Vex U Member Updates Fall 2019

As a VEX team, we began by splitting all the new members into two teams to design, build and program a robot so that everyone gets exposure to the process of making a VEX robot. We then moved on to brainstorming the competition which this year is tower takeover where we basically stack cubes to make towers. We did some research and brought together our ideas on what kind of Robots we wanted to make that would work for both the autonomous and the driver control period the best. Recently for the last couple of weeks, we have worked on the drive trains for both the 15in and the 24in Robots. We have been working hard as a team to finish the drivetrains before winter break so that we can work on the next part of the build for both of the Bots.
— Umangkumar Kalaria

So far we have been working on the overall design based on game strategy as well as individual
subsystems. Additionally, we have been working on some basic programming with VEX. On the
building side of things, we are currently working on the drivetrain which is composed of 6 motors
and wheels connected by chain and sprockets. Additionally, we have been designing our tray
and lift system and have started building the individual components for it within the past week.
By using rubber bands to connect 3 c-channels, we have designed a locking mechanism that
allows the tray to snap open during the start of the match and stay open throughout the match.
This allows us to stay within the inspection requirements while maximizing our ability to store
cubes throughout the match. We will be pairing this with a double reverse four-bar lift
mechanism that will allow us to lift cubes and score points on high posts. Overall, we have
made good progress with the robot and will continue to refine our build quality in preparation for
competition.
—Aaryan Das