Robotics

Here is the story of our first day:


Thursday is the first day of competition. Three kids arrive at the Siegel Center and uncrate the robot. Only three kids are allowed and that is one of the First Robotics rules (the name of the Virginia Regional Robotics organization) and then it's open to the rest of the kids to come in and help at eight-thirty. That's when organized chaos begins. What condition is the robot in? Did it get damaged during shipment? As luck would have it ours was fine but the brain wasn't! It had missed its metal heart and let its circuits slide. The programmers went to work. There were yet more snags called rules. The rule is you can't use a laptop. Time is ticking away. Fortune's smile was fading as our time to go out on the floor came up fast. Another robotics team came along and offered to help. This unnamed girl -- who was the caped crusader? -- saved the day. She was given a much coveted top hat with gears. Thank you, thank you.

Now the robot had brains but low and behold the wheels were sliding and the bumpers didn't seem to sit right. Tick tock, tick tock. The way the competition works is that the teams must que up before their match and they have 5-6 teams on each side (blue vs red) so that as one competition is ending, the other is beginning less than three minutes later. First Robotics runs a tight show. So when they call you to que up you have to be there in line. The machine wasn't working.

"CJ quick go get in line and tell them we're coming." CJ held our place.
"Load this thing on the cart, we've got to have a safety inspection sticker in order to compete and we've haven't been inspected yet."
"There isn't time! Look where CJ is standing in line."
"Well we can't compete then. The rules are enforced."
"Hang in there." Comes the calm voice, "let's just see if we pass."

Off they race to the inspection center. The robot is slipped into the giant metal box and it must fit within that box with the theoretical door closed or it doesn't pass, period. First they weigh it. It can't weigh more than 120 pounds and -- whew -- it weighs 108.8. What? We have to add the trailer hitches too? Oh, groan, how much do they weigh? Barely less than twelve pounds. Thank those fates and those kids who calculated as best they could without scales to weigh their robot. Now it goes into the box. Uh oh. There is a hair, a fraction so small it only Tom Thumb could measure it, that is sticking out of the box. 1/64ths of an inch. Oh, the agony. The inspector slides the aluminum bar down the exterior of the box and it sticks on this little fraction of the robot.
"Look we passed safety, quick tell the drivers to take the controls and get in line with CJ. We can fix this."

They push the robot tighter into the box. They try and readjust its position. Sigh, it isn't working. They did pass inspection though so technically they're allowed to play today since today is merely trial runs. If they don't fix that 1/64th of an inch though before tomorrow...but of course they will.

Quick run the robot back to the pit and let's get those bumpers back on. Opps, forgot to mention the robot is measured before the bumpers are attached. So off they roll that cart. Back in the pit they're frantically trying to attach the bumpers but the nuts won't go in! They just keep sliding out of the wood. What now, what now? Someone find some zip ties and tie those bumpers off until after the first round that way we can at least see how the robot behaves on the field. Ties? Who has the ties? These are too small. Think, think, think. Snap two of them together.

"Come on guys, CJ is now just two robots away from being called to the field." That's less than 5 minutes. Tick Tock! TICK TOCK!

On the bumpers go. Get that robot on the cart and get in line!
"The safety sticker, we don't have the safety sticker!"
They run back over to the safety inspection station for that final check that the bumpers are securely attached.

The drivers are standing alone next to their alliance's robots anxiously watching the inspection from afar. Seconds, there are only seconds until Robot 1599 is being called to roll out on the field. Where is Robot 1599?

"We have the sticker!"

They roll the robot into the waiting area just as the bell sounds to end the previous competition round. Without even stopping they roll their cart to the arena's edge and lift the robot onto the field.

"Yes! Yes! We did it! We're in play."

The bell sounds and the robots roll. Groan, Robot 1599 just sits there accepting moonrocks (and the other side scores!). What's the matter? What now?

The bell rings a second time and the drivers are allowed to leap forward and take the controls. Robot 1599 is happy and races into the fray. Zoom, zoom across the field it goes. Moonrocks fly everywhere and some are dumped from other robots into trailers. On we go. The bell rings. The round is over. Who won? These are trial runs, they don't keep score. Back to the pit the robot goes for more adjustments.