Basic Team Information
Hello! We are The Robot of the Rings (Team 4139A), a VEX V5 team from Bangkok, Thailand. Our team consists of Khun (the builder), Proud (the autonomous programmer), Neo (the driver and programmer) along with our coach, Mr. Parker from Steam Labs and last but not least, our robot, Nigel.
Despite having all competed in some VEX IQ competitions, this is our first year working with and competing in VEX V5. So, our aim for this competition is to just try our best and gain some experience, and hopefully even win an award.
Our Robot Reveal
Progress
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been learning and practising robotics through Google Meet for the most part of the season, each of us with our own identical robots and field setups to work remotely from home.
We started this season considerably earlier than most other teams in June 2021; throughout the season we’ve familiarised ourselves with the V5 kit, software and this season’s competition rules. We’ve also spent some time on the virtual V5 platform, where we managed to score 135 points, and made robot videos for our YouTube channel.
Design
We started off by building a fairly basic robot, using a combination of the Moby and Clawbot designs. From there, we started developing our own designs, and managed to build a chain-and-sprocket ring mechanism (inspired by Lego Xiao Pang’s video) and created an original drivetrain base with strafe wheels. Our final design consists of an adaptation of the Moby’s forks (with a different gearing and positioning), a chain-and-sprocket ring mechanism, and strafe wheels.
What we’ve learnt
Besides building our robot and practising for the competition, we’ve also learnt many skills throughout this season, from making our own V5 cables, to troubleshooting, programming using sensors, and developing designs using CAD. We’ve also learnt how to communicate and work as a team, especially since we’ve been working online. What we enjoy most about learning with Steam Labs is the fact that the sessions are fun, full of information, and allows us to take initiative of our team and our own learning, with expert guidance from our coach.
Reflection
We are all very proud of our progress this season. In the space of around 6-7 months, we’ve managed to improve and progress so much both individually and as a team. We’ve exceeded way beyond our expectations that we had at the start. Coming in, we were all very new to VEX V5 and were just hoping to have a robot to compete, but we’ve also developed skills in building, driving, programming and troubleshooting to solve problems. We hope we can continue to improve even further so that we can do our best in the upcoming VEX V5 Tipping Point nationals competition!
Thanks for reading!
- The Robot of the Rings.
- With Mr. Parker
- And Nigel 🙂
