Team 980 Takes Breaking a “Leg” to the Next Level at the Da Vinci Scrimmage!

“Da Vinci Scrimmage”, El Segundo, October 15, Fall 2022

As a small event with approximately a dozen teams, Da Vinci’s Scrimmage was designed as a casual practice event for teams to try their new upgrades – Team 980 was sure to make the most of this opportunity, especially testing new robot drivers/operators. Despite not being able to finalize their fully fledged, three wheel collector system in time, they were still able to reap the benefits of a newly mounted pneumatics system for the collector’s extension/retraction. By placing the system higher up, more consistent compression was exerted on the cargo, bringing them more smoothly into the belly of the beast and quicker up/down motion, minimizing the risk of accidental – possibly damaging – collisions. However, tragedy struck when a collector arm snapped in half. Rather than conceding to fate, the students rallied their forces to fix the fracture best they could – and it paid off! With their quick thinking, Team 980 was back competing in just a few rounds, playing out the rest of their matches for the day. 

Team 980 is scheduled for Tidal Tumble in two weeks time; will their finalized collector be revealed in all its glory? How will the students’ determination manifest itself against any challenges coming their way? Is Team 980 Thunderbots on their road to greatness?

— Luci