Ascent · 2022 Competition Robot

Rapid React rewarded robots that could score Cargo quickly and climb reliably at the end of the match. Upper Hub Cargo was especially valuable because it scored more than Lower Hub Cargo, and the Traversal Rung was the highest-value climb level in the Hangar

The goal for Ascent was to build a robot that could complete the major scoring tasks in the game while pushing the team into new technical areas. We prioritized Upper Hub shooting, floor pickup, 2 Cargo storage, and a high-value climb because those capabilities gave the robot the best path to meaningful match contribution

Rapid React was built around two major scoring objectives: scoring Cargo into the Hub and climbing in the Hangar. Cargo scored more during autonomous than teleoperated play, and Upper Hub shots were worth more than Lower Hub shots. Endgame climbs were also high-value, with the Traversal Rung being the highest climb level

Because of that scoring structure, Ascent was designed around three major priorities:

• Score Cargo into the Upper Hub
• Collect and store 2 Cargo from the floor
• Complete a high-value climb before the match ended

Ascent used a 6-wheel drop-center tank drive. This gave the robot a simple, durable, and maneuverable base for crossing the field, lining up shots, and positioning near the Hangar. The drivetrain was geared for a top speed of about 15.6 ft/s, which helped the robot cycle Cargo quickly while still staying controllable for climbing

The shooter was designed for Upper Hub scoring and used a high-speed flywheel capable of reaching roughly 5000 rpm. This was a major step up for the team because it was the first high-goal flywheel shooter we built for an FRC competition robot

The shooter was also designed with serviceability in mind. Because the main electrical board was packaged under the shooter, the shooter assembly pivoted upward like a car hood so we could access wiring, motor controllers, and electronics for repairs without removing the full mechanism from the robot

At Orange County Regional, we found that the shooter was putting too much backspin on the Cargo. On some Upper Hub shots, the Cargo would hit the back wall of the Hub, roll upward, and fall back out instead of staying scored. After OCR, we added an anti-backspin roller to reduce the spin on the ball and make shots more likely to stay in the Hub

The shooter required tuning around wheel speed, ball compression, shot angle, distance, spin, and service access. Late-season testing included shooter pulsing, fender shots, non-fender shots, vision-assisted alignment, and improvements to shot consistency after the backspin issue was identified

Ascent's intake system changed during the season. At Orange County Regional, the robot did not have a deployable ground intake, which limited how quickly and consistently we could collect Cargo from the floor

Between OCR and AVR, we redesigned the intake into a slapdown ground intake with a spring-deploy and winch-retract mechanism. This allowed the robot to extend the intake for floor pickup and retract it safely inside the frame perimeter. It was one of the team's first major deployable intake systems and helped make the robot more useful during teleoperated Cargo cycles

The robot was designed to hold 2 Cargo at once, which matched Rapid React's robot possession limit and allowed the drive team to reduce the number of trips needed between collection and scoring

Ascent's climber changed significantly between events. The first version was built around a passive High Rung climb concept. The robot used telescoping spring-extend and winch-retract arms to reach the Low Rung, while passive High Rung hooks were intended to catch the High Rung during the climbing motion

The passive High Rung hooks were spring powered and deployed by small servo linear actuators that released retaining pins. In theory, the telescoping hooks would climb to the Low Rung first, then the passive hook bar would catch the High Rung as the robot rotated through the climb

After Orange County Regional, we moved toward a powered pivoting Traversal Rung climb so the robot could attempt the highest-value climb in the game. The upgraded climb reused the same telescoping tubes but changed the hook geometry and added a powered pivoting hook system

The Traversal climb sequence started by grabbing the Low Rung with the telescoping tubes. A newly added pivoting hook, powered by two NEO motors through a 100:1 reduction, then grabbed the Low Rung and rotated the entire robot forward. Once the robot rotated forward, the telescoping tubes extended again to reach the next rung. Repeating that sequence allowed the robot to work its way toward the Traversal Rung

The climber was one of the most difficult parts of the robot because it had to lift the full robot weight, remain compact during the match, deploy reliably, and interact with the Hangar rungs consistently. The design used custom climber plates, pivoting hook components, MaxPlanetary mounting plates, winches, springs, servo-actuated pin releases, and support structure

The robot included custom electrical mounting plates and a battery mount integrated into the robot packaging. During the season, the team worked through CAN reliability, sensor mounting, camera mounting, vision testing, autonomous climbing, and driver controls

A major part of Ascent was coordinating the robot as a complete system instead of designing each mechanism separately. I CADed the entire robot in SolidWorks, which let me package the shooter, intake, indexer, climber, drivetrain, electronics, and battery into one integrated assembly before final fabrication

I also coordinated subsystem assignments across the team, making sure students had clear ownership over prototyping, CAD, fabrication, electrical wiring, assembly, and software support. This included getting prototype parts fabricated, releasing final parts for fabrication, tracking what still needed to be built, and helping keep the robot moving from design into assembly

Because the robot had several moving mechanisms, I worked with the software team to define what each subsystem needed to do. This included shooter behavior, intake deployment and retraction, Cargo handling, climb sequencing, driver controls, sensor needs, and vision alignment goals

Ascent had to be repairable at competition, so service access became a major design consideration. The main electrical board was packaged under the shooter, which made the electronics difficult to reach if the shooter was fixed in place. To solve this, the shooter assembly pivoted upward like a car hood, giving the team access to wiring, motor controllers, and the electrical board without removing the full shooter from the robot

This was one of the first times I had to think beyond whether a mechanism worked and also consider whether it could be inspected, repaired, and modified quickly in the pit during an event

The first climb concept used telescoping spring-extend and winch-retract arms to reach the Low Rung, while spring-powered passive hooks were intended to catch the High Rung. The passive hooks were deployed by small servo linear actuators that released retaining pins

After OCR, we upgraded to a powered pivoting Traversal Rung climb. The upgraded version reused the same telescoping tubes but changed the hook geometry and added a powered pivoting hook driven by two NEO motors through a 100:1 reduction

The climb sequence was designed to work rung by rung. The telescoping tubes first grabbed the Low Rung, then the powered pivoting hook grabbed the same rung and rotated the entire robot forward. Once the robot rotated forward, the telescoping tubes extended to reach the next rung. Repeating that motion allowed the robot to progress toward the Traversal Rung

Testing focused on making each subsystem reliable enough for competition, then improving the robot between events based on real match performance. Shooter testing included flywheel speed, ball compression, shot distance, backspin, fender shots, non-fender shots, and vision-assisted alignment

Intake testing focused on deployment, retraction, frame perimeter clearance, Cargo acquisition, and handoff into the robot. Climber testing focused on hook engagement, winch routing, spring force, powered pivot motion, and whether the robot could safely move from rung to rung under load

The biggest validation step came after Orange County Regional, when match performance showed where the robot needed to improve. Those results led directly to the anti-backspin shooter roller, the spring-deploy winch-retract intake, and the powered Traversal climb upgrade

Between Orange County Regional and Aerospace Valley Regional, Ascent went through major mechanical upgrades based on what we learned from our first event. The robot started the season without a deployable ground intake, which limited how quickly and consistently we could collect Cargo from the floor. After OCR, we redesigned the intake into a spring-deploy, winch-retract mechanism so the robot could extend to pick up Cargo and retract safely inside the frame perimeter

We also changed the climb from a passive High Rung climb concept to a powered pivoting Traversal Rung climb. The passive climb used spring-powered hooks released by small servo linear actuators, but the geometry was difficult to make reliable. The powered version reused the telescoping tubes, added new hook geometry, and used a pivoting hook driven by two NEO motors through a 100:1 reduction to rotate the robot through the climb sequence

The shooter also changed after OCR. We noticed that excessive backspin was causing some Upper Hub shots to roll up and out after contacting the back wall of the Hub. To fix this, we added an anti-backspin roller that reduced spin on the Cargo and improved shot consistency

These changes reflected one of the biggest parts of the season: continuous improvement. Instead of treating the first-event robot as finished, we used match performance, driver feedback, and mechanical issues to guide upgrades before AVR

A large portion of Ascent was custom fabricated. The fabrication list included aluminum Cargo plates, steel flywheel masses, electrical board supports, climber plates, pivoting climber hooks, intake side plates, intake links, winch plates, and gearbox plates

This project gave me more experience turning CAD into real manufactured parts. It required thinking through material choice, part thickness, bearing fits, CNC router constraints, part naming, service access, and how each fabricated part would be assembled on the robot