Diving into this season’s FLL challenge, Ram, Aadhithya, Varun and Madhav took a systematic approach, setting out with a mission-focused lens. We meticulously scrutinized the mission elements and the various interaction methods needed for mission completion. This analytic groundwork fueled our creative brainstorming sessions on robot design.
We recognized early on that the path to success wasn’t linear. There wasn’t a single “best” way to solve a mission, especially when aiming to tackle multiple missions within one run. Our eureka moment was realizing the necessity of dual attachments at the robot’s front. With some missions offering diverse scoring avenues, a multifunctional front became a pivotal strategy.
Our brainstorming didn’t stop at mere functionality. We delved into the mechanics, discussing the game-changing potential of multiple gearboxes and being able to swap them out quickly in between runs. The idea was simple: Template design: But standardizing the mounting of the attachments it will make it quick for changing attachments between runs and helps saving time. Weight considerations took center stage next. Striking a balance between robustness and agility, the robot and its attachments needed to be versatile, yet light weighted.
Drawing inspiration from past seasons, our design discussions also veered towards starting alignment. Memories of misaligned starts and botched runs made us realize the power of precision from the word ‘go’. And thus, our decision to adopt a ‘box robot’ design was sealed.
The box design, rooted in lessons from previous season, ensured optimal alignment at the beginning of each robot run. This way, we could launch our robot with precision, better positioning it for mission success.
Every team member’s voice mattered. Every design idea, every strategy nugget, every shared past experience, found its way into our final design. It was a collective triumph of strategy and engineering.
With our design blueprint ready, it was time to bring our vision to life. Crafting our box robot was not just about assembling bricks; it was about infusing our collective wisdom, strategy, and innovation into a machine.
Here’s to a season of learning, innovating, and achieving!
