Rochester (WWJ)  -- “The best thing about working on FIRST, “ says one mentor at Rochester High School, “is the food volunteers bring in.”   On Saturday, Jan. 19, the menu was goulash, salad, and brownies, as teams of students worked in four different areas to build their 2008 robot.

It’s the 10^th year of competition for Falcon Engineering and Design Solutions Team #201, or FEDS 201, for short.   Many of the students are repeaters in the FIRST Robotics competition, and so are the mentors.

In the design lab, 3^rd-year participant Kenny Kaminski was overseeing a steam of students work on AutoDesk, refining the design of their robot and preparing fabrication plans for other members of the team, who were working on the robot chassis and other parts in the metal shop.

Two weeks ago, they received the task for this year’s FIRST competition.   The challenge: build a robot that can run autonomously for 15 seconds around a racetrack, going as fast as possible. Then, join forces with two other robots to knock four large (40-inch) balls off a rack, herd them, and then return them to a rack that is 6-1/2 feet in the air.

According to team co-captains Steve Spry and Vishan Dhamsania, the team spent several days just trying to figure out what their robot should do.   Finally, they agreed the best opportunity for winning points – and the competition – was to build a herding robot. “We’ve decided to take a defensive role,” says Vishan.

The FEDS are also building their robot for speed.   For the first time, according to Vishan, the Rochester team will be using a two-speed transmission, allowing the robot to go faster or slower, depending on the task.  

The two-speed transmission and the front maneuvering wheels are not part of the standard FIRST kit.   The Rochester team benefits from $25,000 in support from General Motors, plus additional funds from the school district.   That allows them to upgrade their parts and allows them to travel further.  

On this Saturday, robot construction isn’t the only thing students are doing. In the woodshop, another group of students have fabricated a rack similar to the one that will be used in the competition. It’s the center of the racetrack and will hold the big blue balls they’ll be chasing.   In another part of the computer lab, Natalie Debusschere and Marisol Dorantes are working on an animation – another requirement of the competition – creating Chicago landmarks in 3-D.  

Nearby, Chris Shannon and Lindsay Kroll from the public relations and outreach team are updating the teams website at www.FEDS201.net and planning for the buttons and flags they’ll distribute to cheering sections at the regional meets. They are also responsible for fundraising, and received a donation of carpeting from McNabb carpet so they can determine if the robot will have any problems maneuvering in competition.

In another room, the programmers are at work, drafting code in EasyCPro to allow the robot to race in autonomous mode around the track.   They’re working out flowcharts and timing under the watchful eye of Larry Roy, a small businessman who has worked with the Rochester FEDS for several years.   Like many mentors, he started working with FIRST when his son was on the team. His son has moved on, but Larry stays, saying “It’s so much fun.”   

The day’s work has been profitable. The team has been reprogramming last year’s robot to test the code for the new robot when it’s ready.   So far, they’ve managed to figure out going forward and rounding the first turn.   With four weeks left before ship date, faculty sponsor Mike Herderich is confident they’ll be ready. “We have plenty of time to work this out,” he says. Herderich, like the other mentors, devotes a lot of time to the project.   The team meets every evening during the week, and five or six hours every Saturday during build season.

First up on the calendar will be robot demonstration for GM, thanking the sponsors for their support.   Then, it’s on to competition.   The robot must be ready and packed for shipping on February 19^th, and the team won’t see it again until the competition begins.

This year, for the first time, Rochester will compete in early March at the Boilermakers Regional at Purdue University in Indiana, where they’ll size up their robot against robots from Chicago-area teams.   Then it’s on to Ypsilanti, where they’ll compete in the Southeast Michigan regional.   They’re confident of their chances. “We’re going to Atlanta, to the finals,” Vishan declares.