FIRST Robots: Aim High

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| FIRST Robots

THE ROTARY

BASKET SORTER:

FROM IDEA

TO REALITY

A BEE HIVE

FOR BALL

STORAGE

Robot design usually begins with brainstorming to generate

lists of possible solutions, in hopes that the best solution will

rise to the top. A successful team encourages its members to

apply their knowledge and not to be afraid to present ideas.

When many designs are brought to the table, creativity blos-

soms, and even more avenues are opened for development

and enhancement.

Team 33, of Auburn Hills, Michigan, was able to prioritize

needs and to explore various design options before finalizing

plans to build a robot. The end result of its brainstorming effort

was an imaginative way to store, organize, and regulate game

balls. This team, known as the Killer Bees, constructed a

machine that gathered balls in a swarm-like fashion, much like

a swarm of bees returning to a nest.

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TEAM 33

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Driving Tomorrow’s Technology Award

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A side view of Team 33’s robot shows the

final design that included ball collection, storage,

and sorting capabilities.

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| FIRST Robots

Brainstorming: What Do

We Need?

Team 33 determined while brainstorm-

ing that it wanted a robot that could

hold more than 20 balls. Having that

many balls on board meant the team

would have the capability to score

numerous times. Also, by controlling so

many balls, they would be able to keep

balls from their opponents.

Other elements of its plan included a

design for loading the balls from the

human player, a means to collect balls

from the playing field floor, an ability to

score in the high goal, and a way to

mount the ramp at the end of a match.

After reviewing this list of functions, the

team determined that a ball storage and

delivery system was a major component

in most game strategies. The robot

would have to be able to hold a large

quantity of balls, handle a continuous

feed of these balls, adapt to the different

properties of each ball, and, most

importantly, avoid jamming.

With these criteria, the team began to

add details to its design. Several highly

desired abilities were identified, such as

a storage capacity for 20-40 balls and

the ability to deliver one ball at a time at

a rate of two balls per second. The

team considered a ramp design to

organize the balls, but found that it eas-

ily jammed, was heavy, and was incon-

sistent in its ball-feed rate. Experimen-

tation with large bins showed that this

storage form often resulted in ball jams

at the exits, so that idea was also aban-

doned. Single, vertical columns could

provide a controlled feed delivery rate

but were limited by the number of balls

that could be stored. After considering

different designs, Team 33 focused its

energy on a large bin equipped with a

sorting device.

It All Starts With A

Prototype

A preliminary, small-scale prototype was

constructed using cardboard and golf

balls to test the viability of the storage

and sorting system. The success of this

prototype encouraged the team and led

to the construction of a full-sized mock-

up made of wood. The mockup allowed

the designers to better visualize the

geometric restraints they would

encounter.

Computer-aided design software pro-

vided further analysis of the design; a

model of the storage system determined

that six balls could fit into a 12-sided

basket structure. The entire structure

was contained within the team’s size

restriction for this part of the robot.

Since this storage method would satisfy

the desired characteristics, work began

on fine-tuning the details of the mecha-

nisms to support the storage cylinder.

A model was constructed from cardboard to arrange golf balls, which determined how to best

arrange the foam balls in a storage container.

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A full-size wooden prototype of the storage

bin was constructed to test the movement of a

preliminary sorting plate and its operation with

the foam balls.

An AutoCAD drawing was made to size the

bin and the 12 sides that would radially store the

foam balls.

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