The Morning Of…
The day kicked off with donuts and buzz as the livestream played. When the animation dropped—catch it here—the room lit up with scribbles: “claw or rollers? elevator or arm?” Bryant and Jeff called to say they’d snagged the Kit‑of‑Parts, complete with PVC coral and green algae balls. Ideas started flying and our CAD team got to work.
What’s Reefscape All About?
Game Pieces
- Coral: PVC cylinders scored on four reef levels during Teleop—Trough (L1) = 2 pts; Level 2 = 3 pts; Level 3 = 4 pts; Level 4 = 5 pts.
- Algae Balls: 16″ green balls scored into the processor (6 pts) or into the barge (4 pts).
- Cages & Park: Teleop endgame scoring: climb the shallow cage = 6 pts; climb the deep cage = 12 pts; park in the barge zone = 2 pts.
Field & Strategy
Robots will cluster around the reef, ramp up Coral cycles, then sprint to the barge for endgame plays—parking or cage climbs. Don’t overlook the 15‑second Autonomous: we expect alliances to pre-score Coral and position for Teleop, swinging match momentum by up to 20 pts. Very high-level play might dedicate one bot to algae barge feeds while the others handle Coral. On Chief Delphi, debates already rage: rapid low‑reef cycles versus splashy algae sprees.
Lessons from 2024 & Eyeing 2025
| 2024 Milestone | Notes |
|---|---|
| Smoky Mountains Regional | Judges’ Award, #16 seed, 8–7–0—tiny mecanum bot, huge impact. |
| St. Louis Regional | Mid‑pack finish (5‑6‑1), but refined drive-team grit. |
| RiverBOaT Rumble | Alliance champions (8‑4); confidence booster. |
Our 2024 robot was a marvel—mecanum drive, single intake/shooter, extremely high mechanical reliability. We ran one mechanism with one pivot and two rollers, which let us polish every detail—but also led to a mechanical ceiling. In 2025, we’re raising the bar with scope and scale.
2025 Plans — Ambitious Plans
- Swerve Drive: fast, agile, ready to weave through reef traffic.
- Multiple Subsystems: elevators, arms, climbers—whatever the game demands.
- Vision? Still a stretch goal for this year—mechanicals rule the day.
- Expanded Crew: Trigg County joins in—three counties’ worth of builders and brainstormers means faster iteration.
Thanks to Our Supporters
- KY NASA Space Grant Consortium — powering our journey.
- Murray State University — shop space, tools, and always pizza during crunch time.
- Argosy Foundation — 2024’s critical rebuild support.
Next Moves
Week 1 = rule breakdown, intake prototyping, wild CAD sprints. Our season kicks off at the Rocket City Regional in Huntsville, AL. We are full steam ahead; Reefscape is our element now!
Let’s make some waves—GO ROBO RACERS! 🐠🤖🌊