News
Opening our Doors
By Lauren W., January 27, 2012
For one Saturday afternoon each build season, The Green Machine puts down its tools and welcomes the community to come see first-hand what we’re building for the FIRST competitions. On Saturday, Jan 21st FIRST Team 1816 hosted the annual SPARK (Sponsor and Public Appreciation Recognition and Kudos) Day. This year, we again greeted more than 100 people who came to tour the team’s space within the Edina High School workshop and classroom at Valley View Middle School, where we keep our computers. The prototype of our 2012 robot, ZEPHYR, was on display, along with demonstrations from each of our subteams and how they are contributing to the team’s success. Visitors were mesmerized by the consistency of ZEPHYR-the-prototype’s ability to score at the top of the multi-tiered basketball hoops.
FIRST’s 2012 Rebound Rumble Promises Multi-Level Basketball Play
By Sam W. and Lauren W., January 14, 2012
The 2012 season has officially begun! On the 7th of January, 91 Minnesota FIRST Robotics teams gathered at the University of Minnesota for the Kickoff of the 2012 season. The challenge for this season is called “Rebound Rumble.” For this game, a robot has to be able to shoot foam basketballs into hoops that are placed 28”, 61”, and 98” off the floor AND be able to drive over a 4”-squared-off steel bump in the center of the field or navigate over one of three teeter-totter bridges to get to the other end of the field. For the endgame, the robot has to balance on a bridge, possibly with one or up to two other robots!
Subteams Show & Tell
By Lauren W., December 24, 2011
At our last full pre-season meeting on Monday December 19, all of the subteams got to show off what they’ve been doing since mid-October. First up was CAD. They are working in Solidworks as their primary drafting tool and they showed off their prototypes and actual models of different things that could go onto the robot. Using the 2008 game “Overdrive” they created a real model of a 3D scissor lift. It made working on a real robot seem a lot closer to reality. The robot programming subteam has been working on wiring, among other skills, by working on placing lights on the bottom of the mecanum-drive robot.
Animation and CAD: So Alike yet so Different
By Sam W., December 18, 2011
Team 1816’s submission this year is titled Safety FIRST: Pass it On.
As our 2012 Build season continues to grow nearer, an event heralded by the countdown on the blog of FRC director Bill Miller, subteams continue their preparations for its arrival. The Green Machine’s animators have put their fullest efforts into a safety animation that highlights the importance that FIRST places on safety -- whether in the workshop, at competitions or in the community-at-large. Anisha S., an animation subteam lead, summarizes the safety animation contest as “a 30 second clip where we show how safety lessons learned are applicable to other parts of our lives.” The focus this year is to underscore safety’s importance outside of just workshop safety and building a robot.
Minne-Mini Regional
By Lauren W., November 25, 2011
It’s truly beginning to look a lot like Robotics competition season! At Prior Lake High School Saturday November 19, The Green Machine, KING TeC, and Blue Twilight co-hosted the 2nd annual Minne-Mini Regional, an event aimed at creating a “mini” version of the actual regional tournaments that happen in Spring 2012. The purpose of the event was to teach FRC rookies how to do various tasks required by FIRST teams at real events, like robot inspection, how to queue properly, how to scout other robots and how to be where you need to be when you needed to be there.
1816 Subteams Prepare for 2012 Season
By Sam W., November 25, 2011
As the FIRST Robotics season approaches in a matter of weeks with both a looming and invigorating certainty, Edina’s Green Machine members are gearing up and training up to prepare for another fun and exciting season. In the last few weeks, I have been visiting with various subteams. First up, our team’s Facilities and Programming subteams.
Can It Really Be This Easy?
By Connor S., October 11, 2011
Feeling a bit unsure about how to build a robot for the 2012 competitions? Or maybe over a long and lazy summer you just forgot how? While it never seems all that easy when faced with the new game challenge, our team’s two co-captains recently gave a step-by-step demonstration about how to build a robot. This video was featured on the Edina Patch online news service.
Come One, Come All!
By Connor S., September 9, 2011
Looking for an outside-of-school activity that is totally out-of-the- box? Come one, come all, and check out Edina’s own FIRST Robotics team! Are you handy with tools, or do you want to learn how to use the right power tool to build? The Green Machine has a place for you! Dreaming of programming the next Mars rover, animating like they do at the big-name game studios, or designing the next-generation of skyscrapers for Manhattan? That could all start with the Green Machine! Perhaps engineering isn’t your thing? If you’re interested in business or photography, journalism or art, Team 1816-The Green Machine offers an infinite number of opportunities that can help you develop a passion for a possible life-changing career!
Dean Kamen, will.i.am Featured in Primetime TV Special
By 1816 Web Staff, August 1, 2011
On Sunday, August 14th, a national television audience will get a taste of the excitement and an introduction to what FIRST Robotics is all about.
Edina Robotics FIRST Team 1816 was one of the many FIRST teams that experienced the exciting atmosphere of the FIRST Championships, held for the first time in 2011 in St. Louis, MO. On Sunday, August 14th, a national television audience will get a taste of the excitement and an introduction to what FIRST Robotics is all about.
The Green Machine Featured in “In Edina”
By 1816 Web Staff, July 17, 2011
Emily B., 2011 Captain, and Emily C., 2011 Safety Captain, discuss the nature of the FIRST Robotics competition and the work that goes into creating a high-caliber robot.
The June 2011 edition of the TV program "In Edina" features a segment on FIRST Team 1816- The Green Machine. Emily B., 2011 Captain, and Emily C., 2011 Safety Captain, discuss the nature of the FIRST Robotics competition and the work that goes into creating a high-caliber robot. The team’s interviews begin at 17:50 in the program. Other topics include the team's organizational structure and summer volunteering efforts.
