Safety and Update

Our engineering teacher and mentor, Mr. Bellamy, covered safety with the CyberStingers Gold team today.

Building a robot requires many tools and can be dangerous. To keep everyone safe, we will always follow the rules below.

• Tool Use: DO NOT USE POWER TOOLS when the instructor is not physically present and viewing the work. Only use a tool with appropriate training and approval by the instructor. Students will understand proper device techniques and ask for help using a new tool or when unsure of procedures.
• Hand/Eye protection: Always wear protective glasses when using tools and work gloves if working with sharp edges like metal or plastic.
• Entanglement: Always pull hair back so it does not dangle into the work area; remove or tie off loose clothing, scarves, sleeves, ties, accessories, etc.
• Electric hazards: No water around power tools – stay away from the sink! Be careful that any electrical cords are well out of the way of the cutting edge.
• Body posture: Keep a firm grip on tools, no reaching over a work zone, two hands, if necessary, stabilize tools with the body if possible, and maximize leverage.
• Securing workpieces: use hand clamps, C-clamps, vise grips, or vises; never work holding a workpiece unsupported. Clamp as close to the work region as possible and keep articles secure to prevent the piece from slipping.
• Sharp Edges: Always file sharp edges with a file, rotary, or deburring tool. Note that cut metal edges easily slice the skin and tear clothing.

After discussing safety, we explored our goals for the season and discussed how our team can share STEAM and connect with the community. William began work on a JAVA curriculum to build programming skills for the season. His knowledge will help reach the team goal of increasing their score in the autonomous competition period of the game and help the team use Vuforia for computer vision. Lydia has worked on grants to fund the team. Her contribution will help the team purchase components for improving the quality of our robots, improve available tools in the lab, and provide access to resources for greater outreach. And Braxton continues working on our team plan. His leadership will help to engage all of the team members. By working together and dividing responsibilities the team can accomplish goals in several areas including robotics, portfolio, and outreach.

Coach Bellamy listed several of his goals for the team this season.

• Help the team build a competitive robot early in the season so the team can redesign or iterate on the design to refine the robot for consistency and scoring.
• Help the team plan and participate in outreach monthly and include connections to industry, youth, the school community, and civic organizations.
• Help the team raise funds for continued program improvement and investment in quality lab tools and robotics materials.
• Help several team members build programming skills and program the robot to score competitively in the autonomous period and use vision effectively.
• Help the team organize the lab for efficiency and add specific storage for GoBilda components and tools.

Our team contacted a local manufacturer last week and did not hear back. Mr. Bellamy emailed to follow up and schedule a phone call with a local engineer. Last week an industrial engineer shared her experiences in college and transitioning to a career in engineering. In the past, we had an engineer visit weekly to mentor the students in building the robot. We hope to gain a new mentor soon. Further, the team wants to learn more about engineering through several field trips. We are planning future trips to Check-Mate and the Lewis-Hall Singletary Oncology Center. Other local options may include Flowers Foods and Clever Brooks.

Go CyberStingers!