Design and Production
Design
Design meetings start right after the B.E.S.T. kick-off event. These meetings, of which every team member participates, are to discuss the game’s objective and the best way to accomplish that objective. Reading the rules is vital to properly accomplish this so the team knows its limitations and possibilities. Therefore, each team member is required to read them. The team breaks into groups that each come up with a solution and presents it to the rest of the team. After the team has deliberated and discussed every attribute of each presented solution, the team comes to a consensus on which solution is best to use. They do this by listing the pros and cons of each and deciding with that knowledge in mind which has the most beneficial attributes and the least hazardous drawbacks. Rating is considered the most efficient way to do this. They then use that solution to design a robot. After-wards, they create CAD drawings of the designed robot with the precise measurements needed for the success of the robot. These CAD drawings are then given to the production team.
Production
Since the robot is considered an extremely important element in the competition, the job of production team is also extremely important. The production team’s job is to create the robot that the design team designed using the materials provided for the competition as well as the specified consumables, like duct tape, in 6 weeks at the very most. It is best that the robot be finished in less than 6 weeks because there must be time to practice with it. The CAD drawings made by the design team are what the production team uses as guidelines for doing this. The work is done in nightly shifts by the members. The work itself is very hands-on with many tools that the members would not normally be permitted to use such as drills, jigsaws, coping saws, table saws, heat guns, and even a drill press. Because of these facts, most team members find the production team to be the coolest part of T.H.E. Robotics. On Game Day, the fruits of the production team are displayed on the game field.
Design meetings start right after the B.E.S.T. kick-off event. These meetings, of which every team member participates, are to discuss the game’s objective and the best way to accomplish that objective. Reading the rules is vital to properly accomplish this so the team knows its limitations and possibilities. Therefore, each team member is required to read them. The team breaks into groups that each come up with a solution and presents it to the rest of the team. After the team has deliberated and discussed every attribute of each presented solution, the team comes to a consensus on which solution is best to use. They do this by listing the pros and cons of each and deciding with that knowledge in mind which has the most beneficial attributes and the least hazardous drawbacks. Rating is considered the most efficient way to do this. They then use that solution to design a robot. After-wards, they create CAD drawings of the designed robot with the precise measurements needed for the success of the robot. These CAD drawings are then given to the production team.
Production
Since the robot is considered an extremely important element in the competition, the job of production team is also extremely important. The production team’s job is to create the robot that the design team designed using the materials provided for the competition as well as the specified consumables, like duct tape, in 6 weeks at the very most. It is best that the robot be finished in less than 6 weeks because there must be time to practice with it. The CAD drawings made by the design team are what the production team uses as guidelines for doing this. The work is done in nightly shifts by the members. The work itself is very hands-on with many tools that the members would not normally be permitted to use such as drills, jigsaws, coping saws, table saws, heat guns, and even a drill press. Because of these facts, most team members find the production team to be the coolest part of T.H.E. Robotics. On Game Day, the fruits of the production team are displayed on the game field.