FTC Robotics Team 11395

I joined this team in my freshman year of High School, but was the most involved with building in my junior and senior years.

JUNIOR YEAR

Highlighted in the images above are the components of the robot that I designed and implemented in my junior year. The yellow pieces are custom parts that I designed using Fusion 360 and 3D printed out of PLA plastic. The center part is an arm that extends to grab plastic blocks and the mechanism on the right hooks onto a bar to raise the robot off of the ground.

The above images show my iterative development as I attempted to make a mechanism to grab onto plastic balls. My idea was to design a hand with three fingers that would have a string running through it that would allow the fingers to flex and tighten when pulled like tendons. I decided to abandon this idea because after 3D printing these designs and implementing them onto our robot, it was clear that this design made it too difficult for our drivers to grab onto anything.

The above images show the continuation of my iterative development as I redesigned the mechanism to pick up plastic balls. I decided to change to using a scoop to pick them up in order to make it more user friendly for the drivers. My final iteration (3) aimed to use less plastic and instead utilized foam to fill in the space between the parts.

The above images show the hook that I made for the robot's liftng mechanism. I made both of these parts in the same file because it allowed me to use the measurement for the pole that they slide on for both parts. I then made an assembly file in Fusion to ensure that as the parts moved, the mechanism would work.

The above images show the motor mount that I designed for the mechanism that lifts the robot off the ground. I ended up using the design on the right because it ensures that the rods that the hook travels on are aligned in exactly the right place. It also makes the motor more stable due to the wings supporting the center.

SENIOR YEAR

The above images are from the robot that my team and I created in my senior year of high school. This sandwich design used plywood to separate each mechanism and a counterweight for the lifting mechanism to minimize strain on the motor. This robot took us to the Illinois state FTC competition and we were awarded the industrial design award. I designed and built the entire robot this year, and its main function was to pick up and stack plastic blocks. I also helped to start teams at every school in my district by my senior year.