https://www.ubcthunderbots.ca/
Amount of funding awarded
11400
Budget Report
View budget report.
How the program has supported you
Support from PAF has allowed UBC Thunderbots to develop, prototype, and test a new fleet of robots in the 2021-22 year for the RoboCup 2022 competition. We made substantial improvements to our mechanical and electrical systems by redesigning them from the ground up due to the need for innovations. Financial support from PAF funding allowed us to purchase:
– Prototyping materials such as metals and plastics for our chassis, and subsystems and composite materials
– PCBs, test equipment, computers, and electronic circuit components for the electrical system of our robots
– Professional machining and assembly of some complex components
– Registration passes for the RoboCup 2022 competition
With continued PAF funding, we are confident our team will be able to successfully improve our new fleet of robots to compete against international talent in the complex and dynamic test environment at RoboCup 2023, where we hope to repeat our first-place finish from RoboCup 2019.
Outcomes
This year marked a major milestone in Thunderbots’ history – we successfully completed a complete redesign of our robot fleet, allowing us to represent UBC and North America in the international RoboCup 2022 competition. The x new robots we designed, built, and tested over the year allowed our members to hone their skills in solving unique, multidisciplinary problems. Our mechanical team gained CAD experience with Solidworks, as well as hands-on prototyping and manufacturing. Our electrical team worked on PCB design using Altium, firmware development, and hardware troubleshooting. The software team wrote simulation software, implemented robot AI strategy, and applied it in-person at competition. Members from all subteams attain teamwork, communication, and teaching skills by working in a diverse group of engineers from various departments and academic year levels. Finally, being able to compete at RoboCup was invaluable for our members to make international connections within the robotics community.
