“ Teams have a ton of different decisions they have to make when it comes to building a robot. These decisions may seem overwhelming but researching past FRC games and successful robot designs in those games can help your team make informed decisions...


Teams have a ton of different decisions they have to make when it comes to building a robot. These decisions may seem overwhelming but researching past FRC games and successful robot designs in those games can help your team make informed decisions during the design process. An example of FRC games to look at for the 2012 season would include collection and shooting systems from 2009- Lunacy and 2006- Aim High. Below are some tips and resources to help your team though the design process.



Network With Other FRC Teams:

Don’t be afraid to contact teams who built successful robots in previous years and talk to them about what they learned from their design. Chances are they have CAD files of previous years robots that you could use when thinking about your robot design. Since FIRST is such a tight-knit community many teams should be willing to help you out!



Preparing for the FIRST Season:

During the season teams have to decide on a drive trains, design manipulators, and figure out a game strategy. This is a hectic part of the Build Season so take the time to go over the different drive trains and manipulators right before Kick-off. This way when the game is announced and the team is discussing and brainstorming ideas for the robot, rookie members can also contribute to the robot design. This way rookies to the FIRST program will understand what the terms “drive-train” and “chassis” mean before a team tries to decide on one.



The Encyclopedia Robotica:

The Encyclopedia Robotica document was put together by GOFIRST, the University of Minnesota FIRST Support Organization, to help rookie team members quickly become up to date on the various mechanisms used by FIRST robots. It describes common drive trains, middle stages, and end effectors used by FRC teams. The document includes pictures the mechanism, descriptions, and things to keep in mind when building them.

This document does not describe all mechanisms used by FRC teams in competition, but should help rookie FRC members get up to speed on the different types of mechanisms that can be created.

**Note: This is a living document that the group plans to update periodically. We would love ideas for designs that should be added**

http://www.mngofirst.org/moko.html (information at the bottom of the page.)

Remember: A lot of FRC Robots have been built over the last twenty-one years, be innovative but keep in mind that you don’t have to re-create the wheel!

~ Renee, Founder and President of GOFIRST, Alumni of FRC 1675, Mentor of FRC 3630, 2177, 1675, Non-Engineer Mentor Organization (NEMO) member, and MN Regional Planning Committee Member.