Build Season Update: End of Week 2!

As of Week 2, Team 980 has developed its strategy for this year’s game, FIRST Power Up. Our robot will need to deliver cubes quickly (including in autonomous mode) and be able to climb during the end game. Our design team is creating the robot in SolidWorks, has completed the drivetrain/chassis and is drawing the cube forklift. The controls team has developed the vision-targeting code and has demonstrated autonomous modes on our prototyping robot. Team 980’s business team is preparing submissions for the Chairman’s and Entrepreneurship awards. We are making great progress in these areas in preparation for our first regional competition in March. Our goal is to bring home some blue banners this year and attend the FIRST Championships in April.

 

Fabrication team hard at work.
Presenting design ideas.
Controls team testing out the drive station components.

LEGO Robo-Camp 2017

Team 980 worked with the Burbank Public Library to offer a LEGO Robotics Camp from July 17-21 and July 31-August 4! We developed a special curriculum for the camp, along with a custom game and mat! We helped 40 kids learn how to build and program LEGO Mindstorms robots, a rewarding experience for everyone involved. Our summer team captain, Ethan Godfrey, said,

The LEGO Robo-Camp we held at the Burbank Public Library was extremely successful. At both library locations we had great groups of kids who enjoyed the program and had an amazing time. Though what was especially successful was the kid’s growth of both skills and comfort with robotics and science. Personally, I observed that at the start of the camp, a handful of kids were a little uneasy or nervous, as they had never really touched robots or used computers, but by the end of the program, they were taking the lead within their groups with a smile on their face. Additionally, many of the kids loved the obstacle course and testing their robot code and designs. Finally, as the judge who reviewed the groups at the end, I loved hearing them talk about their robot and explain what code they used, how they designed and built their LEGO robots to achieve the tasks of the course, and of course, how much fun they had.

We had a great time, and hope to give the camp again soon!

 

 

2017 Season!

Say hello to Lightning XV! Over the 2017 build season, Team 980 poured a lot of time and effort into our robot. This year’s design, made for the FIRST STEAMWORKS challenge, has fuel pickup and delivery, gear delivery, and climbing mechanisms!

We participated in the Central Valley Regional from March 10-12, where one of our Dean’s List Nominees, Andrew Farrow, was chosen as a Finalist! We are incredibly proud of him and his achievements.

We participated in the Los Angeles Regional March 24-26, where we were semi-finalists! We also won the Entrepreneurship Award, acknoledging our active business planning and community service!

Our 2017 drive team
Our 2017 Chairman’s team!
Team Photo

We made our 2017 Chairman’s Video to tell the story of the past few years. Check it out:

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lvgds9GD5PU[/embedyt]

Discovery Cube First LEGO League Qualifier

We had a very successful FLL Qualifing Tournament at Discovery Cube LA today! Discovery Cube hosted the event, and Team 980 organized it and provided volunteers! 24 teams participated, with 6 moving on to the championships. They presented their research for the betterment of human-animal interactions, showed their Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition, and, of course, ran their robots on the Animal Allies field. We had a great time running this tournament and hope all the teams had a great time competing in it!

We’d like to thank everyone who helped, including:

Girl Scouts of Greater LA

Eileen and Jason Kahn

LA Robotics

FRC 2637, 4711

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Team 980 at the Fall Classic!

Team 980 participated in the Fall Classic September 24th and 25th. We had a great time, and despite some connectivity difficulties early on Saturday, were a force to be reckoned with. We wound up winning the competition both days! This was our first off-season event, and a great way prepare for more, namely the upcoming Beach Blitz Oct. 8-9. We’re really excited to participate in this new event, and hope to see you there!

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