The Programming Team

 

A message from Lee, our Programming group leader:

Programming is responsible for telling the robot what to do, and how to accomplish those tasks. Our group communicates closely with the Mechanical and Electrical groups, so we can determine our physical restrictions. Most of the restrictions on what we do has more to do with the hardware of the robot, than the software.

What we'll make sure to do next year: Make sure we have these USB-->serial converters on-hand. We also need more people in the group. So, we'll probably start teaching some students to code after the build season, so they can work with us next year. Also, CAD skills are especially useful. Not for the award, but for documentation, and even for design. Of the few students who know CAD on our team, only one is using it. I think we should set something up where the students can learn some of the software US FIRST has blessed us with.

Advice for rookies: Make sure you can communicate well with your group-mates. Frequently, there are several ways of doing something. Try to find the way that is most efficient, though. Also, be sure to maintain comunication with the other groups, namely Electrical. Programming is not just about sitting behind a computer screen and punching out code for hours on-end, but another key part to the team.