the playoffs, but we were proud of our ability to consistently climb. Here are some highlights from MVR:

• Friday (Qualification Round Day 1) was incredible - we finished the day with a record of 5-1 in 9th place out of 60 teams!

• Saturday was less fortunate, as we finished the tournament with an overall record of 5 - 4 in 25th place. Unfortunately we did not make the playoffs.

• Teams noticed our 3-ball autonomous program, skilled driving, and ability to climb. We learned that our robot can hang even if we are the only robot on the low side of the switch. In many of our matches, we were the only robot to successfully climb!

• Although we didn't get picked for the playoffs, numerous teams visited our pit to learn about our double power-cell intake and climbing mechanism.

• Judges visited our pit at least three times, impressed by our unique power-cell delivery system and our long list of marketing team initiatives.

• Most importantly, our team showed gracious professionalism all weekend long. Teamwork, collaboration, and positivity are at the core of all FIRST events. Our team members represented West Carrollton with pride.

Although we were registered for the Greater Pittsburgh Regional, the COVID-19 pandemic cut the season short.

2019: Destination Deep Space

The student leadership team was led by Team Captain Ryan Brown (junior, class of 2020), Head of Engineering Chase Adams (sophomore, class of 2021), Head of Marketing Zoe Bowman (sophomore, class of 2021), and Head of Scouting and Program Management Ashton Davey (sophomore, class of 2021).

The drive team consisted of Driver Layton Schroyer (junior, class of 2020), Operator Mason Jones (junior, class of 2020), Drive Coach Jake Pierce (sophomore, class of 2021), Human Player Zach Fourman (junior, class of 2020), and Technician Ryan Brown (junior, class of 2020).

Key Mentors included Bruce Fourman (ESI Electrical Contractors), Jake Townsend (Dayton Progress), and Lt. Michael Rynders (US Air Force). The WCHS faculty advisers were Mr. Neal (Engineering), Mrs. McGuff (Marketing), and Mrs. Reynolds (Marketing).

Our first competition was the Miami Valley Regional, where we finished the qualification round with a record of 8-1 and an overall ranking of 5th place. This was the first time we entered the playoff alliance selection ranked in the top 8. We were the third overall pick in alliance selections, chosen by team 4028 The Beak Squad. We flew through the playoffs undefeated until the finals, where we won the first match but lost the last two. Our overall record was 13-3 and we were recognized as Regional Finalists. We won a Wildcard as the top pick of the “runner up” alliance, which gave us entry to the FIRST Championships in Detroit.

Our second competition was the Greater Pittsburgh Regional, where we finished qualifications with a winning record of 6-4, ranked 15th overall. We were the 10th overall pick in alliance selections, chosen by team 4027 Centre County 4H Robotics (the 2018 World Champions in Detroit). We were eliminated in the quarterfinals by an alliance led by team 48, who went on to win the competition.

At every regional competition, our goal is to make the playoffs. It’s truly an honor to invited to join another team on their playoff alliance, and this is the second year in a row we have accomplished that goal!

Finally, we traveled to the FIRST Championships for the third time in four years. We competed in the Archimedes division and finished with a rank of 30 and a winning record of 6-4. We did not make the playoffs, but we were proud of our best-ever performance at Worlds.

2018: FIRST Power Up

The third season of Pirate Robotics was advised by Mr. Neal (Engineering) and Mrs. McGuff (Marketing).

The student leadership team was led by CEO Hannah Nibert (junior, class of 2019), VP of Engineering Colton Burchett (sophomore, class of 2020), and VP of Marketing Mason Jones (sophomore, class of 2020).

Mentors for this season included Alex Berger (Wright Paterson AFB), Alex Burchett (student at Sinclair and alumnus of Pirate Robotics), Colin Pierce (GE Aviation), Bob Smithson (United Technologies), Sam Studebaker (student at Wright State University), Jake Townsend (Dayton Progress).

This season, Pirate Robotics focused on being the best support robot instead of attempting to do everything. After analyzing the game and considering our team’s experience and resources, Pirate Robotics saw an opportunity to build a valuable support robot that could fill the vault and protect our side’s switch. We did not worry about climbing or putting cubes on the scale.

At the Miami Valley Regional, Pirate Robotics finished the qualification round in 45th place overall, but 2nd place in total vault points. This drew the attention of scouters, and 6032 was chosen as the 7th overall pick in alliance selection. We were the first “support bot” to be picked. Our alliance was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the playoffs.

At the Greater Pittsburgh Regional, Pirate Robotics finished the qualification round in 35th place, and 2nd place in total vault points. Once again, scouters recognized 6032 as an effective support bot. We were chosen by team 303 to join their 2nd seed alliance in alliance selection. Our alliance won the regional, earning Pirate Robotics their first blue banner!

Winning the Greater Pittsburgh Regional gave Pirate Robotics a bid to the 2018 World Championships in Detroit. 6032 competed in the Curie division, where they finished in 3rd place for total vault points. The Pirates were proud of how well they executed their strategy of filling the vault while protecting the switch. It was an incredible experience to compete against so many fantastic teams at such a high level, and the Pirates can’t wait to earn another trip to the Championships!

2017: FIRST Steamworks

Pirate Robotics began their second season with great enthusiasm from many new team members. The team more than doubled in size, and a new student-leadership system was established. Pirate Robotics was led by CEO Deidra Mullins (senior, class of 2017), VP of Engineering Bradley Sears (junior, class of 2018), VP of Marketing Sydney Green (senior, class of 2017), and VP of Program Management Tyler Frost (senior, class of 2017).

Key mentors included Mr. Jake Townsend from Dayton Progress, Alex Burchett (student at Sinclair and alumnus of the Pirate Robotics program), Colin Pierce from GE Aviation, and Cody Marshall.

Pirate Robotics also moved their operations into a new permanent workspace which was formerly a maintenance and storage room in the High School.

The team competed in two regional competitions – the Miami Valley Regional at Wittenberg University and the Buckeye Regional on the campus of Cleveland State University.

Pirate Robotics finished the Miami Valley Regional in 43rd place and a record of 3-8. Pirate Robotics was honored to win the Team Spirit Award at the Miami Valley Regional.

At the Buckeye Regional, Pirate Robotics finished in 41st place with an official record of 4-5.

2016: FIRST Stronghold

Pirate Robotics #6032 was founded in 2015-16 by staff and students of West Carrollton High School. The following students were part of the “rookie” team:

• Chase Bartram (Class of 2016)

• Anthony Briner (Class of 2016)

• Alex Burchett (Class of 2016)

• Brian Dinh (Class of 2016)

• Austin Kinton (Class of 2016)

• Jake Shockley (Class of 2016)

• John Woodman (Class of 2016)

• Griffith York (Class of 2016)

• Sydney Green (Class of 2017)

• Dean Mason (Class of 2017)

• Deidra Mullins (Class of 2017)

• Kenny Bryslan (Class of 2018)

• Bradley Sears (Class of 2018)

Advisers:

• Lead Adviser: Mr. Michael Neal

• Assistant Adviser: Mr. Michael Scott

Pirate Robotics #6032 began their rookie year without a tool or location to build. Through the generous sponsorship of Dayton Progress, all of the tools were provided for the build season as well as support from mentors. DMax also provided a team of engineers as mentors that rotated in throughout our build season for our students in addition to financial sponsorship. The team borrowed a table from the industrial technology room and placed it in the scene shop behind the auditorium stage and established a temporary room for the build season. The goal of the first year was to design and build a robot that could be competitive in the one competition we anticipated attending, the Buckeye Regional Robotics Competition in Cleveland.

The Pirate Robotics #6032 team had an outstanding performance at their first robotics competition. After 9 qualifying matches they ranked #12 out of 58 teams and were the highest seeded rookie team. Going into the semifinal selection process they were chosen 4th in the first round draft. Only 24 teams made it to the semifinals and Pirate Robotics #6032 was the only rookie team to advance this far in the competition. Pirate Robotics #6032 won the Rookie All Star Award and the Highest Seeded Rookie Team award.

The Rookie All Star Award is the most distinguished award for a first year team. This award gave Pirate Robotics #6032 an automatic entry to compete at the FIRST® World Championships in St. Louis, Missouri. The team ranked in the top 15% of teams in the world going into the World Championships. Pirate Robotics #6032 competed well in the World Championships and were able to learn from the other teams there from over 35+ countries.

Schedule

For more details, click here.

Materials

Mission to Mars

Resources from Vex.com:

Detailed Plans (link to Google Doc):

Day 1

Intro to Bilding (labs 1-3)

Lab 1 - Kit Introduction (40 minutes)

1. Storybook (and teacher's guide)

2. Slideshow

Students follow along to build the mini astronaut (J.O.S.H.) using their kits. Learn about about the tools, parts, & organization of kits. Discuss the 4 types of components: Electronics, Structural Components, Fasteners, & Motion Components. How do these work together to make up a robot? Why do we need all 4 types? What if one was missing - would the robot work?

Lab 2 - NASA Flagpole (40 minutes)

1. Slideshow

"Our first project is to build a flagpole for our Astronaut to place on the surface of Mars." Discuss Beams, Pins, and Standoffs. Similarities, differences, how they work together. Students practice using the 3 features of the pin tool. (puller, pusher, & lever) Students explore building and disassembling. Engineering is an "iterative" process, which means you are supposed to try as many different ideas as possible! Students get creative and build different types of flagpoles.

Lab 3 - Launchpad (40 minutes)

1. Slideshow

Instruct groups that they are going to design and build a launch pad that will connect their GO Tile together with another group's tile.

"How many of you have walked across a bridge before? What was it like? Have you been across a bridge that felt wobbly or unstable?" We want our Astronaut to safely get to their spaceship across the launch pad. Launch pads are similar to bridges because an astronaut must walk across the launch pad to get to the spaceship. We need to use balance and stability to get their astronaut safely across the launch pad.

Extension - Tallest Tower Activity

• As time allows

Day 2

Intro to Bilding (labs 4-6)

Lab 4 - Spaceship (40 minutes)

1. Slideshow (for inspiration and context; students design their own spaceships)

Discuss the engineering design process (use the handout) Part 1: Students design and build their own spaceship that leaves the astronaut exposed (like a convertible) Part 2: Students design and build their own spaceship that encloses the astronaut. Students use the engineering design process organizer and blueprint to document their process.

Lab 5 - Mars Buggy (40+ minutes)

1. Slideshow

2. Lesson Plan, step by step!

Demonstrate and explain wheels and axles to students including how they attach, detach, and interact with one another using the Lab 5 Slideshow and pieces from the kit. Students will first be building a buggy with functional wheels and then expanding their design to incorporate gears. Because this is a free-build Lab, encourage students to use trial and error. No test will be successful in the first round.

Lab 6 - Mars Base Build (40 minutes)

1. Slideshow

2. Lesson Plan

Groups will design and build a base for Mars. The base should protect the Astronaut from the environment while providing enough space for them to move around. They can build any design that they want, the only constraint is that they can only use pieces from the VEX GO Kit (minus the electronics) to build their Mars Base. Get creative! Each group should use their Engineering Design Process Organizer to plan their build.

Extension - Chain Reaction Activity (as time allows)

Day 3

Code Base

Lab 1 - Remote Control Robot (40 minutes)

Students will build a robot and practice remote-controlled driving.

1. Slideshow

2. Code Base Build Instructions (students access via Chromebook)

3. Lesson Plan, step by step

Lab 2 - Code and Drive (40 minutes)

Students will program the robot to complete the slalom course autonomously.

1. Slideshow

2. Lesson Plan, step by step

Lab 3 - Using the LED Bumper (40 minutes)

Students will use their first output device (LED) and sensor (bumper) on their robot!

1. Slideshow

2. Code Base, LED Bumper Build Instructions

3. Lesson Plan, step by step

Lab 4 - Color Disk Maze (40 minutes)

Students will use the Eye Sensor to sense colors detect objects.

1. Slideshow

2. Code Base, Eye Forward Build Instructions

3. Lesson Plan, step by step

Day 4

Mars Rover Surface Operations

Lab 1 - Collect a Sample (40 minutes)

Students will pretend that their Code Base robot is a Mars Rover. They will build a project in VEXcode GO to drive and collect a sample with the Code Base rover.

1. Slideshow

2. Code Base, LED Bumper Top Build Instructions

3. Lesson Plans, step by step

Lab 2 - Collect and Bury Mission (40 minutes)

1. Slideshow

2. Lesson Plans, step by step

Mars Rover Landing Challenge

Lab 1 - Detect Obstacles (40 minutes)

1. Slideshow

2. Code Base, Eye Forward Build Instructions

3. Lesson Plans, step by step

Lab 2 - Clear the Landing Area (40 minutes)

1. Slideshow

2. Lesson Plans, step by step

Day 5

Mars Rover Exploring Mars Geography

Lab 1 - Collect a Martian Rock Sample

1. Slideshow

2. Code Base - Eye + Electromagnet Build Instructions

3. Lesson Plans

Lab 2 - Study Your Martian Rock Sample

1. Slideshow

2. Lesson Plans

Lab 3 - Sort Your Samples

1. Slideshow

2. Lesson Plans

Lab 4 - Planetary Geologist

1. Slideshow

2. Sort All - VEXcode GO Blocks File

3. Lesson Plans

Notes from 2021 Camp

Week 1

• Day 1: Complete selected labs from "Intro to Building"

• Day 2: Build the code base, drive it remotely using a Chromebook as the remote controller.

• Day 3: Build the "LED" version of the Code Base, and code it.

• Day 4: Coding challenges. Navigate mazes by programming the code base.

Week 2

• Day 1: "Intro to Building"

  • Teacher guides class through building a person with the components of the kit. Show how to use the pin tool. Give students some time to just play and build whatever they want. (people, monsters, sharks, whatever!)

  • Encourage students to build the "spaceship" lab

  • Encourage students to build the "car" lab

• Day 2: Build the code base, drive it remotely using a chromebook as the remote controller. See if they can drive it through a maze, or play a game in the arena. (push tennis balls, battle bots, etc.)

• Day 3: Begin to Code the drive base. Code the robot to drive in a zig-zag pattern. Add the LED Button, and program it to change colors while driving.

• Day 4: Program robot to "wait until button is pressed" before driving. Then, program it to complete as many mazes as possible. (Various mazes are laid out on the floor in masking tape)

• Day 5: If the program doesn't load on the chromebooks use this website instead: https://codego.vex.com/. Play a game in which students have to modify their robots to push cubes around the arena. Colors are worth different points (one color is -1 point). Teams push blocks into corners. Add up the points for each team's corner at the end of the match to see who wins.