It has been a productive first month of build season for this year’s game! Check out all of the amazing things each student has been working on and learning so far!
Abe S.
Hello, I’m Abram I have been on the team since December of 2022. During my time with the team I have been in the woodworking section, in this section we have been making the playing field for us to test the robots on. From the last time I checked we have finished the construction of the charging station and the creation of one cone scoring and one cube scoring area and are making to more cone scoring areas. In this small time that I have been working with the team I have learned how to use many machines to assist me in making the playing area.
Aiden T.
I have been on the PhyXTGears Robotics team for eight weeks and two days, since December first. I have been working with the woodworking team on the charge station, which is pretty much complete except for the coding. The LED’s are working and once the coding is done, the charge station will be complete. We are now working on the grid system, and have completed the cone part of the grid system. We need to complete the cube part of the grid system. Being in robotics has helped me with woodworking and has helped improve my skill. It has taught me responsibility and how to respect other people’s space and safety. Robotics has also taught me how to always be safe when I am working, whether it’s putting on safety glasses, or putting on ear protection while I am cutting a piece. Robotics is a great place to be in order to learn and to connect with people.
Alex D.
My name is Alex D. and this is my first year on the team. I have been working on the turret for the robot to help rotate the arm. Me and Phillip have finally developed a working prototype for turret and we will base the final design on the turret. I have learned many things while working in my prototype like how to use Inventor. I have also learned how to use the laser cutter properly to cut wood for certain projects.
Alex R.
Hello, I’m Alex R. I’ve been on the team for a few months, and have been on two sub-teams in that time. I am in Media Marketing where I’ve helped record lectures, take pictures, and better improve our organization of files and content. The other team I’m a part of is the woodworking team. I have helped to build the charge station and the cube measuring device. I have vastly improved in my use of large equipment to get things done.
Avi K
Hello! My name is Avinash (I go by Avi) K. I have been part of the team for around 4-5 weeks. I have been working in the wood shop making game elements (i.e. the charging station). Right now, I am working on the cone and cube shelves. Since working in the wood shop, I have learned how to operate many of the saws and other machines there.
Bradley W.
I just joined this team 4-5 month ago in its post season. I have worked on 3D CAD modeling and photo editing for media purposes. I have helped to create 3 3D models and completed 5 interviews. I have learned how to make 3D models, weld, program, and edit photo/video professionally.
Carter W.
I just joined this team 4-5 month ago in its post season. I have worked on 3D CAD modeling and photo editing for media purposes. I have helped to create 3 3D models and completed 5 interviews. I have learned how to make 3D models, weld, program, and edit photo/video professionally.
Dawson B.
Hello! My name is Dawson B., and I have been on the team for a few months now. So far I have worked on a few different things. I have worked on building swerve drives and gearboxes and other miscellaneous tasks. I have also been learning how a cnc machine works and how to use it.
Emma E.
Hello! My mane is Emma E., and this is my second year on the team. So far, I have been working on a variety of jobs. I have worked on soldering connectors onto various motors and motor controllers, to which I have also extended the wires to. I also repaired a swerve drive module on last years robot to use for prototyping. I have aided in several miscellaneous jobs as well, such as helping to assemble gearboxes, and taping sections of the field.
Emmie J.
Hello, my name is Emmie J. This year will be my third season on the team. Over the past month, I’ve been working on the Path Planner and putting together code for the arm. Lately, I have gotten the opportunity to improve my math skills, specifically pertaining to engineering. It has been an adventure trying to understand the math since I am quite new to it, but it is definitely handy to have under my belt!
Ethan K.
This is my first year of robotics since the season started I have been learning c++ with Justin and now I’m working on making testing prototypes easier by making the prototype directly link to the roborio and able to see the outputs of the motor controllers. I have learned how to code better as well as learning how to interact with arduino through code.
Isaiah S.
I have been a part of the team for four years. I am working on the elbow and wrist joints of the robotic arm we are developing. Parts of this process have included creating the robotic arm and joints in CAD, 3D printing prototype joints and fixing issues with the prototype parts to become closer to the final design. One skill of mine that progressed was creating assemblies in CAD. During the design phase of the robot I spent around thirty hours in three days on CAD trying to assemble my idea. I also have been creating many assemblies throughout the season to fit the new design giving me lots of practice.
Jonah S.
Hi, my name is Jonah S., and I have been on the team for just over a year. These past few weeks I have worked on the arm design; specifically the pulley system that will be running through the arm. This season has let me learn a lot about CAD, and how to use it properly to make a part. These past few weeks have been the most work that I’ve done with CAD ever in my life, and it has been a great learning experience.
Joseph P.
Hello my name is Joseph P. This is my second year with PhyxtGears. I have worked on a variety of woodworking projects from building the charge station for this year’s game, to making stands for the plaques the woodworking mentor designed. I have helped create the charging station, cone scoring area, a cube scoring area, and stands for the plaques. I have also been teaching some of the newer team members how to measure and cut more accurately and efficiently. I have learned how to use the panel saw and how to use the table saw more safely. I have also improved my skill at using both saws. I really enjoy working with Ian, the woodworking mentor, and the rest of the woodworking team!
Kaya D.
I have been in robotics for about two months now. I have been working on greasing gears, learning how to use rivnuts, putting together motors, and many other things. Being in robotics has helped teach me how to work under stress, collaborate with others, and be creative.
Kierstyn G.
My name is Kierstyn G. and I have been on the team for a year going into my second. Over the time of the new season I have been a floater. I have worked son the game set up with the wood working team then I have also been working a little bit with the electrical side on little things for the robot. Over the course of my time with various members 1720 I have learned many things but my favorite was learning to weld. Being on this team is like having big family that help you as you grow to learn things and try something new.
Logan K.
Hello, my name is Logan K. I have been on the team for about 1 month now. I have been working on prepping the electrical side of the robot. I have been communicating with different sub-teams to get a layout of the robot to know where electrical parts can and can’t go. This has recently culminated in the creation of a layout for the main electrical components of the robot. On top of that, I have been taught the basics of how to access the program so I can dip my toes into programming. This experience has taught me more about clear communication. Ideas are constantly changing, impacting the amount of space taken up on the robot, so I have made sure to ask what is new about the robot at every meeting to stay updated with all the information.
Logan S.
I’m Logan S. and this is my first year apart of the team, I’m currently working on the Media team. In the Media team we are working on a trailer wrap along with a revamp of a social media and a general fix up of our website. So far I have learned a great deal from the team like how grants work and learning how to code in C++. Overall it has been a terrific experience.
Nicholas Q.
As a student who has been part of the team for 2 years, but have been part of the FIRST program for 6 years, I have a very unique situation where I am learning very different things then that of my peers. On top of my work in programming the way our robot is going to move, I have gotten a lot more experience in how the workforce is going to be in a more general standpoint. I have gotten more experience in how people interact with each other, experience in being in a sort of “managerial” position (I am the lead student programmer), and growing my ability to teach others effectively.
Paul R.
Hi my name is Paul R. and I’ve been on the team for 2 years. In the past months I’ve helped solder connectors on to our motor controller and help finish building our swerve drive modules. Most recently I have been helping to CNC a rail for our robot. One skill I have improved this season is working with the CNC machine.
Philip R.
This is my third year on 1720. I’ve been working on designing and creating the “shoulder” for the robotic arm that will be on our robot. I am currently finalizing the second prototype of this mechanism with hopes to begin work on the final part soon. I’m getting a lot of experience in mechanical CAD design and assembly. I’m also getting a lot more experience in rapid prototyping and iteration.
Phoebe B.
Hi! My name is Phoebe B. This is my first year apart of the team. This month I’ve been assembling gearboxes taping the field and learning how to solder. I’ve also learned how to use some of the machines in the workshop.
Roman H.
I have been on the team for since the 2021 open house. I have been creating the chassis with Victor, we started with welding the frame which is made up of 1/8 inch aluminum. Then we added the battery box and cross brace which are made out of 1/16 inch, and that makes life a little bit difficult because 1/8 heats much slower than 1/16 so you had to be careful when trying to heat both pieces at once. The over the last week we were trying to get the powder coat to go on right. We were learning as we went because the machine is new and operates differently than the old one. We finally got that done after striping off all of the old messed up layers and now we are getting the belly pan to size.
Sami L.
Hello! My name is Sami L. and I have been with the team for 1 and a half years and have thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. Recently I have been working on a variety of projects some of which include working on the CNC and helping design a spool system. As of right now, nothing has been created, but hopefully by next week I will have helped machine a rail for the claw on our robot to ride on. As for what I have learned, I am much more comfortable with using the CNC. I can start it up (which takes a surprising amount of steps) and give it basic commands. There is still a lot to learn though!
Sophia D.
Its my second year on this team and unfortunately also my last year as a Senior. I mainly work in mechanical or electrical, but recently I have been the jack of all trades working on various small projects where ever and whenever needed. I am currently working on the chassis and making sure that all everything that needs to be mounted can be mounted on the robot. The past weeks I have been working to fix the swerve drives from the old robot so we are able to test prototypes in accurate simulations. I also helped start teaching someone how to souder wires to connectors to create a strong connection that allows electricity to flow easily. I am hoping this year to learn some more about CAD and CAM to take with me in college and give me a head start in engineering!
Tecumseh D.
I have been a part of the PhyXTGears robotics team for a couple of months. I have worked on some small jobs like trying to get a swerve drive out of last years robot. I spend most of my time in the wood shop building field elements for this years game. Before the start of the season I learned a lot from lasers to machine milling. I have learned the basics of CAD and improved my skill with tools. I learned tricks on woodworking with many more not mentioned. I am glad to increase my knowledge and improve many things.
Tessa A.
Hello! My name is Tessa A. I’ve been on the team for over half a year now. This month I’ve been working with both the media and marketing team and the woodworking team. On media and marketing I help with creating content to post on our various social media channels, and I work on reaching out to the sponsors and donors that support our team. With the woodworking team I’ve been assisting with making different parts of our field for our robot to practice on, as well as working on a thank you plac to send out to our teams sponsors. From woodworking I’ve been able to learn how to use a lot of new equipment such as the table saw, drill press, and laser cutter. In media and marketing, I’m currently learning more about the grant writing process and how to communicate with different corporations to raise support for the team.
Vaughn N.
Hello! I am Vaughn N. and I have been part of the PhyxtGears team for almost a year. This is my first official season here, and I’m extremely excited. Since joining I have learned so much, and I still have so far to go! Recently I’ve helped take measurements to place the swerve drive wheels on the chassis of our robot. I’ve also done a bit of powder coating to the chassis itself, just to give it come color. One of my favorite things that I have learned so far is definitely welding. I just find it so cool! However it may be hard at times, but if it wasn’t hard it wouldn’t be worth learning.
Victor A.
My name is Victor A. and this is my second year on the team, this season the main thing I’m doing is learning how to weld, but over the 2-years I’ve been on the team one of the most important things I’ve learned is how to safely use a machine or woodworking shop, I’ve also learned some CAD and how to 3D print things.