*|MC:SUBJECT|*

01-29-2024 | Issue 2 | Volume 1

Kettering University Event #1

February 29th to March 2nd

Flint, MI, USA

Durham College Event

March 15th to March 17th

Oshawa, ON, Canada

Macomb Community College Event

March 28th to March 30th

Sterling Heights, MI, USA

My name is Matt, I have been apart of FIRST for 11 years and I am the head coach for Strike Zone. I first joined robotics to give me something to do and was immediately hooked and loved everything about it. I enjoy volunteering on the team as it allows me to give the same opportunities to students that I had while on the team.

Read the Game Manual
- It is important to understand what needs to be accomplished to play the game and what your parameters need be. Sometimes there are hidden loop holes or elements that might go missed.
Strategize
- We find that once everyone understands the rules, we are able to break into smaller groups where we efficiently bounce robot ideas off of each other. No physical mechanism is discussed as we don’t want people to get trapped in group-think during this process.
Create a List
- After our time with groups, we come back together and discuss our ideas. We then create a needs, wants, and maybe’s list. This gives us a start to what resources we want to prioritize so we can begin prototyping. Several rounds of discussion are held before we can narrow down a finalized list.
Prototype
- After the list is created, we break into groups and begin prototyping. We layout what prototypes we want to see and let students vote on which team they would like to apart of. All team members participate in prototyping regardless of their sub-team because it gives everyone a great perspective into what the robot will look like.

This method has allowed us to break down the robot into chunks and work more efficiently. We are all about trial and error to create the most competitive robot. Overall, it takes the team roughly two days before any sort of prototypes are built.

Scoring the note.

One of our most important prototypes has been our shooter. We wanted something to be able to shoot the note into the amp and the speaker. Using these goals we started on trying out different shooters for

the amp. During this prototyping phase, one of the aspects we focused on was the different wheels used. We wanted something that would grip the foam without tearing it apart. Once we found the wheels that worked best, we worked on different geometry to make sure the note fit perfectly into the amp to prevent it from falling out or not running through the rollers. As shown in the video above, we started testing with three rollers of compliant wheels and different angles. Using some drills with adaptors, we were able to simulate how this prototype would function with motors attached. We tested different angles and drill speeds to find what made the note into the amp most consistently. Currently, we are working on combining this amp shooter design with our speaker shooter design to make the most efficient robot.

I’m Laura and this is my second year on Strike Zone. I am our Scouting Lead but I also do business, machining and assembly. One thing I love to do is rescue injured farm animals with my family. I also do National Honor Society and am apart of the schools cheer team. Even though I’m only a junior, I know that I want to major in mechanical engineering with an emphasis in automotive.

My name is Damien and this is my first year on the team. I am currently in 7th grade and decided to give robotics a try after seeing Strike Zone do a robot demo at my school. Some facts about me is that I love math and I am originally from Canada. I enjoy playing soccer and going to church with my family. I don’t know what I want to do but I hope to get a well paying job and live a long and happy life.

My name is Natalie, I'm a senior and I’ve been on the team for 6 years. I decided to join because I have always had an interest in the STEM field. Now I am the Wiring Lead and have been the driving force behind designing and constructing our team's driver stations for 3 years. Beyond robotics, I’m an intern at Cypress Integration Solutions, where I created my custom PCB for FRC driver stations. Outside of robotics, I’m color guard captain, an NHS member and find joy in channeling my creativity into various crafts. Post-graduation, I will be pursuing an electrical engineering degree.

Leaving great opportunities open for all community students, regardless of financial standings, is at the core of Strike Zone’s foundation. With that being said, students and mentors are not expected to directly financially contribute to the team. One hundred percent of the funds come from the team’s partners and generous donations from the community.

Wish List

Whether it be monetary or otherwise, we are appreciative of any and all donations, as we operate year-round.