It began with just a single class of a dozen pre-engineering
students and one teacher; expanded to thirty students and six main teacher
mentors with additional help from technology teachers. After our initial year in
FIRST in 2000, our team was then formed from students at the three district's
high school campuses': John F. Kennedy High School, Memorial High School, and
the Edgewood Academy for the Fine Arts. Our mentoring support has included
mentors from both industry and institutions of higher education. Lockheed Martin
has continued to be our primary financial partner, and has been with us five
years and continues to increase their funding amounts each season. A majority
of our budget for this annual program has historically been funded internally
within the school district using various budget sources or external grant
resources. In 2004 in an effort to build upon our student driven effort of prior
seasons we submitted a visualization entry as well as develop our first team
website. Our involvement in FIRST has spawned a new course in Autodesk Inventor.
We continue development of an off-season program with the help of our partners.
Past summers have included students participation in a
summer robotics camp.
Other past pre-season activities have included workshops on Physics and
Programming Automation with the help of professors from Texas State University.
Today we continue in the tradition of enhancing our mentors' pool, increasing
student participation, offering advanced workshops on robotic development,
programming, and design, along with website design.
PRIOR YEARS
2005 ‘Triple Play’
Again 15 sec self-autonomous mode, to move your robot into a tetras location.
Object of the game stack tetras into rows of three for scoring, top matching tetras took the row. Top
Awards:
Winner of the Lone Star Regional with alliance teams #118 (Robonauts) and #231 (High Voltage)
Lone Star Regional Website Excellence Award
Highlights:
Scored every round!
No penalty points any round during Regionals!
Highly affective in defensive mode!
Drivers’ ability increased.
Designed a robot again that could upright itself if fell over forward.
Selected as third member of the winning alliance
United States Ambassadors for two Brazilian teams
(Mexican Folklorico Dancers) Female team members danced in opening ceremonies.
2004 FIRST Frenzy ‘Raising the Bar’
Again 15 sec autonomous mode, if knocked ball off tee it release other balls from above.
Object of the game was to push balls into the corner, while human player shot balls into scoring goals.
Highlights:
First attempt at robot with autonomous mode.
Sturdier more versatile robot.
2003 ‘Stack Attack’
First time 15 sec self autonomous mode. Object of the game was to push the storage bins into scoring areas and human player stacked storage containers for multipliers. Plastic storage containers stacked into a pyramid in the center on a ramp.
Highlights:
Won most pushing contests.
Designed self-righting mechanism for when our robot turned it self over.
First year with more functional drive train.
2002 ‘Zone Zeal’
Object of game was to move rolling goals to a specified scoring location, while human player shot soccer balls into the goals to score points.
Highlights:
In one round we captured a goal, deployed our pneumatics and nobody could move us even though they tried.
2001‘Diabolical Dynamics’
Experiment of Co-operation FIRST with all four teams on one alliance and no opposition alliance. Game had a balancing ramp at mid-field and if a robot could balance with one or two goals then points would double or Quadruple.
Highlights:
We became a team. The experience at the Lone Star regional was over-whelming.
Lockheed-Martin became our first sponsor.
Realized the need for a lot more mentors!
