Here we go!!!!

Howdy!

Sorry that we haven't been posting...we've been very busy preparing for STATE COMPETITION! We finished up the CAD diagram and have been practicing robot runs and judgings like crazy. Today there is a newspaper article in the O'Fallon Progress about our team and we are doing an outreach at an SCCCHE (homeschool group) meeting.

Our best practice run was 505 points!!! It was Zake and Badger who completed that terrific run. Hopefully we'll get that good of a run at competition!

Well, that's all for now. We'll be back to post the results of the competition in a few days.

~Zake and Sierra

Preparing for State.

   Today, we worked on our robot runs and judging sessions. We perfected run 1, as well as accommodated runs 2 and 4 to our game robot. We also practiced our Robot Design judging and Research Skit, as well as writing up our Robot Design fact sheet and robot run checklist.

Zake ready to catch the robot with the green medicine bottle

Updating the Robot Design fact sheet

Salutations and Prototypes

Today we worked on our skit, our prototype, and missions. We have finished our skit and it is ready for practicing. We took out some parts that didn't make sense, and then added some more dialogue. We moved our prototype fan to a smaller belt, which makes wearing it less bulky. The team successfully did something, Hazel and I heard them shouting for joy downstairs. Mission 4 was also completed and consistentified, and Mission 2 is almost there. Picture time!

From left to right: Sage, Beej, and TJ working on the CAD design for our prototype.

From left to right: Sage, Sierra, Hazel, and Poppy working on the skit edits. (New furniture downstairs!)

Beej, Zake and Coach K working on moving prototype fan to a smaller belt.

Finished product!

Tune in next time!

~Hazel and Sage

And We're Back...

The focus for today was Mission 1 and Mission 2.

  In Mission 1 we are consistently getting the chair and the dog, but we had some technical difficulties with the blue quilts and the large TV. We are currently in the process of fixing the issues which we think is caused by the ultrasonic sensor.

Bruce and Badger getting ready to run a mission

Mission 2 is almost completed. Everything is consistent, except for the medicine bottles, which have not been programmed yet.

We also finished typing the revised skit; it is almost ready for competition!

We hope everyone had a merry Christmas and a happy New Year! Can't wait to see what 2013 has in store  for us!

~Hazel, Poppy, and Sierra 

1,2 CAD.

Today DA EX Bots finished mission 1 and worked on mission 2. We completed Mission 1. Mission 2 is almost finished, and we are working on getting the second ring.

Poppy and Hazel worked on the research project script by adding more information on our professional outreach. 

Poppy and Sierra programming Mission 1

Beej, Sage, and Badger did CAD up stairs with our mentor TJ. CAD (Computer Aided Design) is a computer program used to create 3 dimensional images. We are using it to create a picture of our gyrobelt. Today we worked on the gyroscope portion of the belt. We will post more pictures of the CAD design as it develops.

Beginning of CAD design

TJ, Badger, Beej, and Sage learning about CAD

~ Hazel, Poppy, Beej, and Bruce

More Batteries and More Consistency

We started out the evening with working on some robot runs. Coach G started our meeting and then we split into two teams. Zake and Sage worked on our prototype, attaching the fan and creating a box for the battery.

The second group consisting of Sierra, Hazel, Poppy, Badger and Beej (Bruce wasn't here tonight) worked on two separate mission runs. Testing out missions one and four, some of our most important missions. (We actually did all our missions ~Poppy.) Plus they tested out Badger new version of the guillotine. 

While they were "missioning" Zake and Sage went upstairs to work on finding out what we should use to power our gyroscope. We found that some of the best were Nook Color batteries. 

We all came back downstairs for a while long and then two separated to go back and work on the blog. Which we are doing now...

~Sage and Poppy

Reported and Aided in Design

Today we had a visitor. Mr. Mark Raeber from the O'Fallon Progress came to interview about FLL for an article. Hey, you win the first qualifier, and your famous! We showed him our robots, and our skit. He asked a multitude of very good questions.

Robot show.

Program and blog questions.

After Mr. Raeber left, we had a quick break, where we got a quick intro to CAD (Computer Aided Design), where sometime, we will virtually design the Gyro belt. This intro came courtesy of Sierra and Zake's older brother, TJ. A picture for your (instead of a penny, we don't have much to spend on) thoughts...

TJ made a pipe.

And another one.

After the break, we split up into 3 teams. One team worked on the skit, another worked on the blog and drawing a non-virtual diagram, and the rest of the team worked on the robot. 

It's time to go, but we'll get back to you Monday. See ya!

     ~Hazel and Sage