Robotechs Compete at First FTC Qualifier of the Year
By: Kyle Kroboth November 21, 2017
On November 18, the Infinity Robotechs kicked off the competition season at the Eastern Pennsylvania Regional Qualifying Tournament in Ambler, PA. The Robotechs had a great time interacting with other competitors from across the region, including teams from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, and Delaware.
After hours of programming and test driving the robot, the team was confident that it could deliver a stellar performance on the field. However, that confidence proved to be unfounded. During both the first and second rounds of competition, the robot remained stationary following a near-perfect autonomous period, rendering its stellar glyph stacking and relic placing skills obsolete. Luckily, following the second match, we discovered that our phone had been unknowingly switched to the wrong network, and our connecting cable had been faulty. Thanks to the generosity of PA FTC Vice Chair Dave Hackett, the cord was replaced and our robot began working like new once again.
Though the tele-op was unresponsive, the team still managed to maintain a 1-1 record through its first two matches, thanks to a strong autonomous performance. Once our robot became fully operational once again, the team fared much better. In our final match of the day, we teamed up with The Giant Diencephalic BrainSTEM Robotics Team to set a then-record for points in a match in a 334-166 victory. We finished the day with three victories and two losses, a successful day given all of the misfortunes that we endured.
Through our observations at the competition, the team has identified a variety of ways to improve the robot's agility and scoring, along with preventing such massive issues from ever happening again. We look forward to seeing our fellow teams at the Peters Township Middle School FTC Scrimmage in December!