As the 2021 FRC season got underway last month, members of our team were excited to return to our shop to get to work on the impending Infinite Recharge at Home challenge, redesigning and retuning portions of our 2020 robot, Artemis, all while taking proper pandemic precautions, of course. Though we were able to hold some 1-on-1 training sessions during our fall season, we had not been able to return to campus in a meaningful capacity this season.
Several team members return to the shop
We able to interview two of our team leaders about our on campus activities:
"Being back in the shop and kicking off build season has been a great experience so far. Sure, it’s a lot quieter and I certainly miss the intense energy we had on late nights with the room packed and bustling with students, but we are still coming in with a focused, positive attitude and are excited to have the opportunity to work in person! We are currently working on a big manufacturing push for the redesign of our new intake, and have removed the climbers from both of our robots, prepared new omni wheels, and reorganized after our shop hiatus, putting back the materials from our various training kits. We also just got some rollers fresh off the 3D printer, so we’ll begin transitioning to assembly as we continue to make parts and hope to get at least one rookie student helping out per night."
- Izzy Polsfuss, Build Department Head
"I was thrilled the day I heard we were allowed to return back into the shop. While our team has been hard at work remaining productive and facilitating team bonding over zoom, getting to physically interact with the robot and work directly with others reminded me exactly why I’m a W.A.R. Lord. Getting to see the genuine excitement and curiosity of each teammate as we started working on the machines, retuning our old subsystems, and designing new components makes me eager for the rest of the season. The environment certainly isn’t the same; the shop feels a bit empty and our time together is incredibly limited, but overall I’m so grateful for the safety measures we’ve been able to put into place to ensure a safe return back into the shop."
- Ian Lillie, Director of Electrical
For more information about our health and safety measures, please view our updated safety protocols.
Written by Luca Bonanno