Monthly Archives: September 2024

Iron Claw Robotics is all geared up for the 2024 - 2025 FRC season with sixteen new first years! We started the year off strong with a weekend workshop, having five 45-minute stations designed to teach newer members the basics of different robotics subteams. Getting familiar with the different sections allows members to see what the subteams are in charge of and decide what they might be interested in working on.  The first of the stations involved the electrical board and pneumatic systems that we use on our competition robots. A thorough presentation covering the parts of an electrical board gave students a better understanding of the inner workings of a competition robot.  Next, in our metal shop, students learned how to use the drill press, deburr, and rivet through the demonstration and guidance of senior students. The new students also got a brief overview of how our CNC machine works, and enjoyed the hands-on tasks. The drilling station was especially important this year, given our problems with students not knowing how to use drills and drivers properly in previous years. Students practiced drilling holes, learned the difference between drills and drivers, and discovered where they can find the right equipment when they’re working. The station also covered using circular saws, which will be useful for prototyping [...]

             Welcome back, team! This season has kicked off with a burst of energy and excitement. From revamping our leadership selection process to diving into presentations on the latest FRC scoring updates, we've embraced change and innovation like never before!              This year, we updated our leadership selection process to better align with the team's goals. In previous years, the process involved students giving presentations in front of the class, followed by anonymous voting and an announcement of the new Leadership Council (LC). While team managers made the final decision, this year's system introduced some improvements. Now, students submit videos expressing their interest in joining the LC, which are then reviewed by mentors and the team, who provide their feedback. Although team managers still make the final decision, the new approach emphasizes responsibility. It prioritizes veteran students who have the experience needed to lead while allowing new members to get comfortable and integrate into the team more smoothly.              Our Leadership Council is led by an outstanding team: Nico Gomez-Llagaria and Piper Robinson as captains, Ellery Han as Shop Manager, Claire Mayder as Operations Director, and Henry Lee and Saara Piplani as our dedicated hardware and software directors. Together, this exceptional group has been [...]