2023

Charged Up

Charged Up, centered on energy-themed challenges where two alliances, each consisting of three teams, competed to energize their communities. Teams controlled robots to collect game pieces—yellow cones and purple cubes—from human player stations and strategically place them onto a grid within their alliance's community zone. Accurately positioning these pieces on specific nodes within the grid earned varying points, with additional points awarded for forming links by completing rows of nodes. During the endgame phase, robots aimed to balance on their alliance's charging station, a tilting platform, to earn extra points. The game emphasized strategic placement, efficient resource management, and precise robot control.

Our Robot

Mike is a six-wheel tank drive with an arm that can score cubes and cones on the bottom and middle rows of nodes. It is capable of collecting both game pieces from the feeder station, and cubes from the floor. At under 90 pounds and only have 7 motors, this robot is focused on speed and simplicity. It uses a combination of accelerometers and optical sensors to consistently and automatically balance on the charge station in autonomous and endgame. Mike was named in memory of long-time Skunk Works mentor Mike Shafa, who passed away in fall 2022.