VEX Robotics Competition

The goal of the robot was to handle a set of objectives with another robot from a different team in the game that overcame what the team built, programmed, and documented throughout the season. The team was split into three departments that handle programming, building, and documenting the robot during the season. On the programming side of things, the robot was coded using a program called VEX Pro V5. The program uses C++, Python, or block code to program the motors or the brain of the robot. My team used C++ to code the robot. The code was tasked to handle driver control input and autonomous control during the different portions of the game, or performing skills check of how our robot performed alone. Furthermore, we either used GitHub or Google Drive to save changes made to the code. On the other hand, the builders built the robot with V5 motors, aluminum metal, and gears to make the robot move according to input from a controller or from a program. Lastly, the documenters handle all documentation required for the game, such as the binder for judges to see through, logs of what happened during the week, and taking pictures of the process of the robot or taking competition photos.

During this season, I was assigned as lead programmer and programming mentor for the group. Being in this role, I learned that I would communicate with other leads from different departments in the group to discuss what tasks needed to be done for the robot, what progress we have made during the week, and decide important dates to complete certain tasks by. Additionally, I learned that mentoring new programmers has its pros and cons for them. For example, after I taught the new programmers how to code basic materials, I delegated tasks for them to code for the robot, and would later review their code with them and merge their code into the main branch. The downside of it is when I get sick, I would get calls from the new programmers that the code doesn’t work during testing periods, which I have to try and describe to the new programmers how to fix the issue through text messages or calls on the phone while being sick. In any case, I think this experience is worth it, since I understand what tasks I needed to do as a lead programmer, and the thrill of competition is fun to experience.

Link for a rought draft of autonomous and skill ideas: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tzJEW_0G-cs9HMwc4odah6Kmkii-oPJkxkNYqM1nLk8/edit?tab=t.0