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Weeks 1-2: Problem and Strategy

Dates: Sept 12 - Sept 25

These first two weeks are about understanding the challenge before the team commits to major design decisions. Students should leave this phase knowing what the robot needs to do and why.

EDP Stages

  • Define the Problem
  • Research and Gather Information
  • Specify Requirements
  • Brainstorm and Generate Ideas
  • Evaluate and Select Solutions

What Students Should Do

  • Read the game manual and watch the game reveal video
  • Break down scoring options, match flow, and field constraints
  • Write a clear problem statement for the robot
  • List robot requirements and constraints
  • Compare several strategy paths before selecting one
  • Sketch or CAD initial drivetrain and mechanism concepts
  • Begin chassis and drivetrain planning or assembly

What This Looks Like in a Team Meeting

  • Watch game clips and pause to discuss scoring opportunities
  • Build a simple chart of high-value and low-risk scoring options
  • Split into small groups to sketch robot ideas
  • Compare ideas as a team before choosing a direction
  • Assign who will own strategy notes, CAD, and early build tasks

Suggested Student Outputs

  • A short problem statement
  • A scoring priority chart or game analysis matrix
  • A first list of robot requirements and constraints
  • At least 2-3 mechanism ideas with trade-offs
  • A simple decision matrix for selecting a design direction

By the End of Week 2, Students Should Be Able To Say

  • We know what our robot must do first.
  • We know what design ideas we rejected and why.
  • We have a clear first direction for the robot.
  • We are ready to prototype with purpose instead of guessing.

Student Learning Focus

  • Learn that strategy comes before mechanism choice
  • Practice turning a vague challenge into a clear engineering problem
  • Learn how to compare ideas using criteria instead of opinions alone

Good Weekly Questions

  • What problem are we actually solving?
  • What points matter most for our team capacity?
  • What must our robot do, and what is optional?
  • Which design idea gives us the best balance of simplicity, scoring, and build time?

Quick Team Checklist

  • We read the rules that matter to our robot design.
  • We listed key constraints like size, time, and complexity.
  • We compared multiple ideas before picking one.
  • We wrote down our chosen strategy.

Optional Mini Activity

Run a short warm-up challenge such as the XRP launcher or bridge challenge so students can practice the EDP on a smaller problem before applying it to the season game.