Our first week!

Hello again, readers!

This week was full of some really exciting development.

Like most teams, we spent Saturday and Sunday working on concepts and ideas for how in the WORLD we could possibly be shooting these Frisbees! Usually, we can look at old games for inspiration - but no FIRST game has ever used Frisbees as a game element before!

We've been keeping an eye on community sources, such as Robot in 3 Days, and of course, everyone's favorite forum, Chief Delphi.

The first week has been mostly centered around design and protoyping, so here's a few snippets from what we've been trying! Our work area is being outfitted with several GoPro cameras during meetings- and thanks to the age of the smartphone, we've always got project documentation.

And some videos of prototyping moments:

More than anything, I am so incredibly proud of these students and how hard they're working. This is shaping up to be an AMAZING year!

See you Tuesday! Hopefully we'll have more detail on a meeting-by-meeting basis as we close in on a final robot, and get parts delivered.

Kickoff 2013: Let's do this!

Hello again!

Yesterday- January 5th, was the 2013 FRC Kickoff. This is the day where every FIRST team around the world gets the information on the game we'll be playing this year, and their official Kit of Parts. This year's game is called "Ultimate Ascent"! It looks like it's going to be a REALLY cool season this year. Here's the animation to help describe it:

So that's what we'll be working on! Our six-week build period starts TODAY!

...If you were designing a robot (and maybe you are!) ... what would YOU focus on for this year's challenge?

Our next meeting is Tuesday - I'm excited to update you with our drawings and ideas!

Who's that girl?

So, who's behind this blog after all?!

Just wanted to introduce myself very quickly:

Hi! I'm Libby Kamen. I'm a senior here at Clarkson, and I'll be graduating in May with my degree in Communications, with plans to go to graduate school for Marketing.

I arrived at Clarkson with the intent to be an engineer- after all, I'd been through FIRST, and that's what I'm supposed to do, right? However, I figured out that I had a knack for PR and awards for the team - so my academic life here has focused on effective communication, and marketing specifically within the technology sector.

I started working with the FIRST team here my freshman year, and jumped quickly into leading the PR team. My junior year, I was appointed the team leader position. I just passed off the crown a few weeks ago to Amanda Clapper '14, who will be taking my place next year - only to pass it on again before she graduates! I am so proud to be a part of the FIRST legacy here at Clarkson, and to help document my last season here. Can't wait to share it with you all!

-Libby

PS- I also started a blog on my own over here if that's at all interesting to you.

Hello Blog World!

Greetings!

Welcome to the new blog for Clarkson University Robotics. Here we'll be talking about everything robotics-related as it happens on campus - starting with our flagship program, the FIRST Robotics SPEED team.

What's FIRST?

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a program founded in 1989 by inventor Dean Kamen to inspire kids to look into science and engineering for their future. How do they do this? I'll let someone -far- more famous tell you:

So, here at Clarkson, we work with all of the divisions of FIRST! FIRST Lego League, FIRST Tech Challenge, and the FRC! Since it's January, we'll be picking up with the FIRST Robotics Competition to start with - and the other programs begin their seasons in the Fall semester.

Stay tuned here, to find out how our season goes! I can't wait to share it with you!