Phase 2: Prototyping
Introduction
Prototyping is where your robot design moves from concepts on paper to real, working mechanisms. This is the critical phase of robot development - it's where you discover what actually works, what needs improvement, and what ideas should be abandoned.
Prototyping is NOT:
- Building the final robot
- Creating polished, pretty mechanisms
- Spending weeks on perfection
- Getting everything right on the first try
Prototyping IS:
- Building quick, rough mechanisms to test ideas
- Learning what works and what doesn't - FAST
- Iterating rapidly based on real-world testing
- Making data-driven decisions about your robot design
The goal of prototyping is to learn quickly and fail fast. It's better to discover a mechanism doesn't work during prototyping than after you've built it on your competition robot!
Step 1: Inspiration
Start by exploring what's possible. Review common mechanism types and see how other teams have solved similar challenges.
Common Mechanisms – Reference pages for drive bases, intakes, indexers, lifts, shooters, and climbers
Use these examples to spark ideas, but remember to adapt them to your specific game and strategy. Focus on prototyping your highest-priority capabilities from Phase 1.
Step 2: Build
Argos Method of Prototyping - Build quick, rough prototypes using the Argos standard approach:
Step 3: Test
Testing Best Practices Validate your prototype under realistic conditions to get accurate data.
Step 4: Document
Documentation Guide - Capture what you learned so it can inform the final robot design.
Moving Forward
Once you have tested and documented prototypes, you're ready for Phase 3: Execution – building the actual competition robot based on your validated designs.