Recent News 
The Green Machine Thanks Our Sponsors!
January 3, 2009 -- Medtronic, Inc., and Ecolab Inc., are renewing their sponsorships of Edina Robotics FIRST Team 1816-The Green Machine, with generous donations totaling $24,0000 to underwrite the registration fees and expenses associated with participation in the FIRST Robotics Competition. The team thanks Dr. Stephen Oesterle, Senior VP of Medicine and Technology at Medtronic, Fridley, Minn., and Doug Baker, chief executive officer of Ecolab, for their ongoing support of our team as well as that of FIRST throughout Minnesota.
The team also would like to welcome its newest sponsors FilmTec, an Edina, Minn.-based division of Dow Water Solutions; General Mills Inc., Minneapolis, and Production Engineering Corp., Minneapolis. Jerry’s Enterprises, Edina, a sponsor of the team during its rookie year, has also renewed its support of the team during the 2008-09 season. In all, these sponsors contributed more than $8,700 to Team 1816.
Participation in the FIRST Robotics Competitions requires teams fundraise and seek sponsorships from corporations to cover the cost of competition entry fees, purchase materials to build a robot worthy of competing in the tournaments, as well as some travel expenses for the three-day competitions. Throughout the year, the team knocks on doors and makes presentations about its participation in FIRST Robotics. The team relies solely on adult volunteers for mentoring, coaching and administration. Funding by corporate sponsors enables FIRST teams to register for events and purchase materials needed to build a robot able to compete both in regional events as well as the Championship Event in Atlanta, Ga.
The Green Machine thanks all its donors and sponsors for your generous support. We wouldn’t be able to accomplish a fraction of what we do without your contributions!
Minnesota Splash Brings FRC Excitement to Anderson Hall
November 28, 2008 -- It’s almost time for the 2009 kickoff, and to get everyone ready for the season, Team 1816-The Green Machine is pleased to be co-hosting the second annual Minnesota Splash! Scheduled for December 6th at Anderson Hall, University of Minnesota, the event will start at 8:30 am and last until approximately 12:30 pm.
Both rookie and veteran teams are invited to participate in a wide variety of robot-specific activities, ranging from seminars to live robot demonstrations. The seminars, presented by The Green Machine, Team 2220-Blue Twilight, Team 2129-Ultraviolet, and Team 2169-KingTec, as well as team mentors and others, will cover information relevant not only for building a robot, but also for organizing and running an FRC team.
Anticipating heavy demand for demonstrations of the new cRIO control system, the collaborating Teams 1816, 2220, and 2129 plan to run continuous discussions on both hardware and programming. KingTec will also reprise their popular “Kickoff to Competition” seminar, while University of Minnesota engineering professor Will Durfee will give teams an overview of FRC-related pneumatics. Seminars on electrical wiring and drivetrains and chassis’ also will be presented. Teams also will offer advice on the how-tos of corporate fundraising, animation, team organization, websites, and putting together a Chairman’s Award presentation. By popular demand, robotics fan favorite Tim Jump will present his view on how teams can “keep things simple” and still build a winning robot. It’s going to be very exciting morning, everyone is invited, and we hope to see you there!
A Pre-Season Mini-Regional Revs Up FRC Excitement!
November 15, 2008 -- Edina Robotics FIRST Team 1816-The Green Machine is pleased to have been able to participate in a pre-season competition dubbed “The Twilight Star Mini-Regional” on November 15th. Named in honor of the host, Team 2220-Blue Twilight of Eagan High School, the mini-regional competition featured fourteen regional teams from around the state and as far away as North Dakota. For the competition, each team brought their 2007-08 competition robot for replay of the FIRST Overdrive game. Lasting most of the day Saturday, the event began the evening before with a team social. The event gave the participating teams one last chance to engage in some friendly competition before the next build season begins just after New Year’s Day. The event also engaged some of the newest FRC competitors, those of rookie teams, who came to learn as much as possible about robot building.
Although there were a few technical issues associated with controlling the robots during the competition, The Green Machine’s 2008 robot, Zerkit, performed well, hurdling balls over the overpass as it had many times previously during competitions during the spring and summer. It was a great deal of fun to participate in one last Overdrive competition before buckling down to the work of a new six-week build session.
More important than competing one last time, off-season and pre-season events such as this one serve as a valuable teaching tool to introduce new teams and team members to the excitement of FIRST. In particular, newly formed rookie teams were invited and offered the opportunity to shadow veteran teams throughout the event. Team 2705, from the International School of Minnesota, Eden Prairie, a rookie team that the Green Machine will mentor this season, got a first-hand look at what goes on at an often hard-to-visualize competition. Alex N, 1816’s Business Captain, comments, “it was great to come here and see all the teams again, and to also help get the new teams and members up to speed on the program.” He also added, “it was also nice to be able to get to discuss some of the more business aspects of the program with members from other teams, and share ideas on things like fundraising.”
In addition to the Green Machine, the attending teams were Team 2129-Ultraviolet, Minneapolis Southwest; Team 2177-The Robettes, Visitation High School; Team 2264-Trojan Robotics, Wayzata; Team 2545-BAExx, Columbia Heights; Team 2479-Urban Supreme, Minneapolis North High School; Team 2574-RoboHuskie, St. Anthony Village; Team 876-Thunder Robotics, Hatton, North Dakota; Team 2472-RoboSapiens, Centennial Senior High; Team 2531-Hawks, Chaska; Team 2491-Rapids, Great River High School, Team 2518-Spartans, Simley High School; Team 2450-RaiderBots, Cretin-Derham Hall; and Team 2667-How ‘bout Dem Apples, Apple Valley High School.
FIRST = Real World, Real Experience, Real Fun!
November 8, 2008 – Now showing on the YouTube FIRST Channel, The Green Machine presents its 2008 entry to the FIRST President’s Circle challenge! This newest video, starring team members Tom S. and Dan P., posted as a response to the “2008/09 President's Circle Challenge” put forth by FIRST President Paul Gudonis earlier this year. The President’s Circle is a special program within the FIRST organization that seeks “to unleash the power, energy, and creativity of FIRST teams to recruit new teams.” Initially unveiled at the 2006-2007 Championships, it wasn’t long before The Green Machine became involved. The team produced and posted the first video, not only securing a spot in the President’s Circle that inaugural year, but also earned attention by having the video featured in a spot aimed at enticing other teams to post their own videos. This year’s challenge is to find a way to encourage even more high school students to get involved with math and science via FIRST. All FIRST teams, from Lego League to FIRST Robotics, are invited to create short video commercials, ranging in length from 30 seconds to one minute. All teams’ videos are posted on the FIRST Channel; some will be selected to air during the 2009 Kickoff! And so, Team 1816 is excited to finally have our submission completed! What was the team’s idea for this year? Find out here!
Off-Season Robot Construction Challenges Team!
November 2, 2008 -- Edina Robotics FIRST Team 1816-The Green Machine will resume work on its ambitious off-season practice robot, construction that was temporarily halted to work on the beta test of the new FRC control system, the cRIO. Completion of the practice “bot” is expected to consume much of the rest of the pre-season. The venture was begun early in the summer, with team members Andrew, Dan, Alistair, Sarah, Daphni, Emily, and Matt coming to the high school workshop three hours a day, three days a week to design and build the robot. This schedule continued until the start of the cRIO beta test in September.
This practice robot is designed to pick up trash and recyclables off the ground, a continuation of the Green Machine’s goal of promoting environmentally friendly activities. The team’s intent in pursuing the challenge of building another robot is to learn more about how to design, build, and program a more advanced robot than previously attempted. The chassis uses a mecanum drive set-up, meaning it can move horizontally in any direction, without the chassis changing orientation. The team has never used mecanum drive before, and its inclusion is a challenge to team programmers in getting the robot to move properly.
The robot’s manipulator will use motors to power its movement rather than easier-to-integrate pneumatics. The Green Machine has used pneumatics successfully in powering previous ramps and arms. Motors, however, provide much more control over the robot’s movements, but are again more challenging to program. In another step forward for the team, the robot was designed entirely using computer-aided drafting (CAD), giving CAD team members valuable experience.
In building the robot, many important parts, such as the compressor, were reclaimed from the team’s previous competition robots. However, the team did need to buy some new aluminum and the mecanum wheels.
The practice “bot” represents a technological step forward for the team and will be used as a tool in future demonstrations designed to promote FIRST. Its ongoing construction has helped and will help the team learn in many areas, notably in CADing, programming, and working with mecanum wheels. Now that building will be starting again, the team hopes to have it done by the January 3, 2009, FRC kickoff, to show to rookie and experienced teams alike!
Secrets of the Compact RIO Revealed!
November 2, 2008 — Over sixty excited students and mentors from thirteen regional teams- veterans and rookies alike- gathered at the University of Minnesota’s Willey Hall to learn about the new 2009 FIRST Robotics Competition control system. The seminar, hosted by Team 1816-The Green Machine, Team 2129-Ultraviolet, and Team 2220-Blue Twilight, aimed to ease the transition teams face this season switching from the old control system to the new cRIO, produced by National Instruments. In order to prepare, the three veteran FRC teams spent almost six weeks testing the new system. Team 1816 was one of only eighteen “beta-test” teams selected by FIRST; collaborators from other veteran teams quickly joined the test crew. ...
Minnesota FIRST Hosts Twin Regionals in 2009!
October 10, 2008 -- The rapid expansion of the FIRST Robotics Competition in Minnesota has certainly presented some unique problems, one of them being the fact that a number of area teams weren’t able to get into last spring’s Minnesota Regional because it filled up so quickly. In working towards solving this challenge, Team 1816 is proud to announce the first ever FIRST Double Regional! Two completely separate – but equal -- regional events will be held April 2 – 4, 2009 at the University of Minnesota. The 10,000 Lakes Regional will take place in Williams Arena, while just across the street, the North Star Regional will debut in Mariucci Arena. At top capacity, there may be room for more than 100 FIRST teams! With the phenomenal growth taking place in Minnesota over the past four years—spurred on in part by The Green Machine’s active role in promoting robotics through the media, appearances at the State Fair, mentoring new FRC teams, and hosting events such as Minnesota Splash and the Kickoff events— the number of teams in the state exploded leading up to the inaugural Minnesota Regional in March 2008. This year, it is anticipated that the number of teams in Minnesota may top 80, all of whom would like to be able to participate in a local regional tournament. A double regional hopefully will provide enough room for all teams to attend! For more information, be sure to check out the promotional video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrCJJ2JHnEU&fmt=6, with 1816 alumni (and engineering undergraduates), Alex and Chris Gough.
“Zerkit” Thrills Crowd at Edina’s Homecoming Parade
October 6, 2008 -- The Green Machine’s 2008 competition robot, “Zerkit,” rode in high style in the back of a decorated pick-up truck in Edina High School’s annual Homecoming Parade. Controlled remotely by team members riding in the back, Zerkit showed off its fork-like manipulator, which during competition was able to guide, herd and toss a nearly 10-pound trackball. Team members also handed candy to the crowd lining the parade route, which snaked along Wooddale Avenue toward South View Middle School. Zerkit even attracted a few team super-fans, who cheered on the robot from parade’s beginning to end.
Green Machine selected to test drive the new FRC Control System By Greg B.
September 10, 2008 -- Team 1816-The Green Machine is pleased to announce that it is one of 18 FIRST teams nationwide selected to beta test the new FRC control system. FIRST has adopted the Compact RIO (cRIO) for advanced robotics for the 2009 competition season and beyond. The cRIO, developed by National Instruments, can be programmed using “C” or LabView. The kit is expected to arrive around the fifteenth of the month, and then the work will begin to understand how the new system works, especially when it’s placed in a competition robot. By participating in the program, the team will help FIRST iron out problems with the new control system, as well as help other FRC teams make a smooth transition to the new system. The team will have a little over a month to learn, program, and experiment, after which the Green Machine expects to host workshops for other Minnesota and regional teams become accustomed to the technology. Criteria for selection to be a beta tester included years of participation in FIRST as well as demonstration of attributes consistent with a Chairman’s Award team. Earlier this year, Team 1816 won a regional Chairman’s Award at the FIRST Minnesota Regional. The Green Machine is very proud to have been given this opportunity and looks forward to sharing the new cRIO with everyone in the FIRST community. More information about the cRIO can be found by clicking http://usfirst.org/community/frc/content.aspx?id=9478.
“Zerkit” Wins Top Prize at The 2008 Minnesota State Fair By Greg B.
September 8, 2008 --The Green Machine was live at the Minnesota State Fair, demonstrating the capabilities of its 2008 competition robot, “Zerkit,” in the Education Building August 26-27, and September 1. There, visitors got a taste of the excitement of FIRST as Team 1816 drove Zerkit in a mini-competition against Team 2532-The Rangers of Forest Lake. In each of the two demonstrations that took place throughout the day, teams were allowed five chances to score points in a timed obstacle course incorporating elements from the 2008 FIRST Overdrive challenge. Teams had to navigate robots through an obstacle course, perform several tight parking maneuvers, as well pick up, herd, and even hurdle the giant track-balls over a full size overpass.
Zerkit successfully navigating the course while herding, hurdling, and placing track balls, all in front of a large, appreciative audience. Consistently scoring in the 60s and 70s, the team set the high mark for the fair during their runs on August 26 and August 27, earning the two highest scores of the competition -- at 79 and an 84 -- with Matt H. and Dan P. operating the controls. These high scores qualified the team for a return appearance to the fair on Labor Day to compete in the grand finale. On that last day of the Fair, Zerkit continued its stellar performance, taking home the trophy for the best performing robot. In addition to this honor, the team also was awarded a second-place ribbon for the robot’s design.
The large audiences present during the two daily demonstrations turned into a perfect opportunity for outreach about FIRST, and team members not working the robot’s controls worked hard handing out FIRST “information-on-a-stick” and brochures. The excitement generated at the exhibit also proved attractive to several media outlets, including KSTP Channel 5, KARE 11, Minnesota Public Radio, and the Pioneer Press, all of which provided some coverage of robotics at the fair. In fact, the FIRST Robotics demonstrations were so popular, next year may bring about a larger playing field (or two), as well as bleacher seating to allow more people an opportunity to see what FIRST Robotics is all about. A huge thanks to all the Minnesota teams, mentors, adult volunteers and State Fair organizers that helped make this event possible, and we hope to see everyone again next year at the fair!
Bakken hosts visit, talk by founder Earl Bakken
August 25, 2008 -- Earl Bakken, the founder of Medtronic, Inc., which is Team 1816’s leading corporate sponsor, paid a visit to his namesake museum while he was recently in the Twin Cities. Green Machine team member Matt H. had the opportunity to hear Mr. Bakken speak to a small group about his life and various inventions. Mr. Bakken founded Medtronic (medical + electronics) after World War II and invented the first battery-operated pacemaker. The Bakken Museum, Minneapolis, is the only library and museum in the United States devoted to medical electronics. Matt and fellow team member Greg B. are regular volunteers at the museum, assisting with children's programs and acting as tour guides. The team this summer participated in several Bakken events, including landscaping and recycling projects.
