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

Ball Games and Medicine Bottles

Hiya! Today we divided up into two groups.  One group worked on making missions more consistent. The other group created an attachment that helped us pick up the medicine bottles from the other side of the robot.  Later on, after we "completed" Mission 3, we broke for our snack, which, sadly, wasn't gingerbread cookies. Hazel, Sage, and Poppy stayed upstairs to work on research. We read  an email that we received from Dr. Heike Vallery. In case you didn't know, Poppy and Sage emailed a group of scientists on Saturday, and Dr. Vallery replied. So that's who we were replying to. Dr. Vallery sent us a paper that he and 2 of the other people (which happened to be from the other paper we read), wrote together. Downstairs, while we were researching, Team Consistency was working on getting our robot onto the ramp, and Team X was still working on the medicine bottles.

The team talking around the table.

Sage and Poppy working on the Robotic Assistance for Human Balance paper.  


~Hazel, Sage and Poppy

New Ideas, Improvements, and More Research

Hello! This is Poppy, Bruce, and Zake here. Today we made a lot of progress in our research project and robot missions. First we broke into the same two teams as yesterday. We perfected the medicine bottles by using our color sensor and an axle that sticks out that will secure the medicine bottle preventing it from falling off. 

We got it!!!

We also perfected mission three, as well as an alternate route for mission four. 

In our research we sent a email to the people who wrote Robotic Assistance for Human Balance. These scientists in Switzerland created a backpack which contains several gyroscopes that can help balance seniors in an experiment.  We asked them questions about how big and fast were their gyroscopes, and how much battery power they needed.

Will have more next time!

Another Outreach!

This past Wednesday on November 28, we went to the Scott Air Force Base to outreach to a Lego Club at the Youth Center. We brought last years game board and showed them missions from last year.

Showing them the board/robot

 We showed them the program code and talked to them about are research project. We started a new program to have the robot go around the board and we included there ideas.

Showing them our  program

We even inspired them to create their own team!

Showing them our research project