2016-2017 Team
The team is looking forward to some exciting competitions this year. We signed up for League Play which will give us more time on the field competing than past years. We love the competitions.
Hopefully we will be able to turn Android Studio into a pussy cat. Right now it is looming large with problems we didn't see last year.
Best case, a cloud version of the programming environment will be created at some point so that the development isn't hardware dependent.
Hopefully we will be able to turn Android Studio into a pussy cat. Right now it is looming large with problems we didn't see last year.
Best case, a cloud version of the programming environment will be created at some point so that the development isn't hardware dependent.
Cyborg eagles - qualifies in Batavia
advances to state competition
January 30th, the team competed in the Batavia qualifiers and did well. Selected by Octopi, Blue Box Bots and Cyborg Eagles formed the winning alliance. This win qualifies the team for competing in the Illinois State Championship on February 26th and 27th in Elgin, IL.
State championship
The FIRSTTech Challenge Illinois Championship Tournamentis an intense two day event showcasing robots developed and operated by teams of high school students. The competing robots are the best robots from the FTC Qualifying Events held all around Illinois. The robots represent the product of focused brainstorming, real-world teamwork, dedicated mentoring, and managing project deadlines. The mentor/student interaction is integral to the FTC program. It takes a lot of hard work to develop a competitive robot, and it shows when you see them in action at the Illinois Championship Tournament.
In the competition, two alliances (red and blue) each composed of two robot teams play each other on fields that are 12' by 12' in size. Most of the day is spent on a series of Qualifying Rounds matches played between randomly generated alliance teams to determine the top four seeded individual teams. These top four individual teams will now select two other teams that they would like to join them in forming an alliance for the Elimination Rounds matches. Late Saturday afternoon starts off with the four alliances competing in the Semi-final Matches, then the Finals where two alliances will vie for the title of Winning Alliance!
Like all FIRST Tech Challenge events, the Illinois Championship Tournament is free and open to the public! If you do plan to attend, please remember to wear closed-toed shoes and bring along a pair of safety glasses so that you can visit the pit area to meet the robots and the students who built them. And remember…our team members, coaches, mentors, volunteers and Tournament staff are all very friendly and will be happy assist you and to answer any questions that you may have. (credit ILFIRST)
Event Information
Venue
In the competition, two alliances (red and blue) each composed of two robot teams play each other on fields that are 12' by 12' in size. Most of the day is spent on a series of Qualifying Rounds matches played between randomly generated alliance teams to determine the top four seeded individual teams. These top four individual teams will now select two other teams that they would like to join them in forming an alliance for the Elimination Rounds matches. Late Saturday afternoon starts off with the four alliances competing in the Semi-final Matches, then the Finals where two alliances will vie for the title of Winning Alliance!
Like all FIRST Tech Challenge events, the Illinois Championship Tournament is free and open to the public! If you do plan to attend, please remember to wear closed-toed shoes and bring along a pair of safety glasses so that you can visit the pit area to meet the robots and the students who built them. And remember…our team members, coaches, mentors, volunteers and Tournament staff are all very friendly and will be happy assist you and to answer any questions that you may have. (credit ILFIRST)
Event Information
Venue
event information
Date: Friday February 26, 2016 - Saturday Februrary 27, 2016
Venue: Elgin Community College Building J Events Center 1700 Spartan Dr Elgin, IL 60123 Parking: Parking will be available in the Red Lot (Lots G, H, I, J, & K). This parking lot is open parking space to students, visitors and staff. Specific parking areas are reserved for staff parking, accessible parking, motorcyles or other uses. Please read the posted signs carefully. Parking overnight is prohibited |
Agenda
Friday NightThis year there is Friday night check-in at the state tournament. All qualified teams are required to check in Friday night. This will be judging, hardware and software inspection with field testing. 4:00 pmSet Up Crews Start 6:30 pmTeams Arrive and Check-in 7:00 pmJudging, Hardware and Software-Field Inspections Begins 9:00 pmComplete Hardware and Software-Field Inspections Saturday 7:00 amVolunteers Arrive 7:30 amTeams Arrive and Check-in 8:15 amDrivers Meeting On Competition Field 8:30 amOpening Ceremonies 9:00 amQualification Matches Begin 12:30 pmLunch Break 1:00 pmQualification Matches Resume 4:00 pmAlliance Selection 4:15 pmStart Semifinals 5:00 pmStart Finals 5:30 pmAwards and Closing Ceremonies 6:00 pmEvent Complete |
We're continuing to document the Team's progress on this site under the BLOG tab. We're still proud of our accomplishments during the last season, so we'll leave the homepage posts up until we reach significant milestones for this season.
Thanks for visiting the Cyborg Eagles. If you have a jobsite toolbox that you can donate to the team, we are in need of one. more... |
Please help our Team get established with a donation or sponsorship. We would also welcome additional adult volunteers and any offers of assistance in the manufacturing of custom parts.
We have a 501(c)3 non-profit designation so any donations are tax deductible. We can provide Tax ID letters and receipts for your donation. Use the buttons below to donate or contact us. Thank you We have a 501(c)3 non-profit designation so any donations are tax deductible. We can provide Tax ID letters and receipts for your donation.
|
We won the inspire award
~tHE HIGHEST FTC JUDGED AWARD~ We went to state!
We competed at the Highland Park qualifying tournament on January 25th. This was our second qualifier for the season. This experience was quite different from the CMSA tournament. Since the robot experienced several issues which needed to be addressed between matches, our time in the pits was very busy. Happily,we were able to fix or figure out a workaround, so the robot's performance improved throughout the day.
Although we didn't make it to the finalist rounds this time, we did very well in the Judged Awards. Cyborg Eagles was nominated for four of the five awards. We were nominated for the Connect Award, the Rockwell Collins Innovate Award, the PTC Design Award, and the Think Award. This was very exciting and truly an honor.
What a roller coaster, to be nominated for each award, but not get the award. The evening ends with the Inspire Award which is the highest award given by FTC. The winner of the Inspire Award and the nominees are automatically eligible for advancement to the next tournament level.
To explain what the Inspire Award is: The winner of the Inspire Award has achieved success in many of the areas rewarded by the other awards but has tied these successes together in a comprehensive manner resulting in success in the competition, outreach to the community, robot design, team spirit and engineering accomplishment. The judges like to write a creative introduction for each of the awards which hints at who the winner is. Here's what they had to say about the Cyborg Eagles: "This team did finally get the hang of it. They've inspired others to join FIRST. Hats off to the team selected for the Inspire Award."
So here we are, pictured above with our Inspire Trophy. Ironically, without our team hats on....
Update: We competed at the Illinois State FTC Championships. We looked good and did well. We were nominated for the Rockwell Collins Innovate award and for the Think Award. The two biggest changes that we made since Highland Park were the addition of a "Block Spreader" to the front of the robot and the creation of a mascot costume. The Cyborg Eagle mascot looks pretty cool. Pictured below is the head, but the costume also has wings and a tail. It is hard to keep somebody inside of the costume for long though. It gives me new respect for the endurance of the ones we've seen at previous tournaments.
Although we didn't make it to the finalist rounds this time, we did very well in the Judged Awards. Cyborg Eagles was nominated for four of the five awards. We were nominated for the Connect Award, the Rockwell Collins Innovate Award, the PTC Design Award, and the Think Award. This was very exciting and truly an honor.
What a roller coaster, to be nominated for each award, but not get the award. The evening ends with the Inspire Award which is the highest award given by FTC. The winner of the Inspire Award and the nominees are automatically eligible for advancement to the next tournament level.
To explain what the Inspire Award is: The winner of the Inspire Award has achieved success in many of the areas rewarded by the other awards but has tied these successes together in a comprehensive manner resulting in success in the competition, outreach to the community, robot design, team spirit and engineering accomplishment. The judges like to write a creative introduction for each of the awards which hints at who the winner is. Here's what they had to say about the Cyborg Eagles: "This team did finally get the hang of it. They've inspired others to join FIRST. Hats off to the team selected for the Inspire Award."
So here we are, pictured above with our Inspire Trophy. Ironically, without our team hats on....
Update: We competed at the Illinois State FTC Championships. We looked good and did well. We were nominated for the Rockwell Collins Innovate award and for the Think Award. The two biggest changes that we made since Highland Park were the addition of a "Block Spreader" to the front of the robot and the creation of a mascot costume. The Cyborg Eagle mascot looks pretty cool. Pictured below is the head, but the costume also has wings and a tail. It is hard to keep somebody inside of the costume for long though. It gives me new respect for the endurance of the ones we've seen at previous tournaments.
We are a new robotics team from La Grange, Illinois just getting started as a FIRST Tech Challenge team, competing as FTC Team 7089. Since the new game announcement, which is called "Block Party", we've been learning the rules and calculating our strategy. Our engineering notebooks are filling up with sketches of a wide variety of designs, which we evaluate relative to our strategy.
We recently installed PTC's "Creo" design suite for 2D and 3D computer aided drafting (CAD). This software is generously provided to the FIRST Teams by PTC. It will be a big help preparing for construction. The software has Tetrix parts as a software module, so designs can be quickly built up in the software and a Bill of Materials generated automatically. For programming, the Team decided on the text based "RobotC" software. It has several nice features which will greatly help during the code development. It is nice to run the real time debugger and watch the program fly through the commands. With "Virtual Worlds", you can download the program to a virtual robot and test it out on a Block Party game field. It is a program development environment, code tester and game simulator all rolled up into a video game environment. The best feature for us is that every team member can program independently since the program can be tested without the physical robot present. As part of the software setup, we will need to set up a Field Control System for wireless communication to the robot. This will allow us to drive the robot wirelessly with the game controllers through the Samantha module. Having it setup early on will allow our drivers to gain experience and become acquainted with the feel of the controllers. Our progress will be described on this website throughout the season, so fans and supporters can track our progress and feel like they are part of the team. Stop back often for updates. December Update:
We competed at our first qualifying competition on December 14th, 2013 at the Chicago Science and Math Academy, 7212 N Clark St. Chicago, IL 60626. It was an exciting day. The Team and robot did very well taking second place as a Finalist Alliance. We brought home a trophy and medals for the entire team. We were so busy at the tournament that we only had time to take some movies with a smart phone. As soon as we get the software updated, and the files uploaded, we hope to post some fresh video from this competition. |
gracious professionalism - is at the core of first
Its central to our very identity. Its the element of FIRST that clearly states Character is what matters, in FIRST and in life. Please see the important message below from Woodie Flowers, FIRST National Advisor and Co-Founder: