September Team Meetings Recap: From CAD to Coding and Expanding Outreach#
September was a month of growth and development for Argo Robotics as we made progress on our robot design, coding, and outreach efforts. Here’s a summary of what we accomplished.
Outreach Journal and Fixing Chassis: Meeting 25#
We kicked off September by focusing on the outreach journal and fixing a screw in the chassis. Preston worked on adding project snippets to the outreach journal, while Jeeva and Sean focused on drilling out a screw from the chassis and researching the new FTC challenge. Jeeva also contributed to the outreach journal, particularly in the WAAW and Workshop sections. Alva and Danielle helped by recording details from previous workshops for the journal.
The meeting agenda centered around finishing the outreach journal and resolving issues with the chassis. By the end of the meeting, the team had made good progress on documenting their efforts and repairing the robot.
Writing Articles and Brainstorming: Meeting 26#
During this meeting, the team focused on writing articles for their new outreach initiative. Preston continued working on the outreach journal and assisted others with their articles. Sean finished his article on “Emergence in Robotics,” while Jeeva and Danielle worked on articles about robotics components and the introduction to robotics, respectively. Annika contributed to brainstorming for the FTC challenge.
The agenda focused on completing the articles and continuing work on the outreach journal. After watching the challenge release for the new FTC season, the team began brainstorming ideas for the robot’s design.
Outreach Planning and Software Work: Meeting 27#
This week, the team worked on outreach ideas and started coding the robot. Preston helped plan outreach opportunities with Seraj, including visiting elementary schools and organizing a hospital workshop. Jeeva set up the control hub and battery, though the team faced some challenges pushing code from Android Studio to GitHub. Natalie and Sean finalized plans for a bake sale fundraiser and collaborated with the outreach team on future workshops.
The meeting agenda covered further outreach opportunities, software and hardware progress, and coding practice. The team began planning outreach to elementary schools and hospitals and worked on coding the robot’s basic systems.
Robot Design and Workshop Planning: Meeting 28#
In this meeting, the team focused on the robot design and upcoming outreach events. Danielle and Annika brainstormed the robot’s design and began recording game requirements. Preston assisted with the robot design and kept outreach efforts on track, including planning for the hospital outreach and the next library workshop. Sean filled out his availability for possible qualifying meets and continued brainstorming robot features.
The agenda included planning for FTC qualifiers, finalizing the hospital outreach proposal, and completing the rough draft of the robot’s design. The team successfully finished the rough draft and planned future workshops.
CAD and Code Troubleshooting: Meeting 29#
This week, the team worked on the CAD design for the robot and tackled some coding challenges. Preston focused on CADing the slide for the robot, while Jeeva and Sean worked on constructing the structure for the slide. Sharvil wrote code for the robot but encountered issues with making the OpModes accessible on the Robot Controller.
The agenda included starting the CAD for the slide and troubleshooting the robot’s coding. Although the code worked intermittently, the team continued to push through challenges in both design and software.
Finalizing Robot Concepts and First Drive: Meeting 30#
In the last meeting of September, the team focused on finalizing the robot design and testing the drive base. Preston worked on finalizing robot concepts and CADing them on Onshape. Jeeva and Sean worked on the robot’s arm and battery placement, while Sharvil and Alex continued troubleshooting the OpModes. Danielle and Annika worked on CADing the intake system but encountered issues importing parts in Onshape.
The meeting agenda focused on continuing the CAD for the slide and intake system, coding the chassis, and planning the hospital workshop. The team made progress in CAD and completed the first drive of the robot!
Looking Ahead#
September was a productive month as we made significant strides in both outreach and technical projects. As we move forward, we are excited to refine the robot’s design and continue expanding our outreach initiatives.