FIRST Robot Design: a teambased process

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FIRST Robot Design a team-based process

• Andy Baker
• Mechanical Engineer, Delphi Corporation
• Co-Owner, AndyMark.biz
• Lead Engineer, team 45

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Overview

• Foundation
• Know the Game
• Brainstorm
• Sub-Teams
• Presentations
• Team Decision
• Assignments
• Be Ready to Change
• Final Exam

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Foundation

• before Kickoff,
• Know your team
• Fall team builders
• Assess your resources
• Equipment, talent, , leadership
• Develop your skills
• Training, design, fabrication, software, etc.

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Team Development Community Involvement
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Know the Game

• Watch Kickoff as a team
• 1st 3-4 days after kickoff
• Review the game before each meeting
• Go over the rules many times
• Dont get left behind

Saturday
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Brainstorming 101

• Brainstorm 1st time w/ entire team
• All ideas are heard
• Each person has equal opinion
• Let ideas flow
• Dont critique until complete
• Record and categorize ideas

Saturday
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The Sub-team Process

• BEFORE KICKOFF
• Divide the entire team into 3-4 equal sub-teams
• Name each team
• Pick adult and student leaders for teams
• AFTER KICKOFF
• Sub-teams meet after initial team brainstorming
• Get to know sub-team members
• Plan meeting times
• Encourage all for input

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Sub-Team Get Ideas

• BRAINSTORM
• Organize categorize ideas
• strategy
• scoring methods
• defensive methods
• ways to grab object
• etc.
• Focus on OVERALL GAME PLAY

Saturday Sunday
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Sub-team Decide on Concept

• Critique and eliminate ideas
• Analyze ideas
• Do the math
• Construct prototypes
• Play mock matches
• Do CAD/Animation
• Decide which ideas are best
• Agree on overall design

MondayTuesday
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Sub-Team Presentations

• Sub-teams sell their concept to entire team
• Use professional presentation materials
• Show analysis
• Demo prototypes
• Explain match, walk through mock match
• Display robot design
• Review positives and negatives
• Students lead presentations, adults help as
  needed
• Present to team, sponsors, administrators,
  parents, media, etc.

Wednesday
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Team Decision

• Sleep on it
• Make the decision the day after sub-team
  presentations.

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Team Decision

• Review and critique, using GP
• Discuss common ideas
• Make a Decision Matrix
• Assign values to qualities
• Rate each teams idea per each quality
• Total each sub-teams points
• Highest point total wins
• Focus on concept with highest point total
• Add common features from other concepts

Thursday
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Decision Matrix
These weights determine everything, and are
dependent on the game.
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Assign tasks

• Leaders commit to tasks
• Drive base, Arm, Grabber, etc.
• Have overall robot design leader
• Leaders communicate
• Daily standing meetings
• Email discussions
• Weekly design reviews during team meetings
• Dont let a irresponsible leader drag you down

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Celebrate mistakes

• Design mistakes found early are your friend
• Design mistakes found late (during a Regional)
  are your enemy

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Be ready to tweak

• Start scouting early Regionals
• Know when to fold em and hold em
• Teams who win Championships are often struggling
  early in the year
• Strategy dictates design

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Thank you!
www.AndyMark.biz