How The Green Machine is Organized
There are many projects and tasks that a FIRST Robotics team must accomplish during the year. To meet deadlines and goals, Edina Robotics FIRST Team 1816, The Green Machine, is divided into many different, specialized sub-teams. These sub-teams accomplish assigned tasks that range from promoting the team to corporate sponsors and acquiring funding, to programming a competition robot. Combined, all of these functions make it possible for the entire team to perform well.
Sub-teams are established based on the size of the entire team, the nature of the year’s game challenge, and the availability of mentors. Team members are assigned to one or more sub-teams based on their interests and talents. For example, a team member interested in computer software applications may be assigned to computer-aided design (CAD), robot programming, web design, or animation. Each sub-team has both an adult mentor and a student leader, who takes the lead in directing sub-team members to complete assigned tasks. In any given competition year, it is possible that new sub-teams will be established and other sub-teams will be disbanded.
Business Functions
Sub-teams in the “Business Functions” category are in charge of marketing, corporate sponsorships, budgeting, and publicity.
Corporate Fundraising
The Corporate Fundraising sub-team is responsible for identifying sponsors and requesting financial support from them. This sub-team accomplishes this by preparing grant proposals, making presentations, and obtaining commercial donations of supplies and services. They deal with both money donations and the donation of materials. Additional tasks include the maintenance of sponsor relations and the management of sponsor recognition, such as making sure team sponsors are mentioned in the “Sponsors” section of the team website.
Team Fundraising
Team Fundraising handles team fundraising events. They are responsible for soliciting and tracking donations from team members and their families. Car washes and other activities are popular events for team members, families and team benefactors alike.
Marketing
Members of this sub-team are, in essence, the team’s advertising crew. Marketing coordinates corporate sponsor presentations. They are in charge of thanking our team’s corporate sponsors and taking the lead in creating oher forms of corporate appreciation. This sub-team also creates team presentation materials, including Powerpoint presentations, collateral materials and handouts, as well as overseeing publication of the team’s newsletter. The Chairman’s Award submission is handled by this sub-team; members also work with the “Spirit Squad” to create logos, t-shirts, giveaways, and costumes for a team mascot.
Media & Communications
The Media & Communications sub-team coordinates all the team photography, video, and DVD creation. Wherever The Green Machine is in action, a member of this sub-team is there to document it. They are also responsible for the team’s website, 3dStudio Max animation, and various other media projects. These sub-team members are also in charge of the team’s internal communication.
Outreach
Every FIRST team is charged with the mission of promoting the benefits of learning the technology and engineering that robotics relies on, and of inspiring young people to investigate careers in the fields of science, technology engineering and math. Our Outreach sub-team coordinates events, seminars, and activities that reaching out directly to students at other schools, to those involved with other FIRST Robotics teams (including FIRST Lego League), and to our community-at-large.
Finance
The Finance sub-team is in charge of the team’s financial records. They are the treasurers and are immensely important, seeing as our robotics team would not function if the money was not well-managed.
Build Functions
Sub-teams under the “Build Functions” category are charged with designing, building, and programming a competition-ready robot.
CAD
The CAD (Computer-aided Design) sub-team uses specific drafting software to create designs for the robot. Using software, they are able to see which design choices work and which don’t, without having to build multiple prototypes. CAD members learn how to simulate the robot’s motion and analyze the robot’s height and weight, which is important because the robot has to meet design specifications or it will be disqualified from competition.
Drive-train and chassis
This sub-team is in charge of the parts of the robot that allow it to move and are responsible for the skeletal structure of the robot . They help design and construct the robot’s drive-train system. Last-minute adjustments to either the drive-train system or the skeletal structure are made by this team.
Electrical, sensors and programming
This sub-team is in charge of all of the robot’s electrical systems. This includes the electronics, wiring, circuitry, and sensors. They also develop, write, and edit the computer programs that allow the robot to function in both an autonomous mode (without operator control) as well as when a human operator is in control.
Environmental design and construction
The Environmental Design and Construction sub-team receives the map of what the playing field should look like from FIRST. When space permits, they set up a practice field where the robot can be tested. They also design and set up the pit area at the actual competition. Lastly, they build the shipping crate that the robot is transported in.
Game Object Interaction Device
The Game Object Interaction Device sub-team, more commonly known as the Manipulator group, is responsible for any part of the robot that manipulates objects in the field of play. An example of this would be an arm used to pick up and stack items. They also design and construct the pneumatics that make the robot’s manipulator work.
Safety and controls sub-team
This sub-team is responsible for knowing and interpreting the game rules that apply to the robot. They check the FIRST and Chief Delphi websites for updates to these rules and other important information. They are also in charge of tool management, which means they make sure that all of the hand and power tools are used in a safe manner. These team members are also in charge of an inventory of the parts and the weight control of the robot.
Strategy and scouting
The Scouting and Strategy sub-team is in charge of monitoring the game rules. They provide information to the competition team before and during the actual tournament play. They also are in charge of scouting out the capabilities of other teams’ robots, so that our team can make the best possible competition alliances.