bing bong

Robot name origin: The character Bing Bong from the Pixar movie Inside Out. It’s a long story. Armed with the knowledge from my first year, I was determined to push myself further into the unknown and reach the next level: the World Championship.

This year’s challenge already seemed to be harder than stacking cones from last season. It involved launching balls at flags, which required more precision (official game video is here). More than intimidating, I saw it as a chance to try some brand new ideas and designs.

Cool subsystems and specs:

• 2 motor 3600 RPM flywheel to launch balls
• Limit switch sensor ball indexing and management system.
  • Allowed Bing Bong to automatically “lock-and-load” balls. So all I had to do as the driver was press a button to immediately launch a ball.
• 4-motor 6-wheel, chained, friction-banded powertrain
  • Beefy so Bing Bong could stand its ground against defensive plays
  • Tradeoff was speed, but having a strong powertrain was especially important in maintaining control of the high yellow platform (see gif below)

I had explored autonomous driving in my first season, and found it fascinating and enjoyable to work on. I was determined to dedicate more effort to learning more about it and implementing it. I tried out the Autonomous Skills challenge for the first time this season.

Exploring autonomous systems was not just satisfying. My Skills challenge scores qualified us for the World Championship for the first time! It was an unforgettable experience, meeting some of the best and brightest peers from all over the world, and getting to bond with my own team. I knew I’d have to come back!