The Weekly Buzz. Scouting Update. Buzz Scout Holly Beaudoin with representatives from 126 (Gael Force) and 869 (Power Cord)

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1 B u z z R o b o t i c s : F I R S T T e a m Issue 9: Monday, April 9th, 2012 Weekly Team Update: Week 12 Inside this issue: Team Update 1 Scouting Update 1 Countdowns 1 VIP Section 2 -Jim Patrick -Dennis Klapperich -Michael Sperber The Weekly Hodge 3-4 CT Snapshots 5 Our Staff 6 Last week Buzz competed at the CT Regional sponsored by Northeast Utilities and was captain of the 8th alliance. Though we were knocked out in the quarterfinals by the 1st alliance of 2168 (Aluminum Falcons), 118 (Robonauts), and 2791 (Shaker Robotics), Buzz had a great time at the event! Some adjustments were made to Buzz 17 on Thursday s practice day to improve the drive system. The gear ratio was adjusted so that high gear would be better suited for traversing the field, while low would allow for improved control while on the bridge. While at the event, Buzz held a food drive to benefit the Enfield Food Shelf. The drive was very successful, and we would like to thank all the teams who participated and those who organized the drive. A big thanks to Cory Rice and Mrs. Osborn for their support. Upcoming Events 6 Countdowns: Championship: 17 days Buzz Fun Facts: 9 of Buzz s 23 mentors have been with the team since 1996! Scouting Update Buzz Scout Holly Beaudoin with representatives from 126 (Gael Force) and 869 (Power Cord) We recently competed at the Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional, where scouting was very important, since we were seeded 11th at the end of the qualification rounds. Our team spent the majority of Friday afternoon scouting competing robots from the stands. Everyone on our team helped out and greatly participated in the scouting process. Once we received all the data we needed, we compiled it into several lists of the best robots. We looked at different aspects such as shooting accuracy, and the ability to balance on the ramp for bonus points. We discussed our information with several other students and mentors to create our final list of the best robots. Holly Beaudoin was our Alliance Captain for this regional, and she went down on the field for alliance selections. When it came around to us, we ended up as the eighth seeded alliance, and we were able to pick two other teams to work with during finals. Holly picked teams 126 and 869, according to our list. All in all, scouting was a success at the Northeast Utilities FIRST Connecticut Regional, even though we lost in the quarter finals. - Jamie Surrett, Scout Captain PAGE 1

2 B u z z R o b o t i c s : F I R S T T e a m VIP Section A visit from our supporters at Hamilton! This would be a good place to Jim Patrick insert a short paragraph about you and your organization. VP Customer It Service might include information about the services you offer, how long Dennis Klapperich Director Military & UAV Customers Michael Sperber Offset Manager Thursday night after the practice rounds Buzz was honored by the presence of Jim Patrick, Dennis Klapperich, and Michael Sperber. Representatives of the team Victor Hipolito and Kelsie Atiyeh greeted our VIPs and instructed them for a hands on experience with Buzz 17. Our engineering cycle and thought process was broken down in order to illustrate all the hard work that goes into developing a robot each year. The VIPs had such a fun time driving Buzz 17 that even the CT Regional FTA gave the robot a go! PAGE 2

3 Pre-Competition Analysis It looks like Buzz is ready to go again, with "some" work to do on practice day to improve performance. Buzz is raring to go, but restrained in the "bag", anxiously awaiting it's arrival at the Conference Center in Hartford on Thursday this week. The Programming Team will be working hard to tweak and improve the autonomous mode. Buzz has performed well in the past in this phase of the game, making both shots from the key, as well as the fender. Improvement is needed when shooting during the "teleop" period. New, reinforced wheels are ready to be installed for greater durability when traversing the barrier. Speed changes by the Drive Team using new drive sprockets are also going to be installed, which will allow shifting into high speed, a low speed for greater push and control-ability for balancing on the ramp, with minor lateral shot adjustment. The ball pickup will also require some improvement during autonomous and "teleop" mode, as well. this will require some lowering of the first intake roller, some additional friction material, and an increase in roller speed. Additionally, the camera may be used to provide visual alignment to load balls not visible from the driver station. An extended pickup roller is being considered that is light weight and deployable within the 14" x 19.5" zone to improve pickup capability. Finally, the ramp manipulator drive is being strengthened to prevent potential failure. if all of this can be accomplished on Thursday (practice day), Buzz will be in the Finals again, and well- prepared for the World Championship in St. Louis. Strategy Adjustments The Weekly Hodge An Observer s Perspective It has become apparent that a strong a strong Alliance will consist of the following: 1- All Alliance robots that can consistently score at least their two balls, and maybe several more, as well as control the balls on the Coopertition and Alliance ramps. 2- Quick ball pickup by at least 2 robots, allowing a high level of shots that lead to a higher scores. 3- One defensive robot capable of quick ball pickup and delivery of balls to their home zone for their partners to score. 4- The human player's ability to return balls to the home zone eliminating the need for robot loading at the player station. 5- The ability to balance 2 robots on the ramps during the Elimination rounds, and likely 3 robots in the Final rounds. Buzz has been designed and built to play the game well, and the Drive Team is ready to implement different strategies designed to enhance performance with varying Alliance Partners. With some luck, and partners that enhance that performance, we look forward to the Championship rounds. PAGE 3

4 Post-Competition Review The Weekly Hodge (continued) On Friday, several matches were lost by less than 10 points total. At the end of the day, we were seeded 11th, well within striking distance of being in the top 8 teams to make the Championship matches. To help achieve that position, we performed a balance with other robots on the Coopertition Bridge in 6 of the 8 matches. On Saturday morning, we still had 3 Qualification matches to play before the final seedlings were set. Our second match was against an alliance led by Team 118 (Robonauts) from Texas, arguably the best robot in the field. We played them tough, and it was nip and tuck throughout the match. Our strategy was flawless, and our drive team was magnificent. Buzz finally prevailed, setting the stage for another tough match in the elimination rounds. Buzz and their Alliance partners, Team 869 Power Cord, and Team 126 Gael Force, were formed, and Buzz moved on to the elimination rounds, the eighth seed, and Alliance. Team 2168's alliance was the #1 seed, and was the first alliance we would face. Partnered with team 118 and 2791, we were up for a hardpressed battle. They did a triple balance on the practice field (intimidation?) to give us a better idea of what we would be facing. Our strategists came up with a plan to also triple balance, and we did two triple balances on the practice field to show them what they would be facing, like boxers at the weigh-in. We lost our first match by only a few points, and were within seconds of doing our triple balance before time ran out. We lost the second match as well, and we were on our way to packing up and going home, bowing out in the Quarter Finals, just short of our goal going into the Competition. Team 2168, 118, and 2791 went on to lose in the semi finals, with an on-board computer glitch. They were a great team, coming all the way from Texas, and undoubtedly had the best performing robot in the competition. Buzz went into the bag that day, and was shipped in the crate with the "HodgeBear", and then on to St. Louis on Tuesday. Plans are in the works to add another component to the ball collection system so Buzz can shoot more baskets during the "teleop" portion of the match. Just to put things in a proper perspective, Steve Olson did some research with the performance figures for all teams that are competing. Buzz is in the top 3.5% of all competitors this year, and overall performance since 1996, Buzz is the 12th ranked robot in the WORLD. Upgrading the ball collection system should help us raise our level of play into the "elite" class. I look forward to watching all the matches on my computer from home, and see Buzz play on Einstein. A live webcast can be found on the Internet at theredalliance.com if you're stuck at home like me. Nothing compares to being there on the front line. Thanks to our sponsors, Hamilton- Sundstrand Sea, Space and Defense, PTC, and Peerless Machine Tool for their support in this endeavor. ON TO ST. LOUIS PAGE 4

5 CT Snapshots PAGE 5

6 Our Staff Behind the PDFs! Kristine Atiyeh, Editor Victor Hipolito, Writer Sue Reis, Photographer Bob Rossato, Photographer On behalf of the newsletter staff we d like to apologize on the lack of newsletter issues in the past weeks. We have been busy with other responsibilities to help keep our respective teams working. Victor is the base driver for Buzz, and as a senior is looked to as a leader. Kristine has been tied up managing the newsletter for FRC 126, Gael Force, along with teaching her class at an elementary school in Massachusetts. Upcoming Fundraisers Fundraiser Recap Our recent fundraiser was a great success! We sold 239 Easter flowers that resulted in a profit of around $1000 for the team. Thank You to all the students who helped to sell the flowers, and a big thank you to Suzanne and Jay Toohey in regard to their hard work to make this fundraiser possible. :) When: Sunday, April 22nd 1pm-5pm Where: Chicago Sams Enfield, CT 20% of all proceeds will go to Buzz Robotics PAGE 6