Meet Surge

At midnight, yesterday February 18th, the team bagged, tagged and named out 2014 Aerial Assist robot. We put what the name should be to a vote and Surge won!

Surge

Team leads

Senior Logistic Manager, Olivia Suitor, and Senior Project Manager, Isaac Khan with our bagged and tagged bot.

The team members who stayed until midnight to bag and tag Surge. 

Some of our mentors stayed until midnight too.

Our coaches

Read More

STOP Build Day

It's Tuesday, February 18th. The halls of eSTEM are filled with the steady humming of our robot launching, catching, and getting practice in before the dreaded BAG comes at midnight to store our precious robot away until competition...

BUT it's not just the robot who is going to be here until Midnight!

So many dedicated team members on every team ranging from mechanical to marketing are here in support of our robot!

As you can see Technical Difficulties is begrudgingly awaiting STOP Build. Although we have the utmost faith in our robot, it's still painful to say goodbye for 2 WEEKS!

Alas, the time is approaching, and we can only believe that we did everything we can!

Read More

What Our Robotics Team is Working on!

Mechanical - Upgrading the harvester and rotating the wheels

Electrical - Wiring and powering the robot

Programming - Running operating code to robot, working out the kinks for the mecanum drive, and vision tracking

Safety - Researching the manual

Community - Making a basic video and a rough draft for the chairmans award

Fabrication - Making a model of the bumpers and cart on solidworks

Tactical - Creating a quiz for driver trials 

Special Projects - Fixed weight distribution and are leaning towards mecanum wheels instead of omni wheels

Marketing - Updating social media, planning the pit's design, planning a visit to Pickerington Middle School, and finishing the t-shirts

Read More

NBC4 visits Technical Difficulties!

Yesterday, the Local News visited us at Summit Campus

This was our oppurtuinity to show the community of Central Ohio, what Technical Difficulties is all about! We have so much to show to everybody, we couldn't wait...

They interveiwed various leads and the coaches.

Mr. Coley- Our Coach

Tommy Coley-  Our Special Project Lead

"Why are you here?"

"What do you guys do here?"

"What do you represent?"

Mekedia Setegne- Our Junior Logistics Manager

Look for us on Air or  Online !!   

Read More

New 2014 Shirt Design

Here he is! This is what we have all been waiting for, right?! Our Design Team has been working long and hard to re-invent our original Tobi design because let's face it, he needed a bit of tinkering.  

Read More

About Our Chassis

We have two chassis this year; one is our back-up and is a traditional build we have created in past seasons. We call the back up our "glitch drive"- in honor of our first robot that had the same omni-wheel chassis. The second one is something we have never tried before: a mecanum chassis.

The new chassis, is a mecanum drive prototype undergoing beta testing. One of the advantatges of mecanum drive chassis is the manueverability, which allows us to straff, or move laterally, as well as be omni-directional. We are still working out the kinks in programming and are very close. We decided to make both because there are pros/cons to both and we are unsure which path will give us a greater edge in the competition.

Mecanum drive

Glitch drive

Mecanum wheels

Read More

Build Season update

Here's how hard we are working on this chilly Saturday.

DESIGN

Our design team is currently working on multiple t-shirt designs and modifying our team mascot, Tobi.

LOGISTICS, MARKETING AND TACTICAL

Our marketing team is currently finishing up the business plan, planning events with other STEM schools and updating internet sites and social networks. 

Our logistics lead manager is currently working on booking a hotel for competition. Tactical is working on a pit sheet, match sheet and reviewing at past records of teams. 

ELECTRICAL & PROGRAMMING

Our electrical team is currently working on wiring the voltage regulator.

Our programming team is currently working on vision tracking for the robot and also programming the circuit board.

MECHANICAL, SPECIAL PROJECTS & DRIVE TRAIN 

Our mechanical team and drive train teams are working together to put together the first of our two chassis, and working on the gear box. 

Special projects is focusing on prototyping a shooter for the robot.

FABRICATION

For our practice course, the fabrication team is building the low goal and will soon start on the high goal frame. They have already finished building the facing of the high goal.

Read More