It’s the start of week six for the Coronado robotics team, Cougars Gone Wired, and they have been working very hard. This year’s game, FIRST Steamworks has a plethora of difficult challenges such as shooting whiffle balls and placing large plastic gears, as well as climbing up a rope, and with that, there are many problems to be solved. As the build season end date draws ever closer, the team has extended its hours in order to finish up the robot. Next Saturday, the team will play host to the FRC regional scrimmage event. This is an opportunity for teams from all over the surrounding area and work together and play this year’s game. Part of getting ready for this event is building the entire playing field. The Special Projects sub team led by sophomore Grace Swartzenberger has been working overtime to get their field together and prepare all of the materials needed for the scrimmage such as field carpets and. They are almost finished with the two airships, the main field structures, as well as the field hoppers.
While Grace and her team finishes the field, the other part of the team is hard at work assembling the bot. This year’s design incorporates several unique ideas including the use of many 3d printed parts. The team is also using an innovative drive train that allows for multiple ways to traverse the obstacles of the field. Senior Ryan Kite the teams Chief Technical Officer has been supervising the construction process. This year, the team did not receive their robot parts until much later in the season, leading them to fall behind schedule. With competition right around the corner, the team is anxious to get the robot completed on time.
Junior Madison Rutherford, the Cougars Gone Wired CEO, has been admirably keeping the team motivated and moving forward. The CEO position is one of the most stressful positions on the team so build season brings about many new challenges for the person in charge, “I have to make sure we are staying on track as much as we can. I don’t get to point at the robot or the CAD and say I built that, I build the people and atmosphere that allows us to succeed, “said Rutherford The Cougars Gone Wired team enters competition season very soon, so come support the team and also check out the regional Scrimmage this Saturday, 2/8 hosted in the Coronado gym from 8am to 5pm. For more information about the team and upcoming events visit http://www.team2996.com/.