FIRST Robotics Competition Blog

A few months ago, we shared a blog announcing that we were expanding the Kit of Parts to include a base robot specific to CRESCENDO^SM presented by Haas. We are sharing more details to help teams make decisions before the Black Tote and Drive Base opt-out deadline (Oct. 19^th 12pm noon ET).

This base robot will be called the KitBot. The KitBot is designed to be able to play some aspects of CRESCENDO, but not all. It’s also been designed so teams can build the KitBot and then further iterate on it to add additional features if they choose. Teams will still need basic power tools (drills, saws, etc.) in order to build this robot.

The KitBot is one component of the Kickoff Kit, and some of the materials needed to build the KitBot come in the Black Tote, Drive Base Kit, and Gray Tote (for rookies). The Gray Tote provides the electronics that teams need for the KitBot (veteran teams should have these components from previous seasons), and the Black Tote provides additional components. While the KitBot design could likely be adapted to any drive base, it is designed and documented using the Drive Base Kit, so teams looking for the smoothest experience should not opt out of the Drive Base Kit. Additional items that can be found in local hardware stores will need to be sourced for the robot. A shopping list will be made available closer to Kickoff.

KitBot documentation will be available to all teams, and many of the items from the Black Tote that are used to build the KitBot are components that Veteran teams likely already have on hand or can easily replicate. So, veteran teams should not consider the KitBot a significant factor in their Black Tote opt-out decision. We don't want you to opt into the Black Tote for the KitBot, then be disappointed that you would have rather received the voucher.

We are developing a number of resources to help teams building the KitBot. These resources will all be available online so even teams who choose not to build the KitBot will have access to review and learn from them. Resources we plan to make available include:

• Build instructions for the KitBot with photos.
• Basic code to operate the KitBot as designed in LabVIEW, Java, C++, and Python.
  • Software guide for each language exploring the code and possible controls modifications.
• CAD drawings of the KitBot.
• A guide to describe the process of adding or improving the functionality of the KitBot.
• Assembly Videos.
• And hopefully a few more!

We’re so excited for teams to use the KitBot and can’t wait to see its impact on FIRST^® Robotics Competition!