Monthly Archives: January 2024

Week three concluded with a DVC (Decision Voting Council) vote on our subsystems. As a team, we extended our prototyping process to ensure that our DVC could use the data and information collected to make an informed decision. We also created an integration team that is responsible for researching possible ways to package and integrate the subsystems onto our 26.5” x 26.5” swerve drivetrain. Below is an overview of how the final prototypes progressed and finished over the week. This year, when presenting the final subsystems, the prototyping teams ensured they validated the capabilities against the functional requirements that the team created in week one. The Fliptake team finished a CAD of the prototype and simulated the full range of motion. We also worked on mounting it to Phil, our off-season swerve robot, to test its ability to intake while driving. In its stowed position, the two rollers of the Fliptake are positioned halfway across the robot with a polycord infinity loop, allowing spin in opposite directions. Incorporating a self-centering board cements the note to flip back on the pivot and handoff to the shooter. However, we found that the self-centering board acted as more of a hardstop for the note. During data collection, we accomplished a 100% success rate during 25 trials from the center using the stationary [...]

After last week’s success, we have progressed further on our prototypes, succeeding on many fronts. As a recap for week 1, our DVC (Decision Voting Council), decided on a series of mechanisms that we would prototype and test the geometry for before we decide on our full robot design. Those prototypes are:  Fliptake: an intake consisting of two rollers on a pivot, allowing it to flip and outtake a note into another subsystem. Continuous Intake: an intake that brings the note over the bumper into an indexer. 95-Style Shooter: a shooter design where the shooter wheels are vertical and coaxial on 2 axles that vertically compress the note to fire it. Elevator: a one or two-stage climbing mechanism that may also place a note in the trap on the final robot. Flywheel Shooter: a shooter that has two shooter wheels that are horizontally mounted which compress and fire a note. Big Arm: a climbing mechanism that has an arm that winches down onto the chain to climb up. The prototyping groups are making great progress, they are now focused on collecting data to validate their designs against the functional requirements of the robot. For our intakes, the Fliptake and the Continuous Intake, we have discussed many options and ultimately decided to put each through second and third rounds [...]

After our most successful season yet, Iron Claw Robotics is feeling upbeat and ready for the 2024 Crescendo Build Season! On Saturday, January 6th, our team met over winter break for our annual kickoff day to watch the game release. This year’s 2024 game consists of a ring-shaped game piece called a note, which can be deposited into three field elements: the amp, speaker, and trap. Although the endgame is not a time constrained section, robots can choose to climb on a chain with other robots or score in traps. Over the weekend, the team focused on strategy, dividing into five groups to discuss the best ways to maximize points and create potential auto paths during matches. On Sunday, after the groups presented their strategies to the class followed by a team discussion, the DVC (Decision Voting Council) voted on our robot functional requirements. These requirements dictate our strategy and what the robot will or will not do, playing a crucial role in our design using specific metrics to follow. Devising a detailed plan for strategy is our first important step to ensure our robot’s success. Throughout the week, we spent several meetings split into five groups to research various designs that uphold our functional requirements and team goals. After designs were presented, the DVC filtered twenty six [...]

Team Iron Claw 972 is already one step ahead of the Crescendo game: our practice field is almost complete and ready to go. Thanks to the hard work from mentors Art Chan and Harrison Van Der Walt, having a practice field will not only be important for driver practice, but also for analyzing the accuracy of prototypes and designs when interacting with the field elements. Additionally, our mentor, Aaron Payne, has provided us with a large space in the wood shop to hold the practice field.             We had four out of the five practice field elements made just within the first 10 hours of Crescendo being published, including the speaker and subwoofer, the amp, and the source.  We are also planning to build the stage field element before the end of build season, but are currently waiting on the trap to arrive from Andymark on January 15th, as well as a vendor to sell us Trusses. All other parts of the stage are planned to be cut out using a CNC router, making the process of assembling the field elements a lot faster than the objects that were cut by hand. We look forward to observing how the creation of our field this early in the season will influence how we design [...]