Debriefing back home

Our team is as excited as ever to learn from what we just experience and find ways to better our team for next year. Directed by students, the team is meeting daily to identify possible roles for next year and begin fund raising and soliciting experts in the field to help out.

Possible Positions:
[“Head” n. (Hed)
supervisor that carries the responsibility of keeping their group on track.]

Fabrication Head: Brenden Turney
Program Head: Nathan Neas & Patrick Olson
Animation Head: Rachel McKenna & David Kerlin
Electrical Head: Mason Smales
Web Site Head: Robert Armbrust
Blog Site Head: Miko Ambayec


Theme (Mascot) = Polar Bear
Team Name = Arctic Haxorz (h4X0rz)
Robot Name = S.S. Minnow Johnson
Logo: Ice matrix

Motto: “Al your bots are belong to us.”

The Regionals Start

Well, we had to get up around 6:30AM and be at breakfast by 7 so that we could get some people there by 8 to begin unboxing the robot. During the beginning of the practice competitions, we sent a few people around to meet and greet all of the teams, and had a few more in the audience to observe and take notes on all of the robots so we could more easily formulate a plan of attack. We had 2 practices before lunch, of which we attended neither, ate outside, a nice meal of Subway, chips, and a drink, and then went back to getting our robot finished. In the afternoon, we had 2 more practices, but we didn't have it ready to go on time, so we skipped the first one. Bu the second we had a "working" robot, but it pretty much just got onto the field and twitched a bit... We left a few members to finish working on it so it would be ready by the next day, and the rest of us went back to the hotel so we could walk down the strip and then get dinner. We at the the Excalibur hotel, and then split into 2 groups, one going right back to the hotel and the other walking to a few more hotels and then making it back to the hotel around 12:30. A short video of our day can be found here. (File is a QuickTime Movie)

View pictures of Team 1548 Competition!

Off To The Regionals

After boarding a plane at 1am and then switching planes in Salt Lake City around 7am, we finally got to Vegas around 9am Wednesday. We checked into Circus Circus, and then went to our rooms to settle. We had Lunch around noon at the buffet, and then went promptly to AdventureDome, which is the indoor amusement park that is part of our hotel. We spent our time playing games, riding the roller coaster, and shooting each other in Lazer Tag. That was fun until around 5, when we went to dinner at the local pizzeria, followed by an evening of our choice. Some people decided to go back and rest in the hotel rooms, others went back to the AdventureDome. A few of us even went to the Palms hotel to see 300 in their IMAX theatre. Curfew was at 9:30, though there was a small exception for those that went and saw 300, as we didn't get back until after 10. Sleep ensued...

Day before shipping

The animation's done, and the website accepted it. The robot drive system appears to be working for the most part, but it looks like there are still bugs to be worked out. A more extensive blog will be posted later...

Week 5

Week 5 Day 5

Huzzah! The animation is done, but it is rendering. But no worries, it will only take a little bit longer (3hrs.) Anyways, I've been informed that tomorrow, the robot will look completely different than it does today, so here are some current pics(as far as you're concerned.):



The newer pics will be posted tomorrow, so hold on until then!

Week 5 Day 4

Crunch Time. The animation is due tomorrow at 5PM, so the animation team's working their selves off to get the final product turned in. Meanwhile, the camera is charging, so no video for today. :(

Week 5 Day 2



Here's David talking about the animation team. Included are pictures taken of the team "working."

Week 4

Week 4 Day 3

Sorry about not posting. The Senior Historian has quit the team due to personal reasons. A new video will be posted up as soon as it is edited. Thanks for the patience.

Week 3

Week 3 Day 1

Our animation segment of the team contains the main character Recycle Man who is on a mission to make everyone recycle. He is driving around in his GT2007 when he comes upon a non-recycling hippy. He talks to him about the benefits of recycling and then -BAM- slaps him across the face, backhand style. He then picks up some trash and drives off.

In the next movie, Miko and I interviewed Mason about the progress of his portion of the animation.



Week 3 Day 2

Ok, Miko and I have finished a picture slideshow about how we establish and accomplish goals. Everyday at the beginning of class we sit down and each section of the build (fabrication, programming and the historians) explains to the class what they will be working on and the goals they wish to accomplish before day's end.
The team uses a four step plan to help manage our goal setting. The first step is to plan out the day. For example, we have planned Friday late night and Saturday builds on the weekends, we go over the team roles and responsibilities, and lastly set daily goals. If we have more items to plan, like we will when we get to Las Vegas, we will add those.
The next step is Do. We get together with our teams and accomplish the goals set earlier. This is the longest step of the process, taking up most of the day.
The next step is to Evaluate our work. we ask ourselves, as a group, if we met our goals and recap our daily progress and let the team know if everybody is on task and on schedule.
The final step is to Refine ourselves and the methods used. We talk as a team and get each others input on what we could do different or better.




Week 3 Day 3

Just a short update about Day 3, this time around. Not too much new stuff happened, just more work done on remaining projects. Nathan and Robert have the pieces for the control box cut and screwed together. The animation department had a team meeting and decided deadlines on when specific sections of the movie will be completed.

A short walk-around of the team during a typical work day: