McKenzie Kil-A-Bytes

2008 Season

The Kil-a-Bytes got off to a quick start in FIRST Overdrive, aggressively shortening the timetables that have been used in past years to help ensure that a finalized robot is completed with more than two hours to spare. New weekly design review meetings with team leaders and mentors have helped facilitate the acceleration of our build season. Innovating by combining some ideas from previous robots and new features and functions, our robot is shaping out to be a major player in this year's competition.

As the competition season continues, the team's build season hopes are turning into reality. So far, the team has attended two regionals and won both. The robot is considered to have one of the top autonomous codes in the nation, and brought home the Motorola Quality Award from the Midwest Regional and the Imagery Award from the Boilermaker Regional. The robot will continue to impress as we move to the Buckeye Regional and the Championship Event!

Robot Features

Our robot this year sports a sleek and efficient design that will allow us to be quick and functional. A 6-wheel drive and a low center of gravity will keep our robot among the fastest on the field. A tubular structure will save us weight and money and help keep our center of gravity low: because we can bend our tubes in-house, we save the price that would be required to have it fabricated externally. Six solenoids power our shooter, which has been designed to shoot automatically on the run, allowing our drivers to have less to worry about. Introducing a new generation of R.A.L.F.F. will allow our robot to run the track in hybrid mode and adjust to anything that may cause it to deviate from its path. A large LED display on the rear of our robot will provide our drivers with feedback on the robot's status.

Award Submissions

These innovations, among others, will help our robot perform efficiently on the field. To read more about these innovations, visit our awards page, where you can learn more specifics about our control structure, fabrication methods, and more! So far, the team has won a Motorola Quality Award (Midwest Regional) and the imagery award (Boilermaker Regional), with aspirations to continue taking home the trophies in the upcoming events!

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