Robots
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One robot per season since 2020. Click a card: it grows into the robot's page with subsystem tabs, callouts on the render, tradeoffs and iterations.
2025-26 · Decode
Decode robot
Four swerve pods, a three-artifact intake and a turreted flywheel that fires only at target RPM.
1500+ Build hours
3 Robots iterated
90% Consistent shots
96% Alignment accuracy
Four coaxial swerve pods give omnidirectional control with independent steering on every wheel.
- 1 Steering axis
An Axon Mini MK+ servo turns the pod through 270 degrees.
- 2 Bevel gears
The drive motor turns the wheel through a bevel pair inside the pod.
- 3 Drive motor
One motor per wheel. Four motors and four servos in total.
- 4 Wheel
Grip tape on the tread for traction. Plates and tensioners stop slip.
- Four coaxial swerve pods. One motor and one servo per wheel, each steering independently.
- Axon Mini MK+ servos: 270 degree range and 12 ms response.
- Footprint 11 in x 13.7 in leaves room for the intake and turret. Grip tape adds traction.
- Turning radius 10 in. Heading error ±2 degrees of 500.
- The first design slipped. Two plates and tensioners fixed it.
Drivetrain type
| Option | Traction | Pushing power | Maneuverability | Power draw | Motor count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coaxial swerve Chosen Omnidirectional with independent steering. | strong | strong | strong | not stated | strong |
| Mecanum Low traction and low pushing power. | weak | weak | not stated | not stated | not stated |
| Six wheel Power draw, maneuverability and the motor limit of 8. | not stated | not stated | weak | weak | weak |
A surgical tubing roller feeds a single channel that holds exactly three artifacts.
- 1 Tubing roller
Surgical tubing fingers pull artifacts into the channel.
- 2 Bevel gear drive
Each motor drives through a bevel gear to keep the intake short.
- 3 Channel
One ball wide. Artifacts queue left to right.
- 4 Ramp
Mounts to the frame so the module swaps without a rebuild.
- Surgical tubing roller with a single ball channel. Holds exactly three artifacts.
- Bevel gear drive on each motor to save space.
- Ramp mounts to the frame for modularity.
- Anti-jam: artifacts self-arrange left to right and move one at a time to the transfer.
Intake type
| Option | Fits the size limit | Holds three | Jam resistance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surgical tubing roller Chosen Spans the front. Artifacts self-arrange. | strong | strong | strong |
| Drop-down roller Exceeded 18 x 18 in. Scrapped. | weak | not stated | not stated |
| Wheel intake Considered. | not stated | not stated | not stated |
| Rubber band intake Considered. | not stated | not stated | not stated |
A single flywheel on two belted 6000 RPM motors, a servo hood and a turret that rotates 270 degrees.
- 1 Flywheel
One wheel, two motors, one belt.
- 2 Inertial disk
Metal disks keep the wheel speed up between the three shots.
- 3 Belt drive
Both 6000 RPM motors drive the flywheel through one belt.
- 4 Hood
A servo sets the release angle through herringbone gears.
- Single flywheel driven by two 6000 RPM motors on a belt.
- Metal inertial disks (I about 5400 g cm^2) hold RPM between shots.
- Servo controlled hood sets the release angle. Herringbone gears drive it.
- Turret rotates 270 degrees on two geared servos.
- Fires only at target RPM, then shoots all three quickly. 90% consistent shots.
Flywheel layout
| Option | Simplicity | Shot consistency |
|---|---|---|
| Single flywheel Chosen 90% consistent shots with inertial disks. | strong | strong |
| Dual flywheel Considered. | weak | not stated |
Staging
| Option | Simplicity | Shot consistency |
|---|---|---|
| Passive staging Chosen Artifacts queue on their own and fire in quick succession. | strong | strong |
| Active indexing Considered. | weak | not stated |
Auto-aim from odometry and Limelight AprilTags, a quadratic distance to RPM model and a state machine autonomous.
- 1 AprilTag
Tags 20 and 24 on the goal give the turret its offset.
- 2 Crosshair
Odometry aims first. The tag corrects the last few degrees.
- Turret auto-aim from odometry plus a Limelight AprilTag offset (tags 20 and 24). 96% alignment accuracy.
- Quadratic distance to RPM model. 92% shot accuracy with about 40 ticks per second of error.
- The hood retracts or extends against RPM error.
- PID to point lands within ±5 in of 100.
- Swerve kinematics combine translation and rotation vectors. Robot-centric control.
- Finite state machine autonomous where each step waits for the previous. A virtual gamepad drives the routines.
Iterations
- 01 Hood for release angle
Before Fixed release angle.
After A servo hood sets the angle for each shot.
- 02 Simple roller intake
Before Drop-down roller intake that exceeded 18 x 18 in.
After A simple roller that fits the size limit.
- 03 Inertial disks
Before A slow spin-up ramp took 5 s.
After Inertial disks and aggressive PID bring it to 1.5 s.
- 04 Wider intake
Before A narrow intake.
After The intake spans the full front of the robot.
- 05 Herringbone hood gears
Before Earlier hood drive.
After Herringbone gears drive the hood.
Design process
- Brainstorm
- Onshape CAD
- Structural simulation
- goBILDA parts
- Custom fabricated plates
- 3D printed parts
- Module-specific testing
Tools
- Onshape
- Autodesk Fusion 360
- A360 analysis
- FTC Dashboard
- Desmos
- Limelight
- OpenCV
Season goals
Hardware
- Shoot from anywhere
- Hold ground
- Open the gate while intaking
Outreach
- Hold 5+ events
- Reach 10+ 501(c)(3)s
- Connect with 5+ professionals
Competition
- Learn from 3+ teams
- Score 50+ every match
- Share the community scouting tool
Results
- Jan 17, 2026
Santa Clara QT #1
Santa Clara, California
- Inspire Award 3rd
Alliance captain
- Jan 24, 2026
Folsom QT #1
Folsom, California
- Design Award winner
- Feb 28 to Mar 1, 2026
NorCal Regional Championship, Gold Division
Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, California
Competed