Blog | Black Thunder

Repairing the Mission Models Today was much quieter than usual, as it was the last day before half term and many went home early. While in storage, many of the mission models were either damaged or misplaced. The building team fixed anything that was broken and found anything that was missing. Meanwhile, complete mission models were placed on the board and the team began to visualise how each individual obstacle could be overcome. The models will be stored more carefully next time. Year 7 and 8 Competition The year sevens and eights that actually turned up have been making steady progress with their robots and have begun to code them. The robots aren't finished by any means, but they're getting there. 

The Finishing Touches Today, the building team was watching the mission model reveal video and using it to make the different attachments that are going to be used to complete the challenges. The coding team have started to code the robot, testing out the moving patterns on the board. they have been making small changes to the robot to have it as efficient as possible. We have also made a back-up robot, to test out other potential ideas for turning and moving. Year 7 and 8 Competition The year sevens and eights have been continuing to build and design their robot, they have been experimenting different techniques for the wheels and body. They have been allowed free rein of the internet to gain inspiration for their robots. They have not yet started coding their robots as they must first build the robots to a sufficient standard to be able to complete as many of the challenges as possible.

Building the Robot This week the building team started building the actual robot. they are trying to find the best ways to fit the pieces together to get the most efficient outcome. They have also been watching a video on how all of the mission models need to be used. They are using this knowledge to come up with a concept for the different attachments hat are going to be used on the robot to perform the separate tasks that need to be carried out in the competition. The coding team have been trying to comeup with the preliminary code that the robot is going to use. The year sevens and eights  are continuing with the FLL competition from last year. This week they have started to build their individual robots. They were first split into groups of ten and given some parts to use. They have been told about the different tasks that they will have to perform using these robots, to further help them design and build the robots.

Building the Bot The building team from last year have started to build the robot. They took robots that have been used previously at the club and were working on ways to improve them and make them more efficient. They have been working with the coding team to figure out better ways to have the code for the different attachments. They have also been discussing the matter of a giro and whether it should be used. In previous years, Black Thunder has not used a giro as it has not proved trustworthy; they have been speculating how to increase the accuracy, thus making it very useful. This came about as the new board has hardly any lines on, so it will be hard to use an infrared sensor. Mission Models The year sevens and eights finished building the mission models for 'Into Orbit'. Once they finished, they started building the mission models from last year's FLL competition. They will be building their own robots and using last year's board to try and complete the...

Introduction to the FLL Today we were introducing the new year sevens to Robotics Club. They were shown an introductory presentation that went over the details of the FLL competition. The more experienced members of the club started to set up the practice board. They used the mission models that the new year sevens had started to build. Some of the year sevens shared their opinions on the prospect of going to a competition outside of the curriculum. Paarth said 'it's Awesome!!'. In the following weeks, The club will be split into three groups: Project, Building and Coding. These groups will work on the appropriate sections of the competition requirements. The coding team will work on the code for the robot; the building team will build the robot; the project team will work on a document researching a chosen topic on the theme 'into orbit' and a presentation on how to solve problems regarding the theme.