The mechanical team builds a complete robot from scratch every year. In the six weeks allotted during build season, the members transform drawings of potential designs into a tangible, programmable robot. Using CAD, 3D printers, power tools, wrenches, and a few nuts and bolts, they prototype and bring the ideas to life.
The programming team turns mechanical's chunk of aluminum into a functioning robot using Java. Beside the standard RoboRio, they use the Odroid-C1 coprocessor to store all the match information for post match analysis along with the vision processing solution written in python.
The media team is all about spreading the word "robotics" and catching people's attention with their content. From video editing and photography to writing HTML, the media team produces a wide variety of marketing and informational material across many different platforms. The team trains in graphic design to create an attractive and consistent brand identity.
Business and Management focuses on the monetary side of the club, providing the team much-needed funds and securing sponsorship opportunities. They are responsible for many of the behind-the-scenes functions of the team, keeping the club running smoothly according to set deadlines and goals, along with volunteering the team at different community outreach events.
Our 2016 robot, "the Red Queen', is utilizes a diverse array of innovatve feautres to work around the challenge
Our 2015 robot Carcinus is a giant huggable crab; a crab that has to stack boxes as high as six feet tall. Daring to do it all, he has a hook on the front that can pick up either game piece. Lifting bins in the back is fairly simple for this robot, considering that he uses all high pressure pneumatics. Rolling around the floor on omni-wheels gives him the ability to move in any direction he wants.
2014's robot was Lady Guinevere. This robot hoisted a two-foot ball seven feet in the air by firing a 220 lb piston to put tension into six bungee cords. Guinevere had a six wheel tank drive for superior maneuverability that held her stable through rough play. She spirals balls off the floor into the catapult using two contra-rotating beater bars coated in high friction matting. We outfitted her with every sensor we had in our shop to allow her to understand her surroundings.
2013's robot, Sharon, was designed to fire frisbees and climb a metal pyramid. She fired frisbees into goals eight feet in the air from up to 40 feet away. Driving at high speeds, she hooked onto the pyramid's lowest rung for round ending points. Quick to act, all of her systems were controlled by electric motors for instant torque. The best thing about Sharon is literally everything. Killing machine, show stopper, and all around powerhouse are but a few ways you could describe the robot. Zoom, zoom like a Mazda does this robot travel across the field at 12.5 ft per second. Upending anything in her path, the robot cannot be stopped due to her low center of gravity.
2012's robot, Reboot, was a temperamental type, but an interesting one nonetheless. That year's challenge was shooting small foam basketballs which he could shoot to three separate heights. When the match came to a close, he had to balance on a seesaw in the middle of the field for extra points. Even though the drivetrain ran into many issues during the build, he ultimately had a swivel drive to more easily line up the sweet swishes.
The 2011 robot, Scorpio, was our team's most successful robot, equipped with vinyl tubes that stretched up to nine feet. Parallel to the main robot, he had a minibot that had to climb a ten-foot pole in less than ten seconds. Nearing the finals, Scorpio seeded 5th place in the Arizona Regional tournament.
Firebird Robotics's second robot, Herbie, was built to play soccer with various other robots. This bot had a roller in the front for moving the balls into and out of her possession. On top of all her electronics, she had a roll cage to protect from incoming balls and other pesky robots, which now has been taken off and rides around on our demonstration robot.
Our first robot, Marvin, was built to collect game pieces known as Moon Rocks for that year's challenge. Bringing the Moon Rocks to a scoring zone was the real challenge for this robot. Launching a piston at high velocities, he herded balls in front of himself for easy pickup.
The Robotics Program at Chaparral is an overall fantastic experience. As a student in the robotics club, you will be exposed to many aspects of engineering and design. Be a part of an ambitious group who share your passion for science and math.
As a mentor in the club, you guide and inspire the students involved to create an efficient robot that optimally attacks the challenge presented to the team. With your experience, you help our students grow both as engineers and people.
As a sponsor of the Firebird Robotics Team, you empower students to explore STEM and to pursue future careers in engineering.
No matter how you help, you're in for a riveting experience.
Community sponsors are local businesses and families who contribute as little as $100. We appreciate everything you can to help us succeed!