Robotics isn't just about building robots, it's about much more. Here are some of the functional groups within our team and a little bit about each group.
ELECTRICAL
The electrical system provides not only power to the various components of a robot, but also allows for control of motors, servos, and similar devices to allow the robot to move. The electrical/control system is the bridge between the programmers' code and the physical mechanics of the robot.
Using a combination of electronics theory and practical applications, we will attempt to understand not only how to power up a robot and make it move, but also how the components themselves work and interface with each other. Topics include: Ohm's Law, basic circuit theory, FRC control system components, power distribution, motors, servos, sensors, wiring practices, etc.
COMPUTER ANIMATION
Even if you are not an artist but would like to learn how animations (2D and 3D) are created for TV adds, movies and games this is the group for you. Plans will be described to offer a series of online sessions which will assist you in learning how to use a free, powerful program called “Blender”, used by tens of thousands of people to create 2D and 3D models and animations. The goal is to prepare you to create animations for entry into the Robotics Group animation competitions. The kickoff will show lots of examples of 3D computer models and animations and describe plans for starting regular meetings during which we will discuss how you can learn by using recommended video tutorials and can begin work on your own animation projects
CHAIRMAN’S AWARD
We are out to change the world through STEM. Chairman's focuses upon continuous development, improvement, and strategy for our Robotics team and all of its outreach efforts. Documenting, essay writing, presenting, and video to support Chairman's Award submission. Our group focuses on what our team does well and investigates ways to make it even better! Help us build the best team ever! Join Chairman's!
BUSINESS
The FIRST Business Plan is a living document that details the past history of our team, our current plans, and all of our future plans. The goal for the business plan is to provide an in-depth overview of our team to use during competitions, to track our fundraising efforts, and to provide a detailed budget plan for each year. The general goal for the 2021 FIRST season is to get a basic backbone of a business plan that can be edited every season. The business plan will be a great tool for our chairmen essay as it will provide in detail everything our team has done from our first year. If you've ever wanted to learn how businesses keep track of their current and future goals as well as a detailed past history, this will be a great meeting for you. We will focus on collaboration and accuracy.
WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT/CONTENT MANAGEMENT
As a member of this group you will build, configure and set up a web site for the Notre Dame Robotics Teams. In the process of doing this, you will not just learn how to do this, but you will receive software to set up a powerful and flexible web site on your own computer using Apache, MySQL, PHP, and the Joomla! content management system.
Training will be accomplished through a combination of in-person/virtual sessions and online tutorial videos. By following along with the first set of videos, you’ll build a working web site on your own computer and learn first-hand how all of the components fit together. You will then learn how to apply these skills to designing and building web pages for the Robotics Team and then to maintaining both the content and security of the site as it grows.
Above all, you’ll learn how to coordinate your work in a team setting and how to set things up in a way that you’ll be able to pass on your knowledge to the next class of webmaster to follow in your footsteps - an important skill that surprisingly few professional webmasters are good at!
If you have any questions, please contact Webmaster Tom at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
PROGRAMMING
What makes the robot go? What makes it think? Programming is all about taking our robot to the next level and enable it to drive, grab, throw, stack, climb and scramble around the field. Learn how the robot takes commands from the driver-station or go hands-free in autonomous mode, the game plan is up to you and your teammates. We will introduce the basics of Java programming in order to build a fundamental understanding of topics including variables & functions, robot subsystems, automated decision making, and more. Java runs on millions of devices around the globe, and topics learned here will be universal to Java and the world of programming as a whole, you are only limited by what you can imagine.
SCOUTING
The scouting sub-group is responsible for creating a system to capture individual teams match results then analyze and present the data in real-time while at competition. This information will be used by the drive team to develop strategies between alliance partners and it’s used in finals selection to select alliance teams. Members will define key datapoints to record, they will create a UI (user interface) for data input, and they will develop a Google spreadsheet for data analysis and presentation.
MECHANICAL
Working with the mechanical team you will have the opportunity to learn about and work with a variety of parts and tools. This sub-team is responsible for designing the mechanical components of the robot, as well as putting them together. Components are designed in CAD, and often a prototype is created before final assembly.
CAD
The CAD group learns how to create solid models of mechanical components using SolidWorks. The students learn how to take these solid models and create detailed mechanical drawings for sending to a machine shop, as well as assemblies, to better represent the system designed as a whole. Solid modeling is a critical skill for any mechanical design work (including robotics), and SolidWorks is widely used in industry.
