CAD & Technical | Titan Robotics #2022

From Idea to Robot

Design a Robot With Us

Step 2: Mechanical

The Mechanical subteam is Jack-of-all trades team, where members are expected to have inter-disciplinary knowledge of other technical teams so that they can ground their designs and processes in the reality of building the robot. As such, we will start the season off with safety and technical training, where members are encouraged to learn the basics of other subteams and their workflows. Mech members will be expected to know where and what most components in the lab are, how to safely and effectively use both hand-held and heavy machinery, how to set-up and safely use the CNC, and how to interact with and work through the CAd model of our robot. We are primarily responsible for the assembly of the robot, so we are expected to have a well rounded team that can help work through issues that arise with our or other subteams throughout the season.

Step 3: Electrical

The electrical subteam is a team that focuses on hands-on work, an in-depth understanding of connectivity and how components work together. We will operate under a curriculum that develops an understanding of interconnectivity and an ability to solve issues when they arise. Knowledge for the robot and how it operates falls under a couple different categories: how each component is powered, how information is shared, how components work together, and what it looks like to have good practices in both wiring and component management. We will utilize many techniques like redundancy and proper management to prevent errors before they occur as well as making the lives of electrical and the rest of the team easier. Documentation will be heavily enforced to document potential errors, fixes and how it may be fixed in the future not only to help for this year, but years to come. And most importantly, we will prioritize communication with teams like Mechanical and Design Integration to prevent communication issues and points of failure.

Step 4: Programming

The programming subteam takes the robot’s mechanical design and strategic goals and writes software resulting in reliable behavior. At the start of the season, we work with the other subteams to identify what each mechanism must do, and how sensors and motors are involved. We then write subsystem code according to the bot’s design, using Java and WPILib. We also implement autonomous routines, and vision alignment as needed. Features are tested first through simulation before being integrated onto the full robot. Throughout the season, programmers work closely with the rest of technical to diagnose problems and maximize performance. At competitions, we analyze logs and repair software issues. Programming’s overall goal is to produce software that is reliable and easy for the drive team to use under pressure.