KATE MALMSBURY'S PORTFOLIO
ROBOTICS
High School
In high school I was part of the Black Knights FIRST Robotics team. The FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is a robotics building competition with "strict rules, limited resources, and an intense six-week time limit, where teams of students are challenged to raise funds, design a team "brand," hone teamwork skills, and build and program industrial-size robots to play a difficult field game against like-minded competitors. "
RECYCLE RUSH
Pick up Crates and Recycle Bins
Elevator
Problem: Crates were picked up on one side causing torque on the moving teeth inside the elevator shaft
Solution: Put lube in the channel and widened elevator so less weight was focused directly in one spot
Problem: Hooks for picking up the crates in the elevator wouldn’t pick the crates up
Solution: Tested different hooks and prongs until we found one that worked
Grabber Arms (channels with a wheel on each side attached to a motor)
Problem: They were so heavy they tipped the robot
Solution: Shortened the arms to lessen the moment arm
AERIAL ASSIST
Score Goals with Giant Yoga Balls
Catapult mechanism
Problem: Excess force on linking that held down catapult
Solution: Originally para-chord broke so steel links were incorporated
Ball Catcher (large aluminum square with rod containing wheels)
Problem: The ball catcher (large aluminum square with rod containing wheels) was not picking up the ball evenly
Solution: Spread the wheels out more with bigger wheel in the middle -this focused balls into the center when entering
TENNIS BALL SHOOTER
Free-Time Project
Tennis Ball Shooter – Shoot Tennis Balls
Motor attached to a wheel through cut out in PVC pipe
Tube for storing tennis balls
Problem: Balls wouldn’t reach the PVC pipe and so they wouldn’t shoot
Solution: Make a frame to wrap the ball storage pipe around so that gravity forces the tennis balls into the PVC and can get shot out
