2011 Season
Game - Logomotion
This year the FIRST released two challenges to the FRC teams, build a robot capable of hanging buoys with the format of the FIRST symbol (triangle, circle and square) and a minirobô called minibot to climb a tower, with 3m time to finish the match. The robot must pick up the buoys and hanging them on a grid with 18 arms and forming the symbol of the FIRST in a horizontal position. The robot must collect the buoy is expected to cross the floor or the arena and grabs the buoy with a human player of his covenant. To finish the game and get a higher score, the robot must deploy minibot in a tower for it to rise to the top and activate a sensor.
2010 Season
Game - Breakaway
Breakaway is a dynamic and interesting game based on soccer. We will have two alliances formed by three teams each. Each team must build a robot that can kick soccer balls in order to reach the goal for score. We will have two ramps in the middle of the arena and each one will have a tunnel, to impede the passage of the robots and thus make the competition more exciting. Besides the points of the goal, we will also have the additional points that will be obtained only by teams who can make your robot hangs in a 90 inches (about 2.28 m) tall tower. These towers are part of the ramp and are fixed to the tunnel. Once a goal is scored by a robot, the human players must put the ball in the returning rack using a fork, where the balls will roll down and be re-entered in the game. For each ball into a goal, teams earn one point, the robots that are high in the tower or platform earn two points, and robots suspended from other robots that are in the tower earn three bonus points. The alliance with more points at the end of the match wins.
Robot
The robot of 2010 year is designed strategically for had a movement of 360º around yourself, over your wheels knows that Omni or Mechano. Them are available several rollers that 45º, and in any moment, the movement given to the wheels by motors, in a perfect combination, obtains the free movement about robot, in the other words, walker in any directions and angles. For them reductions was used planetary gearbox, and for them precise control was used Jaguar controls and rotations sensors.
The kick is produced by an arm of a rotation. The ball contacted the robot with a rollers controlled by operator designed in front of robot, thereby creating a friction between ball and rollers that the rotated the same.
The amazing news for the all mechanic, electronic and operator system is was the camera, used with her lens directed upwards, but above her found himself a disco ball that provided to pilot a vision around 360º about robot.
2009 Season
Game - Lunacy
The challenge in 2009 was named the Lunacy, the game features several innovations to the participating teams, starting with the floor of the arena this year, will consist of one type of polymer and the wheels for the robot that also changed, so that when entering contact with the ground the robot will slide very easily. The court will be 54 feet by 27 feet (about 7m by 15m). This year the competition will also be composed of a human player who will throw the balls in the robot, will be three types of ball with different scores in the game, which will be identified by names and colors "Moon Rock (orange and purple) and" Empty Cell (Orange and Blue) "worth 2 points and" Super Cell (Green and Purple), "which had been worth 15 points. Each robot has a trailer of the opposing team where the balls will be stored so it can be calculated scores. Each team has four Super Cell balls which can only be used in the last 20 seconds of the game.
Robot - TCS 4
Due to the limited mobility of the robots on the floor of the arena (very smooth), we decided to make a robot capable of winning several awards in various categories.
We believe in a simple robot, which was easy to maneuver and had a good average in terms of score. For this, we use a system with three wheels, where the wheels move to control de direction of the robot. Using a pot, we control the direction of the wheels.
Another important point was the use of the camera to control the direction of the bucket of our robot. The system recognized the target of the opposing alliance and aligned our bucket to increase our accuracy in scoring.
A great point, which helped us to receive a prize, was doing all the electronics removable. The electronic board that assemble the components was easily removed, to make maintenance more safe and practical since the mechanical part can be fixed in the same time of the electronics part, without the interference of one group in with other.
Besides all these features, we paint our robot so that it also had a nice and modern look, and reproduce the face of the team (painted in blue and yellow).
2008 Season
Game - Overdrive
The game of the 2008 year is FIRST Overdrive. It is the second year of the Brazilian Regional, held this year in our hometown São José dos Campos. The game consists of two alliances, with three teams each, each team consists of pilot, co-pilot, coach and a new post, the RoboCoach. In the center of the court there is a high structure of about 2m above the ground. The playing pieces are inflatable balls of 1.16 meters in diameter called Trackballs. There are two for each alliance. The goal is that the aliances move their robots and trackballs on the court and around the estructure, as in a racing circuit, making turns in the circuit as quickly as possible, alliances punctuate each time they cross the finish line . Bonus Points are scored each time the trackballs go through the finish line. They are duplicated if the trackballs passes over the central structure.
Robot - TCS 3
The year 2008 was marked by regional in Sao Jose dos Campos, and because of that, we try to do a different robot and super atractive, so we innovate.
Our robot had an folding arm system, which to overthrow the ball hung to the floor, allowing the passage, without having to stop, underneath the central structure of the arena.
Another effective way to score was the fact that our robot can go around the court with great speed and maneuverability.
2007 Season
Game - Rack'n'Roll
The game of 2007 is Rack 'n' Roll. This year we have the first brazilian regional. The game consists of two alliances with three teams each, each team consists of pilot, copilot, coach and human player, is played on a arena of 16 by 8 meters with a backbone (Rack) that is 24 " arms. To score, teams use three types of buoys called "Keepers", "Ringer" and "Spoilers". The Keepers buoys are used only in the autonomous period, they can not be canceled by the Spoilers, the Ringer are buoys that are used in the controlled period and may be canceled by the Spoilers, Spoilers are the buoys so that also can be used in the controlled period, if it is placed in front of a Ringer it will be terminate, in front of a Keeper she brings no threat because it can not change the value of the Keeper. The game consists of two periods in order to score. The autonomous period, which lasts 15 seconds, where robots have to put a Keeper in one arm of the rack using a vision system that identifies color, find one of the four light targets at the top of Rack. During the second period (2 minutes), the robots are controlled by the pilot. During this period, teams will try to score by placing more ringers in the arms of the Rack The opposing teams tried to cancel the points made by, placing the Spoilers over the Ringers. Points are earned exponentially by the number of Keepers and Ringer placed in the rack forming rows or columns.
At the end of the match robots can go over other robots to increase their score.
Robot - TCS 2
In 2007 we wanted to do a diferent project, more bold, a challenge for the team. It is designed to be offensive, aiming to make as many points as possible.
We did not use the basic chassis kit but designed a lighter one, we also made innovations in the drive system, consisting of belt and pulleys instead of traditional wheels giving a large torque, providing greater stability and improved its ability to climb slopes (which would prove crucial in the game this year).
He had an arm capable of picking up buoys fallen on the floor of the court, in a move similar to a clip, made with pneumatic therefore had a small onboard compressor and some air accumulators. After the buoy prey, a system was developed to elevate the game piece (buoys) to scoring in three diferent scoring highs. This pneumatic system had a large cylinder that once activated lifted the arm very quick to the second stage a driver was in charge of raising his arm in the rest of the distance if you wanted to reach the third stage of the rack making the robot complete. Also had sensors for easier steering.
TCS 2 again stood out in the autonomous period in this game that the robot is guided by a camera mounted on board and put the buoys at the desired location, the TCS 2 was the only in the Brazilian regional taht complete this challenge of the autonomous period.
2006 Season
Game - Aim High
The 2006 game is Aim High. It is the debut year of the team Cephatron # 1860 in FRC. It is played by two alliances, red and blue, with three teams each. During 10 seconds the robot works in atandalone mode, they are programmed to score in one of three goals: a high wall in the center of the alliance station marked by a green light target and two corner goals at floor level. At the end of the autonomous period, the alliance with the high score wins a bonus of 10 points and is placed on defense for two rounds. The second, third and fourth round, each one with 40 seconds each, are controlled by pilots. Between the second and third round, the alliances will switch from attack to defense and vice versa. At the beginning of the fourth round, any alliance can score in their respective goals. At the end of the game, an alliance may receive bonus points, putting their three robots on a platform beneath the central goal. The alliance with the higher score wins. Scoring will be as follows: 3 points for any ball scored in the central goal, 1 point for any ball in the ground goals, 10 bonus points for the highest score in the autonomous period, and 25 points for puting the three robots on the platform at the end of the match (five points for each robot).
Robot - TCS 1
The TCS1 was our first robot in the FRC, designed and built using much of the basic kit from FIRST (Chassis, Locomotion system with 04 CIM motors and wheels).
Our strategy for scoring, was to launch the balls of the match through a system of "crawler" at the bottom of the robot in order to score in the lower goals, the same "weapon" in the reversal rotation gathered the ball and piled up a large basket designed on top of robot, so he could save the balls and score when necessary. The autonomous period was another gap of TCS1, he was able to position itself effectively in the arena, which was also very useful for defensive strategies in the course of the competition the robot stood out on defense for some features of the basket, which accumulated the balls was also an excellent barrier to block the attacks of opponents, and the system to collect and that throw balls at the bottom of the robot has centralized most of the weight which ensured a high stability and robustness compared to other robots in the competition, features that have made TCS1 one of the best defensive regional robots.