Year-Round Schedule

September to December​

​Sept.:
  • Members become (re)familiar with mission of FIRST and Pink Titans.
  • Assign roles on sub-teams (Strategy & Scouting, Design & Build, Controllers, Safety)
  • Attend 2056 Ways To Inspire Conference (Stoney Creek, ON)
Sept. to Dec.:
  • Learn, practice, and master skills in designing, building, and programming a robot for the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC)..
  • Train in robotics fundamentals, skills, SolidWorks AutoCAD, tools, and safety
  • Fundraise, seek and renew sponsorships
  • ​STEM/Robotics outreach in the greater community of David & Mary Thomson C. I. (DMTCI).
​Nov.: Dec.:
  • Host FLL qualifying event.  Host FTC qualifying event (pending)
January to August
​
Jan. to Mar.: 
  • 1st Sat. of Jan. - Game reveal of the FRC
  • Design, build, program, reiteration of FRC robot
Mar. (early-to-mid, incl. March Break):  
  • Ontario District Events x 2 (GTA locations TBD from Durham College [Oshawa], Humber College [Toronto], Ryerson University [Toronto], Victoria Park C. I. [Toronto], York University [Toronto])
Apr. (mid-to-end):  Pending qualification
  • Ont. Distr. Championship (location TBD)
  • FIRST Championship (Houston, TX) for 2023-24.
​May to July:
  • Learn, practice, and master skills in designing, building, and programming a robot for the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC).
  • Train in robotics fundamentals, skills, SolidWorks AutoCAD, tools, and safety
  • Fundraise, seek and renew sponsorships
  • ​STEM/Robotics outreach in the greater community of David & Mary Thomson C. I. (DMTCI).
Aug.: 
  • Compete at FRC off-season event - Robots@CNE (Toronto, ON)​​

Recommended Repositories of General Resources

Students' Roles and Responsibilities

​​Membership
  • Knowledge and understanding of Mission and Core Values of FIRST
  • Adhere to the FIRST Code of Conduct.
  • Demonstration of good citizenship, good attitude, and respect for teammates, program, and environment
  • Demonstration of helping, work, and commitment to team
  • Sustaining good academics​
​​Captainship / Lead of Sub-team
  • Earned by continued demonstration of leadership characteristics:
    • ​Passion and dedication for program, initiative,  competence in tasks, responsibility, reliability, and integrity
    • Exemplary professionalism, attitude, and citizenship
  • Determined by peers, teachers, and mentors
Helpful links:
     Adults (teachers, industry mentors, parent volunteers) are requested please to help supervise, organize, and mentor students.  Please contact PinkTitansCA [at] gmail [dot] com to ask any questions and inquiry of possibilities.  Please click here for information on mentoring.

Strategy and Scouting

  • Excellent knowledge and understanding of game rules (avail. on Day 1 - mid-late April for VEX, usually first Sat. of Jan. for FIRST): 
    • Planning of how robot can best play game within team's limitations (e.g. resources, time, experiences, participant numbers).
    • Offer guidance to Design and Build team, ensuring that robot plays game efficiently (maximize accumulation of points) and adheres to all rules.
    • Coach drivers and devise strategies for new alliances during tournament play.
  • Knowledge of abilities of robot (own and robots of other teams at tournament): 
    • Collect performance data of robots of other teams by observing and talking to other teams
    • Collaborate with Driving subteam:
      • Analyse performance data of all robots, establish order of picking teams in forming alliances for play in play-off rounds
    • Share with scouts (of other teams) attributes of robot in preparation of forming alliances
  • Important note:  ALL members of the team (i.e. not just Strategists and Scouts) are required to know and understand the rules!​​​
Helpful links:
  • Google drive for collected resources on game strategy and robot design.

Design and Build

  • Knowledge and utilization of various tools and shop equipment for building prototypes of robot systems
  • Knowledge, understanding, and application of designs of systems:  (Source: VEX Robotics Curriculum.) 
    • Simple machines - Wheels & axles, inclined planes, wedges, levers, pulleys, screws
    • Motion (e.g. Pendulums)
    • Physics concepts - Friction, center of gravity, speed, rotational speed, force, torque, power, mechanical advantages
    • Mechanisms:
      • DC motors - Motor loading, current draw, varying power with voltage, calculations (motor limits, arm loads, motor speed from torque loads), multiple motors
      • Arm designs
      • Power transmission - Gear teeth, pitch, gear ratios, gear reductions, driven gears, driving gears, idle gears, compound gears
      • Drivetrain design - Chassis, gear train designs, motors, wheels, turning scrubs (friction & traction)
      • Object manipulators - Plows, scoops, friction grabbers, pinching claws, top-jaw grabbers, roller claws
      • Accumulators - Magazines, conveyor belts, hoppers, accumulator designs, conveyance, 
      • Lifting mechanisms - Degrees of freedom, rotating joints, elevators, linkages, passive assistance
    • Systems integration
  • Pit Crew:  
    • Maintain robot between matches
    • Keep work area neat and clean, charge batteries
    • Collaborate with safety sub-team
    • In pre-season:  Construct game field elements to test robot for driving practice
Helpful Links:
  • Google drive of collected resources: Robot parts, mechanical principles (incl. gear ratios), manipulators​
Computer-Aided Design (CAD)
  • Utilization of SolidWorks AutoComputer-Aided Design (AutoCAD) program:
    • Modeling design systems
    • Determining specifications of robot for efficient building
​Helpful links:

Controllers

​​Electrical
  • Wiring cortex (control centre) to motors, sensors
  • Knowledge, understanding, and installation of components:
    • Sensors - Limit switch, Bumper switch, touch LED, proximity (close) detector, range finder (far), colour, gyro, smart motor
    • Accelerometer, gyroscopes, encoders (rotary, linear), inertial measurement unit
    • Camera
    • Control system - roboRIO
    • Power distribution panel
    • Talon SRX (smart motor controller)
​​Programming
  • Knowledge and application of Java computer languages to interface robot with driver
  • Code autonomous and teleoperated programs
  • Work with electrical sub-team - knowledge and understanding of motor and sensor functionalities
Helpful Links:
​Drive Team
  • 1. Chassis driver, 2. Operator, 3. Human player
  • Practice and master driving and controlling components prior to competitions
  • Work well with each other and driving coach
  • Drive and control robot during games
  • Follow instructions of coach (strategist) during games, focusing on driving and controlling, ensuring that strategies benefiting alliances are followed
  • Collaborate with Pit Crew and Scouting subteam.

Safety

  • Educate, encourage, and enforce safety practices and safe behaviours for all participants (team members, members of other teams, and spectators), ensuring individuals not harmed in experiences:
    • Safety training with tools and equipment
    • Working areas at school and Pit Area at tournaments
    • Organize safety documentation
    • Communicate importance of safety to robotics community
Helpful links:

Public Relations

Promotion and Marketing
Develop strategies for promoting recognition of Robotics Club - its accomplishments, goals, and values - in community:
  • Team branding 
  • Club advertisements, signs (posters, banners), team give-aways (buttons, hand-outs)
  • Communicate news and team updates
    • Announcements over school's public address
    • Maintain social media outlets (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube)
    • Contact local media, write article
Work closely with Management:
  • Photograph and video team's progress
  • Design and implement outreach activities (STEM, social causes) within and outside school community
Presentations:
  • Public speaking to sponsors, judges in Pit Area, children at outreach
  • Written reports to media (print and online) for publishing
Spirit Crew:  
  • At tournament, cheering in stands for all robotics teams and dancing for keeping high team morale
  • Signs (large cut-out numbers of team)
​​Awards
  • Excellent knowledge and understanding of criteria of awards of eligibility
  • Identification of awards for team to focus on achieving
  • Communication of criteria of awards to team members of subgroups
  • Preparation of presentations and documentations for submissions to FIRST
  • Collaborate with Promotions and Marketing to produce handout at Pit Area for judges
  • Collaborate with Management to document progress of team
Helpful links:

Administration

​​Management
  • Construct Gantt Chart, identifying and co-ordinating tasks of subteams needing completion
  • Accumulate and organize resources (e.g. GoogleDrive folders) for members to access and utilize
  • Create and organize documents:  Parental letters, signature forms (e.g. field trips), surveys
  • Co-ordinates between subteams, ensuring that work dependent by other teams is completed timely.
  • Designate (and redesignated if necessary) members to roles, ensuring that human resources are maximized
  • Ensure subteams are made of a mix of members of various skill sets and experiences.
  • Organize mentor-mentee relationships, ensuring that inexperienced members are working with and learning from experienced members
Work closely with Public Relations:
  • Documentation (written, photography) of team's progress and product
Helpful links:
Fundraising and Finances
  • Working with Promotions and Marketing subteam:
    • Write sponsorship letters and assemble packages to potential sponsors
    • Fundraise to finance operations of Robotics Club
  • Record and keep track of expenditures
  • Identifies amounts of funding available to spend in subgroups throughout year
Helpful links: