BioBuzz Robot In 2 Days

By Fernando, Nalin, Pavit, Octavio, Olivia, and Owen

Our “Robot in 2 Days” (Ri2D) experiment kicked off immediately after the game reveal as part of Iron Reign’s tradition of rapid prototyping to better understand each season’s challenges. Building off last season’s flywheel experiments, our team chose to prototype a catapult system because of its feasibility and its ability to shoot both nectar and pollen simultaneously. Our prototype used a GoBilda strafer chassis as the foundation. Additionally, it consisted of a simple cardboard bucket launcher with Rev grip wheels for intake.

With that said, we encountered several challenges through our build cycle. First, the intake’s large wheels struggled to grab pollen near the perimeter walls and caused the robot to vibrate a lot. When we tested out the shooter, pollen frequently undershot the goal, so we added an overhead axle. The pollen also struggled to stay in the cardboard bucket used for the catapult, so we added an adjustable ramp and some more cardboard on the side.

When trying to control the catapult, we initially used surgical tubing to provide tension, but it snapped quickly. We realized the system needed much more tension than we expected. Ultimately, we switched to several sets of heavier-duty bungee cords.

All out setbacks highlighted the critical need for a rigid chassis, better internal space management, and an intermediary reservoir to hold elements before loading.

For a full report, watch our Robot in 2 Days video. Stay tuned to our website to see our progress throughout the BioBuzz season!