Robot Name: Escargoat
Team Summary: In 2017, the team developed an innovative gear delivery mechanism using a pendulum that allowed the robot to place a gear on a peg reliably regardless of robot placement and angle, allowing our robot to deliver gears very quickly and efficiently. We also built a signature snail shaped ball path and shooter which accelerated balls using 3 stages of acceleration rollers and two ball streams to achieve a throughput of 14 balls per second. The robot’s controls incorporated a text-to-speech debugging interface, as well as computer vision alignment and a limit switch to sense when the gear peg entered into our robot. The gear delivery mechanism, as well as its 2-speed drivetrain, made Escargoat a formidable gear scoring robot.
2017
STEAMWORKS
2016
STRONGHOLD
Robot Name: Goat-Goat
Team Summary: In 2016, 190 developed an innovative drivetrain known as “Tracuate”, meaning that the ends of the two tread drive would actuate back and forth. This allowed the robot to seamlessly traverse the different defenses in either direction. In addition to this the Goat-Goat had dual manipulators that, in addition to helping with the traversal of the more difficult defenses such as the Portcullis or the Cheval de Frise, was able to intake and score boulders in the tower low goal and feed to the Shooper, which fired boulders into the high goal. Although the high goal shooting capabilities were not developed until late into season, the Goat-Goat excelled as a low goal scoring and defense crossing robot, placing as 1st seed at the Rhode Island Event and making it to the finals at the Montgomery Event.
Robot Name: Giraffe-Goat
Team Summary: This game called for a robot that could stack totes over six feet high, and move them with stability. This led to a very tall robot, hence the name giraffe goat. Team 190 decided to innovatively use sensors to automate the connection process. This would allow the robot to auto align to the tote, and pick it up. We experimented with 3D printing, by making our hooks with the 3D printer. The hooks were the parts that underwent the most change. Because the game had bins to pick up along with the totes, we realized we needed hooks that not only picked up the totes reliable, but also were able to pick up the bins, which had a slightly different angle. The hooks also had to be able to let go of the totes somehow for load off.
Our innovative drop off method, of tilting the chainsaw forward, exemplified the type of thinking prized by Team 190.
2015
RECYCLE RUSH
2014
AERIAL ASSIST
Robot Name: Pac-Goat
Team Summary: In 2014, Team 190 had the task to build a robust robot that could play Aerial Assist, a game in which robots had to pass one ball between themselves, shoot it over a large truss and score it in a high or low goal on the other side of the field. During the strategy decisions, the team decided that they wanted to be a robot that could both do the truss shot and shoot into the high goal, such that the robot could potentially carry an alliance during qualifications if necessary. Since this game was a large clear field, defense was going to be quite prevalent, so the team went with six wheel drive, with omni-wheels in the back.
Additionally through prototyping, we found that an angled collector had the best chance of collecting the ball from any angle, which gave the robot the shape of Pac-Man, hence the name of the robot. To launch the ball, our team decided to use two large pneumatic pistons as air springs, which gave the most energy transfer.
Robot Name: Pharaoh Goat
Team Summary: Team 190s first priority for the 2013 season was to pull off their “Wombo Combo” in which the robot would climb to the top of the pyramid and dump Frisbees in the top. Because of this the robot was mostly oriented toward climbing although it still had a fair amount of shooting capability. The climbing mechanism utilized an impressive telescoping arm approach with a set of hooks to hold its position while it continued to move up.
2013
ULTIMATE ASCENT
2012
REBOUND RUMBLE
Robot Name: Sad Panda Nuclear Option Goat (SPNO Goat)
Team Summary: In classic Team 190 style, the 2012 robot was designed to solve the problem of Rebound Rumble in a unique and challenging way. After many hours of difficult discussion within the team, the final strategic decision was made to shoot for the high goal from as far away as possible, hopefully from over 50 feet away near the “inbound station”.
From this decision, every aspect of the robot was sculpted to execute it as effectively as possible. A swerve drive was developed to ensure the robot could easily navigate into several predetermined shooting positions across the field. The collector was specially shaped so that the robot could quickly receive balls from the inbound station by simply driving into the alliance station wall and dropping three balls into play. The bridge manipulator mechanism included a current sensor that was calibrated to exert as much torque as it could to tip the bridge in our favor without tipping the robot over. Finally, the shooter and turret included tons of power and a massive shooter wheel to deliver as much energy to the balls as possible with each shot.
At tournaments, the Sad Panda Nuclear Option Goat (SPNO Goat) improved after each and every match. At the WPI Regional, the shooter was not tuned adequately, and the robot was only able to score one basket during the entire event. However, the top notch bridge manipulator and autonomous mode ensure the alliance always claimed the balls on the coopertition bridge. With the help of teams 3205 and 2067, 190 won the regional. At the South Florida regional, the robot was able to score from mid court, but was eliminated in the quarterfinals. More importantly, the team was elated to hear that Ken Stafford, team mentor for over 12 years, was awarded the Woodie Flowers Finalist award.
At the Championship, the team made a name for itself for being able to shoot three balls in autonomous from mid field. After a fantastic effort by the team and their alliance partners 2949 and 781, 190 was eliminated in two extremely close quarterfinal matches.
Robot Name: Gompesaurus Rex
Team Summary: Our motto for this year was “innovatively competitive” and we certainly had a plethora of excellent designs supporting that theme. We had a drive train that could quickly be switched between matches from a 6-wheel drop center to a 6-wheel in-line with omni wheels in the back. The latter format moved the axis of rotation to the front of the robot making it easier to adjust when hanging tubes. To manipulate tubes we built a two-stage elevator and a roller claw. The elevator was assisted by a constant force spring that rendered it “weightless.” The roller claw used wheels to pull in tubes and poly-cord to rotate them once stowed. The jaws of the claw itself would separate when a tube was entering, but would snap shut due to elastic binding once the tube was enclosed. The roller wheels ran so quickly that any tube was ours if it so much as grazed the device. To prevent tube popping, a trigger was positioned at the back of the claw so that the robot would know when a tube was fully secured and automatically turn off the roller wheels. What made 2k11 really successful was the mini-bot and deployment system. Two alignment wings would swing down to align the robot with the tower quickly and correctly followed by a curved metal ramp that meshed neatly with the pole and formed a continuous track for the mini-bot to travel on. A system of pins and springs was set off that activated the trigger on our mini-bot as it accelerated on the horizontal, transitioned to the tower, and rocketed to the top in as few as 1.2 seconds. The mini-bot itself clung to the pole magnetically and weighed so little that the bulk of it was just the battery. The mini-bot and deployment were so successful that other teams actually copied the designs after our first competition.
2011
LOGOMOTION
2010
BREAKAWAY
Robot Name: Gompinator
Team Summary: In 2010, Team 190 set out to build a daring robot that would primarily play the game from the middle and far zones as a passing and defensive robot. For this task, the team selected a mecanum driveline, which utilizes special wheels to allow the robot to translate and rotate independently, providing ultimate mobility. Mecanum systems are not known for their ability to operate on rough terrain, so to combat this, the team devised a disk brake mechanism that would allow the special wheels to behave as standard traction wheels on command. A kicker powered by surgical tubing and armed with a ratchet and clutch system allowed the robot to pass balls across the full field length, clearing out the opponent’s zone and feeding our partners. The design also originally included a hanging system, but weight restrictions prevented the system from being installed.
Robot Name: Cobra-Goat
Team Summary: With mobility being a huge limiting factor in the game, the robot devised by Team 190 this year had a swerve-drive platform that allowed the robot to rotate the wheels and drive in any direction. The system also implemented free rolling; a system of sensor augmented follower wheels to enable a sophisticated traction control program, which ensuring maximum maneuverability. The robot also had a wide, belt-driven pathway for Moon Rocks to be picked up off the floor and stored, and could hold up to 17 Moon Rocks at a time. Moon Rocks stored in the robot could be expelled rapidly into an opponent’s trailer at short range. The entire storage path could be emptied in 3 seconds, allow for ‘hit-and-run’ attacks, allowing the team to capitalize on the limited scoring opportunities. The shape of the pathway and the robot’s ability to strike quickly gave rise to the robot’s name, the Cobra-Goat. A camera mounted on top of the robot was able to track targets on the opposing goals, allow the Cobra-Goat to line up and score during the 15 second autonomous mode at the start of the match.
2009
LUNACY
2008
OVERDRIVE
Robot Name: El Chupacabra Goat
Team Summary: In response to the 2008 challenge, Team 190 built El Chupacabra Goat. In looking for the most exciting angle on the game, the team decided that having the robot plant itself in the middle of the field, extend a 12-foot telescoping tower, and infinitely rotate an arm would be an acceptable strategy. The objective was to carry the track ball around the field as many times as possible as quickly as possible. The robot utilized Man-Bear-Pig drive, a unique 5-wheel arrangement in order to move around the field. The right-hand side of the drivetrain had friction wheels; the left-hand had two omni-wheels and a rolling pin of doom (rPod.) When the match began, El Chupacabra Goat deployed its rPod to lift the friction wheels clear of the carpet and trundle into place in the center. Once locked in position, El Chupacabra used a suction cup that required 50 pounds of force to lift the ball. The arm swung around and used custom built slip rings to allow electrical contact through the full 360 degrees of rotation.
Robot Name: Goatdactyl
Team Summary: During the 2007 build season, Team 190 brought to life the Goatdactyl. Due to the large amount of points available for robots being raised above the carpet (15 points for 4 inches and 30 points for 12 inches), the team was determined to create the robot with the best lifting mechanism in FIRST, while at the same time being able to score tubes. The Goatdactyl’s six-wheel drive-train supported two massive wings, one on each side of the robot, which at the end of the match would slowly fall to the floor and extend out to an eight-foot wingspan. Once an alliance robot had driven up the wing, a specialized anti-roll-back device would ensure the robot was at least four inches above the ground. Finally, upon reaching the top of the ramp, the partner robots would be lifted a foot into the air by three pneumatic pistons stored on the underside of the wing. In addition to all of this, the Goatdactyl was also equipped with a super light elevator and gripper, designed to grasp tubes from the ground and deliver them to any scoring peg on the rack.
That year, the team won the Regional Chairman’s Award at the BAE Systems Granite State Regional and the Motorola Quality Award at the Silicon Valley Regional. We were also Regional Champions with 1516 and 1280 at the Silicon Valley Regional, and FIRST World Champions with 177 and 987 at the FIRST Championships. In the offseason, the team won the Engineering Excellence Award at BattleCry@WPI 8, the “All That and a Bag of Chips” Award at Mayhem in the Merrimack, and were Finalist with 40 and 131 at River Rage.
2007
RACK N’ ROLL
2006
AIM HIGH
Robot Name: Plastic Fantastic
Team Summary: In the second year after FRC implemented an autonomous period where a robot could not be manually operated by a human, Team 190’s 2006 robot used a wide array of sensors to improve its autonomous ability. Mechanisms on the robot sorted balls, which were collected by two rollers, into a revolving 6-column storage container. Banner (beam-break) sensors monitored the balls in each compartment in order to avoid the balls becoming jammed. These sensors were instrumental because a lot of the 2006’s seasons problems arose from poorly managed balls. When ready to shoot, the sensors rotated to ensure that a column with balls was always in position above the shooter and allowed for a smooth transition to the flywheel-fed launcher on a rotating turret. A camera on the turret monitored the position of the green vision target while the turret turned in response to keep the goal constantly in sight.
Robot Name: Gompei, the Burninator
Team Summary: Team 190’s objective for this year was to win a design award at every regional event attended, which it was successful at, winning the Delphi Driving Tomorrow’s Technology award at both the Granite State and the Long Island regionals. Of the many devices that contributed to the team objective, Team 190’s homemade Mecanum wheels were the most impressive. Teeam 190 was one of the first teams to use Mecanum wheels, along with Team 347 and Team 1000.
2005
TRIPLE PLAY
2004
RAISING THE BAR
Team Summary: WPI ingenuity and Mass Academy driver participation spawned 2k4, a robot specially designed for one purpose: to win. It has a strong autonomous mode that generally allows it to latch and pull itself up on a bar. If that is not enough, the S.O.D.s on the side prevent opponents from hanging alongside 2k4.