FRC Robotics

FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is an international high school robotics competition where teams design, build, and program robots to compete in challenging game scenarios.

My Role & Responsibilities

As the mechanical captain, my responsibilities included:

• Leading the mechanical subteam during build season
• Designing robot subsystems on Onshape CAD
• Overseeing fabrication of components on advanced machinery, metal machining, 3D printing, and other automated systems
• Teaching new members necessary skills such as design, fabrication, and assembly
• Coordinating with Leadership and mentors to keep our 100-member team organized

Mechanical Design & Fabrication

Robot subsystems were designed in CAD and were made with modularity in mind. This allowed us to replace components easily during competitions if they failed. Examples of some of the subsystems include:

• Grabbers to pick up objects from the ground
• Elevators to move objects up and down
• Shooters to shoot objects into a target
• Climb systems that used either a winch or pneumatics to allow the robot to climb onto bars
• Drivetrain assemblies with motors, gearboxes, wheels, etc

The body of the robot was made out of aluminum tubestock and sheet metal. Subsystems used a mix of aluminum and plastics such as HDPE and 3D printed parts. Fabrication involved using various machines such as vertical mills, metal bandsaws, miter saws, sheet metal benders, 3d printers, laser cutters, etc.

Technologies Used

• Onshape CAD Software
• 3D Printing (Bambu Lab, Prusa)
• Metal Fabrication (Vertical Mill, Metal Bandsaw, Miter Saw, Drill Press, etc)
• Laser Cutters