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Team 4: Grumpier Pyramid

Devotees of the Grumpier Pyramid

Xiqing Wang ‘21 - is lactose intolerant, is also in denial (ps tf is a grumpier pyramid)

Katie Gravel ‘21 - is trying to (tryna (finna)) retain New York slang as much as humanly possible (ps dude no one knows it was a random name generator)

Jenna Himawan ‘21 - Course 6-2 or 6-3, lives in Simmons Hall, likes board and card games and puzzles! Has very little experience with anything related to robotics, finds zen in the lab

kevkevBOI: 4 weeks young, (I don't know what fokin else he's a robot he doesn't really have thoughts)

FAQ:

You guys do realize that nobody will ever read this wiki so it doesn't really make sense to put this much effort into it, right?

Well, you seem to be reading this now, so looks like a nobody did read this wiki afterall

How do you guys come up with all of your funny jokes?

Instead of working on our robots for the first 2 weeks, we just spent time making up funny jokes, put them in a huge document, and use which ever jokes are applicable to the day.

Are y'all ok?

No.

Enough about y'all, is kevkevBOI excited to be a part of your team?

We dont know he said, "01001001 00100000 01101000 01100001 01110100 01100101 00100000 01110100 01101000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01110011 01101111 00100000 01101101 01110101 01100011 01101000 00100000 01100001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01001001 00100000 01101000 01100001 01110100 01100101 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101" but again, we dont know what that means.

Can I send kevkevBOI fan mail?"

No, he can't even see red reliabliy and it's unlikely that he'll ever be able to read. Thank you for your prayers.

How can I tell who wrote what wiki posts?

If (wordsSpelledWrong >= 1) { return Katie } if (wordsSpelledWrong intentionally >= 0) { return Xiqing }

yea we know dis is wrong syntax eom green and red blocks for bc-talk

Week 1

1/8

We joined MASLAB 2018 Team 4 Github, got our NUC set up, and talked about a robot strategy.

1/9

We are learning how to use ROS and started a robot design. We also laser-cut the kitbot and started to put it together with screws and nuts and solder and other ish.

1/10

We finished putting together the the kitbot heart eyes, finalized our strategy and robot design, and started a rough CAD.

1/11

We named our kitbot KEVINboi and tried to get him to run in a square. He did it once and then refused for the rest of the time. Frustrated reaccs only.

1/12

Kevin still doesn't know de wae but were working on it

Week 2

1/16

A lot of CADing and Idea-ing got done over the long weekend, so we worked on fixing up the prototype. We got the NUC fixed and did odometry stuff. We decided that we probably wont use ROS, since it is complicated and we dont have enough background knowledge to be able to use it effectively.

1/17

cad. THINGS ARE FALLING APART AND WE DON'T KNOW WHY (like the teensy). we finna laser cut today.

(1/18 edit: we never laser cut)

1/18

We started messing around with computer vision stuff, and the webcam recognized a red ball (and Kaite's red hair). and (actually) finished CADing today. Team 4 is THRIVING.

(we're celebrating now because something is bound to go wrong later)

1/19

We actually laser cut some pieces today, then immedately realized there were problems with fit. After throwing a huUuUge self-contained tantrum, we fixed some measurements in Solidworks and cut again. We also attached a time of flight sensor to our wiring and we are beginning to test that out.

Week 3

1/22

We cut the remaining parts of kevkevBOI (name still in works) from the fresh MDF and started construction. We started thinking about the roller and after having Erons shoutout to you explain the entirety of the roller (how rollers work, how rubber bands work, what parts to use, size of parts to use, how to put parts together, how2build, how2STEM, how2Bengineer), we started printing iterations of the roller gears and (this could be a ~much~ longer story*) but in the end, we got the roller constructed. The plan is to test dat ish and make more iterations of it because happy roller=happy life. Software also coming along nicely. Life's been a lot easier since we switched to solely Python. WE OUT HERE TRYNA GRINDDDDDDD.

*so basically what happened was (1) the drawing did not size properly on the laser cutter then (2) we decided the gears teeth needed to be bigger then (3) decided the shape of the hole on the gear should be a circle not a hexagon and then (4) realized the size of the new circle was too big. It's ok.

1/23

Turns out, the roller was too high off the ground that we were using for testing [recut]. Turns out, the ball we were using was 2.5 inches in diameter and not 2 inches [recut]. Also, we started making a ramp/hopper for the balls out of a cardboard box donated (see also: stolen from) Katie's roomate. Additionally, we put the hardware from kevin (the kitbot) onto kevkevBOI (the competition bot) and it really sparked up our lives. As we tired to put the electronics onto kevkevBOI, we realized one of the major pieces doesn't fit, so that was sad eyes.

1/24

We made a resorvior for our balls within the robot, and we put the electronics on top. The new composition of our bot is:

  • 69% duct tape/painter's tape
  • 46.314159% cardboard
  • 24% MDF
  • 11% wires
  • 7% pain and suffering (3% directly attributed to Xiqing randomly starting to bleed while soldering)
  • .000000004% hope

[VALUES HAVE BEEN ROUNDED AND MAY/MAY NOT ADD EXACTLY TO 100]

Also, kevkev was playing with one of our phones and snapped a pic:,)

1/25

Hardware stuff is done (???????????????)! Well, until something breaks. We realized our ball collection mechanism may be a little narrow, and we are trying to come up with solutions to solve that issue. Also, kevkevBOI collected a ball on his own for the first time (we all screamed). HOWEVER, there are still a lot of issues with positioning, especially since we opted out of PID and ROS.

Actual transcript from today's lab:

Xiqing: hey you know that meme with the pants--

Katie: if kevkevBOI wore pants would he wear them like this or like this?

Jenna: hey, you guys are actually kind of awesome

1/26

We got a whopping 0 points at the mock competition today. We just want to say thank you to our moms and the academy for this huge honor. Kevin also got a wider roller so its easier to collect balls. He's mighty thicq now We think hardware is actually done now (besides bolting down some electronics but we don't care).

Daily hightlights:

  • Random playing of the Power Rangers theme song from an unknown source
    • to whoever played it: you are a hero

Daily lows:

  • "About You Now" by Miranda Cosgrove was not played once
    • to the same person who played Power Rangers: you had a responsibilty. you let us down. and now, we are sad.

Week 4

1/29

We switched the teensy out of the bread board onto a protoboard, which is apperently a thing that exists. kevkevBOI was behaving better over the weekend and was given the day off from stress. Tomrrow he will hopefully be back and kicking on the court.

1/30: 2 days to Comp

Today, we found Kevins fake ID. We're extremely dissapointed in his behavior. Apparently, Xiqing is the irresponsible parent because she got the fake for him. We're putting her in timeout. Along with kevkevBOI.

In other news, he learned how to see the red ball's goal today and we're extremely proud. Katie forced Xiqing to watch the single greatest piece of media this generation has ever known (http://coub.com/view/hrrus) and she didn't understand why it was funny. To be fair, you have to have a very high IQ to understand these things. The humour is very subtle and without a solid grasp of CAD, most of the jokes will go over a typical mechincal engineer's head.

There is a mock competition later today that determines seeds for the real competition on Thursday. Our goal is to pick up at least 1 ball. Godspeed...

Post Comp Edit: kevkevBOI got a ball. Katie said she would yell if he did, but Jenna actually did. We have a lot of work to do. Kevin also got a face lift and now has nicer wires. Sleep may be far away.

1/31: 1 day to Comp

kevkevBOI is working kinda????? Jenna is the MVP (most valuable programmer) since she restuctured the code so it is more logical and easier to read. She also showed up to the lab at 9am and we are all very proud of her.

kevkevBOI keeps thinking that the liliac colored goal is actually a red ball, and it seems that no matter how we adjust values for HSV, he just really wants the goal to be red. IT'S NOT FUNNY @KEVIN CAN YOU PLEASE COOPERATE!!!

shoutouts: shoutout to that one dude with the clamps on the back of his robot. your robot is strong power af, probably can slide into dm's successfully, and is kevkevBOI's role model. good for you.

also shoutouts go to Erons not because he helped us with any specific thing today but just because we are in awe of his vast knowledge about basically everything

we also have a two part shout out to Isaac: part 1: thanks for coming up to us and inspiring us to try to get more than possession point (1/30) part 2: for laughing at us when we asked Andrew for help (for the fourth that hour) on how to open a document on the NUC (1/31)

2/1: 0 Days to Comp

Sleep tally:

Jenna-the most

Katie-the some

Xiqing-1 or 2

KEVIN FINALLY CAN BACK IT UP now ya'll (3 hops, 3 hops). But nowwwwww he stopped knowing how to wall bounce and how to adjust for balls. [insert profanity] YOU KEVKEV!!! The competition is in four (edit @2:53PM: 7 MINUTES) hours but we have no reason to worry, why would we????????!!!!:0000000000

kevkev ~needs~ to get stronger. We believe he can transcend into a higher plane of existence (aka the plane where he can freaking put his balls in a goal).

1:30PM edit: no more goal hunting for kevin. We just want him to get balls, hopefully at least 3 in each round.

2:54PM edit: ok the goal is now at least 1 ball (sorry Issac, we know you tried to inspire us/thank you for cutting metal for us, please continue to watch your fingers in the future (we were all very nervous for you). also, you rock)

1st round: kevkevBOI was the MOST belligerent and us, as parents, blame ourselves. we should have raised him better, but we're currently trying to remember that s o m ebody once told me the world is gonna roll me I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed She was looking kind of dumb with her finger and her thumb In the shape of an "L" on her forehead Well the years start coming and they don't stop coming Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running Didn't make sense not to live for fun Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb So much to do, so much to see So what's wrong with taking the back streets? You'll never know if you don't go You'll never shine if you don't glow Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid And all that glitters is gold Only shooting stars break the mold...

...we're sad now

Post-2nd round:

western ghost-town cowboy showdown music plays

[scene fades in]

kevin - a lonely boi, raw, uncut, real - a tortured soul. He squares up, a vast expansion of white wall in front of him.

At first, he thinks he's alone. But then he detects a red threat in the distance. He knows he must act. Before he can think he barrels over the black, rubbery tundra toward his unluckly target.

but boi is he scared. approaching sneakily, he loses confidence and stops right before he can reach his red enemy. he turns away in embarrassment. Immedately, he realizes his mistake and knows he must search for redemption.

he's locked onto a new target. the pressure is on. the audience wants him to fail. his trainers don't know why he was sent him to battle. His parents think they may have made a mistake. but...

kevin remembers his wants this: he wants to make his parents proud, ones who made him who he is today.

he locks on to a new foe...and runs. but alas, kevin is still scared. his steps faulter and come to a stop, so close to neutralizing the enemy...yet so far.

once again, kevin turns away, tears in his web cam, losing face, losing drive. he fails his arms in frustration:

"why oh why am i, kevkevBOI, such a failure? why oh why can I not complete my mission?"

However coma, something amazing happens - as kevin flails his arms, he hits the enemy and it rolls...right into the local sheriff's office, where it is abruptly arrested for its crimes.

kevin, with a renewed fire, quickly chases down two more demons. a few minutes later, kevin was awarded 6 gold stars for his efforts.

music fades, lights dim, end scene

lights come back on

ok, ya'll but ~feh~ real:

BRUH WUT W U T

ok, yes, we did fix kevkevBOI's software so that he would more accurately center on the ball, but there were still major kinks (haha kinkyyyy) that we never smoothed out, so the kevster would approach a ball and stop right before he could roll over the ball and then start searching for a new ball (and did so twice). the funny thing is, kevkevBOI ended up hitting the ball the second time it happened, and luckily enough kev spun the ball in the direction of the purple goal, and the ball went in (4 points). afterward, kevkev just rolled around the field, trying to collect balls (collecting 2 by the end of the time).

we are shook because we have not done enough good deeds in our lives to deserve this kind of luck.

here's a picture of us looking tired, deshelved, and confused after the competition.

funny thought that didn't really fit in anywhere else but we think it's funny so...

computer aided design is our passion (exponential growth of score if you get dis meme)

FINAL SHOUTOUTS

TO THE MASLAB STAFF:

This is in alphabetical order because, like kevkevBOI, we don't pick our favorite mentors.

ANDREW thanks for helping us debug and open files in a terminal. we will ~feh~ever remember "press tab to complete phrase" and cd dot dot backslash. keep doin' you!!

p.s. we are sorry

ERONS thx eom

haha to be honest, we hope to be as knowlegeable as you one day. also, we don't know if you noticed this at all, but we felt really bad asking questions all the time, so we genuinely appreciated it so much when you came to our workstation to make sure we didn't need help because 876756743655786989 times, we desperately needed it. also, we think you're really quite funny and are impressed by your dance moves. bruh, you a star. thank you so0o0o0o0o0 much :,) kevkevBOI is gonna lowkey miss you and wans to treat you to drinks sometime!! he will be paying (see fake above). actual eom

ISAAC we just want to reiterate (see 1/31) thanks for coming up to us after the 2nd mock competition and telling us to not give up. we actually were planning to just go for one (1) ball in the final competition, but that positive reinforcement really lit a fire under us. and yeah, we worked really hard on software after that, which didn't exactly(?) work the way we thought it would, it all worked out in the end. we support all of your endeavors and are impressed by your casual cutting of metal, which we mentioned before but also wanted to revisit. ok, litty!!!!!

JASON we luv you(r hair). also, you were so calm even when we frantically asked you questions that probably didn't make a ton of sense. this is the kind of zen that we wish both us and kevkevBOI could achieve.

KEVKEVBOI KEVIN @mr.meche (you betcha we read the past wikis!!!!) we s2g that we named kevkevBOI independently of you and we're sorry if his name caused you any stress.

You've made it to the end! Now we have insights/suggestions for next year's teams:

  1. Everything takes so much longer than you think it will
  2. Ask the staff lots of questions and also ask them immediately instead of toiling over something that is probably an easy fix but you just have 0 knowledge about them
  3. Use more than one sensor (lmao)
  4. Test often
  5. Don't discount simplicity
  6. Also, don't give up when things are broken lol
  7. Appreciate other team's robots, but don't compare your bot and theirs bb (also, everybody is actually so willing to help if you just ask)
  8. Finally, have low expectations but lots of fun!!!!!!!

XOXO, The Grumpier Pyramid (2018-2018)

bcc'ed to dorms, hsv [180, 150, 80] for bc-talk

eom