2023 Week 2: Build Journal

After a successful first week of planning and prototyping, the build team continued to test different intakes, cycling options, and game piece indexing mechanisms. Among the indexing designs we considered were the V-Intake, which used two bands in the shape of a V to pull cones to the middle of the robot, and the Bar Indexer, which uses a simple horizontal bar to right fallen cones.

However, after testing and evaluating these designs, the team ultimately scrapped the V-Intake and moved on to other ideas such as a claw-like intake, which used flexible arms with wheels to grab game elements, and the Suction intake, which used suction cups to stick onto cones. We also worked on an "Over the Bumper" intake, which used a shaft with wheels at cone height in front of the robot's bumper to pull cones in and over the bumper into the robot.

In addition to these intake designs, the team also focused on building and refining other aspects of the robot, such as the Spindexer, a mechanism to index the cone into a finite number of fixed locations inside the bot's frame perimete We also made progress on field elements and field set up. We hope to have prototyping done by the end of this week, so that we can break in Week 3 with a discussion of what our final design should be. Overall, it was a successful and productive week for the build team.

Nemesis 2590 Takes Center Stage at Robbinsville State of Schools!

Robbinsville High School saw a very successful, informative night on Thursday, January 19th, as it held the annual State of the Schools event. There were a multitude of clubs, organizations and school administration showcasing their accomplishments over the past few years. The common area was buzzing with people from all over Robbinsville, especially around the back corner, where Nemesis 2590 had their own booth. 

This had many aspects, with the center of attention being Nemesis’ 2022 robot, Iris. The drive team was able to show off their skills, allowing attendees to experience the robot's shooter through audience interaction, while catching cargo from the robot. While this occurred, other team members presented the ins and outs of Nemesis 2590. They educated the crowd about Nemesis’ operations, the team's various community outreach events, and more. The team gave out tattoos and tri-folds to those attending, while also showcasing posters detailing all aspects of our team. 

At the superintendent’s debrief on the current events of Robbinsville, Nemesis was honored to be mentioned many times. The dedication of Nemesis team members, the new 2023 game, and the team hosting its first district competition were all spoken about during the speech. Overall, it was a very successful night for Nemesis. The team was incredibly excited to share a year of accomplishments with the Robbinsville community.

Nemesis hits the books with a successful library robot demonstration

On the morning of January 21st, members of Nemesis 2590 were up and ready to showcase their award-winning robot, Iris. Held at the local Robbinsville library and open to elementary and middle schoolers, the demonstration was meant to show the community what Nemesis is all about. After a brief explanation of our team and what we do, students were able to have hands-on interactions with Iris.

Firstly, lead members of Nemesis gave a presentation to the students and their parents. They described what FIRST is, how the FIRST Robotics Competition works, and different ways students could get involved in FIRST. Brief introductions were given about the FIRST Lego League, and a quarter-final match, with Nemesis 2590 playing, from the FRC Championship of 2022 was aired for the students. Described as “a chaotic mix of the NBA and BattleBots”, students were glued to their seats by the sight of six 120 pound robots racing around the arena. The match got students ready and excited to learn about Iris and see how the systems of the robot function.

After the presentation was finished, students were able to witness Iris’s use of its Limelight, a tool which can find the reflexive tape on a hoop in order for the robot to be able to aim itself, first hand. They were given a necklace with a strip of reflective tape on it, and the robot used its Limelight to track the tape on the students as they walked around the robot. Students were able to see the green light shined on them, and the precision of the Limelight’s tracking ability.

After demonstrating the Limelight, the turret was showcased to the students. Some students stood in front of the robot, and a ball was shot from Iris’s turret for the students to catch. This was the same turret and auto locking system used during the 2022 competition season, but the power was turned down so that the ball was catchable for students. While this was happening, other students were able to drive the robot and experience how the control system for Iris works.

Finally, students were given a chance to take a look at Iris, while being guided through the various systems by Nemesis team members. They were walked through the intake, cycling, and shooting systems on the robot, so that they could have a rudimentary understanding of how the different aspects of Iris works. This wrapped up the hands-on interaction for the students, and they were able to go home with an increased understanding of FIRST, with many now preparing to be on FLL teams for the next season.

Nemesis Energized for a New Season

After much excitement and anticipation, FIRST kickoff weekend arrived on January 7th, with 2023’s newest challenge: Charged Up. Live from FIRST headquarters in Manchester, New Hampshire, this new challenge engaged and motivated the minds of Nemesis 2590. This year's challenge revolves around creating tech innovation to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all. After the challenge was finally announced, the team was launched into a state of excitement. The 2023 build season has officially begun!

After the team read through the game manual to gain full knowledge of the challenge, we split up into several brainstorming groups, all to examine the game and discuss how we could approach this feat.

During these breakout sessions, members used statistical analysis, ranking the actions that the robots could exhibit, in an effort to help with the design of the robot. Eventually, team members and mentors came to a consensus on each Robot action. Next up, each group would decide the rankings and strategy of these actions. An overall consensus was eventually reached and Day 1 finished with the team splitting up into small groups to review potential designs of the robot actions, with a focus on maximizing game piece placement efficiency.

On Day 2, after the ranking of tasks and strategies were decided, the “How’s” of  Nemesis’ approach were discussed. Team 2590 split up into their respective subteams, and eventually came to an agreement about how designs were to be implemented on the overall procedure. This rigorous challenge would require each and every member of the team to step up, and embrace the spirit of building a brand new robot for this year's challenge. 

Kickoff weekend for Nemesis 2590 had the team rally around a difficult challenge, through perseverance and resilience, the team was able to overcome the obstacles together. The team not only worked hard, but enjoyed every moment of solving problems collaboratively, from the rigorous discussions of strategy, to the designing of the robot, to how the team could utilize different mechanics for the robot. Creativity, teamwork and determination abounded this kickoff weekend, and we can think of no better way to start another exhilarating season with FIRST Robotics Competition.