History

Game - Rebound Rumble

Team Name

Gompei and the H.E.R.D.

Robot Name

N/A

Team Summary

Because this year is ongoing, information will be added as the season progresses.

Competitions to Attend

• WPI Regional (Worcester, MA)
• South Florida Regional (Boca Raton, FL)
• FIRST Championships (St. Louis, MO)

Offseason Competitions to Attend

Because this year is ongoing, information will be added as the season progresses.

Awards

Because this year is ongoing, information will be added as the season progresses.

Game - LogoMotion

Team Name

Gompei and the H.E.R.D.

Robot Name

Gompesaurus Rex

Team Summary

Our motto for this year was "innovatively competitive" and we certainly had a plethora of excellent designs supporting that theme. We had a drive train that could quickly be switched between matches from a 6-wheel drop center to a 6-wheel in-line with omni wheels in the back. The latter format moved the axis of rotation to the front of the robot making it easier to adjust when hanging tubes. To manipulate tubes we built a two-stage elevator and a roller claw. The elevator was assisted by a constant force spring that rendered it "weightless." The roller claw used wheels to pull in tubes and poly-cord to rotate them once stowed. The jaws of the claw itself would separate when a tube was entering, but would snap shut due to elastic binding once the tube was enclosed. The roller wheels ran so quickly that any tube was ours if it so much as grazed the device. To prevent tube popping, a trigger was positioned at the back of the claw so that the robot would know when a tube was fully secured and automatically turn of the roller wheels. What made 2k11 really successful was the mini-bot and deployment system. Two alignment wings would swing down to align the robot with the tower quickly and correctly followed by a curved metal ramp that meshed neatly with the pole and formed a continuous track for the mini-bot to travel on. A system of pins and springs was set off that activated the trigger on our mini-bot as it accelerated on the horizontal, transitioned to the tower, and rocketed to the top in as few as 1.2 seconds. The mini-bot itself clung to the pole magnetically and weighed so little that the bulk of it was just the battery. The mini-bot and deployment were so successful that other teams actually copied the designs after our first competition.

Competitions Attended

• WPI Regional (Worcester, MA)
• Washington D.C. Regional (Washington D.C.)
• FIRST Championships (St. Louis, MO)

Offseason Competitions Attended

• BattleCry@WPI 12
• Mainly Spirit
• Bash at the Beach
• River Rage

Awards

• Johnson & Johnson Gracious Professionalism, WPI Regional
• Rockwell Automation Innovation in Control Award, Washington D.C. Regional

Game - Breakaway

Team Name

Gompei and the H.E.R.D.

Robot Name

Gompinator

Team Summary

In 2010, Team 190 set out to build a daring robot that would primarily play the game from the middle and far zones as a passing and defensive robot. For this task, the team selected a mecanum driveline, which utilizes special wheels to allow the robot to translate and rotate independently, providing ultimate mobility. Mecanum systems are not known for their ability to operate on rough terrain, so to combat this, the team devised a disk brake mechanism that would allow the special wheels to behave as standard traction wheels on command. A kicker powered by surgical tubing and armed with a ratchet and clutch system allowed the robot to pass balls across the full field length, clearing out the opponent’s zone and feeding our partners. The design also originally included a hanging system, but weight restrictions prevented the system from being installed.

Competitions Attended

• WPI Regional (Worcester, MA)
• Los Angeles Regional (Los Angeles, CA)
• FIRST Championships (Atlanta, GA)

Offseason Competitions Attended

• BattleCry@WPI 11
• Bash at the Beach
• River Rage

Awards

• Coopertition Award, Los Angeles Regional
• Delphi Excellence in Engineering Award, Los Angeles Regional

Game - Lunacy

Team Name

Gompei and the H.E.R.D.

Robot Name

Cobra-Goat

Team Summary

With mobility being a huge limiting factor in the game, the robot devised by Team 190 this year had a swerve-drive platform that allowed the robot to rotate the wheels and drive in any direction. The system also implemented free rolling; a system of sensor augmented follower wheels to enable a sophisticated traction control program, which ensuring maximum maneuverability. The robot also had a wide, belt-driven pathway for Moon Rocks to be picked up off the floor and stored, and could hold up to 17 Moon Rocks at a time. Moon Rocks stored in the robot could be expelled rapidly into an opponent’s trailer at short range. The entire storage path could be emptied in 3 seconds, allow for “hit-and-run” attacks, allowing the team to capitalize on the limited scoring opportunities. The shape of the pathway and the robot’s ability to strike quickly gave rise to the robot’s name, the Cobra-Goat. A camera mounted on top of the robot was able to track targets on the opposing goals, allow the Cobra-Goat to line up and score during the 15 second autonomous mode at the start of the match.

Competitions Attended

• Boston Regional (Boston, MA)
• Annapolis Regional (Annapolis, MD)
• FIRST Championships (Atlanta, GA)

Offseason Competitions Attended

• BattleCry@WPI 10
• Bash at the Beach
• River Rage

Awards

• GM Industrial Design Award, Boston Regional
• Johnson & Johnson Gracious Professionalism Award, Annapolis Regional

Game - Overdrive

Team Name

Gompei and the H.E.R.D.

Robot Name

El Chupacabra Goat

Team Summary

In response to this year's challenge, 190 built El Chupacabra Goat. In looking for the most exciting angle on the game, the team had decided that driving around the field was too mundane. Instead, the robot planted itself in the middle and extended a 12-foot telescoping tower and infinitely rotatable arm. The objective was to carry the track ball around the field as many times as possible as quickly as possible. The robot utilized Man-Bear-Pig drive, a unique 5-wheel arrangement. The right-hand side of the drivetrain had friction wheels; the left-hand had two omni-wheels and a rolling pin of doom (rPod.) When the match began, El Chupacabra Goat deployed its rPod to lift the friction wheels clear of the carpet and trundle into place in the center. Once locked in position, El Chupacabra used a powerful (50 pounds of force) suction cup to lift the ball. The arm swung around, custom built slip rings allowing electrical contact through the full 360 degrees of rotation. Unfortunately, El Chupacabra Goat was declared illegal before championships. The team had taken a great risk in building it, fully living up to the vision of 2008, "competitively innovative."

Competitions Attended

• BAE Systems Granite State Regional (Manchester, NH)
• Silicon Valley Regional (San Jose, CA)
• FIRST Championships (Atlanta, GA)

Offseason Competitions Attended

• BattleCry@WPI 9
• Bash at the Beach
• River Rage

Awards

• Xerox Creativity Award, Silicon Valley Regional
• Rockwell Automation Innovation in Control Award, Granite State Regional

Game - Rack 'n Roll

Team Name

Gompei and the H.E.R.D.

Robot Name

Goatdactyl

Team Summary

Due to the large amount of points available for robots being raised above the carpet (15 points for 4 inches and 30 points for 12 inches), the team set out to create the robot with the best lifting mechanism in FIRST, while not sacrificing the ability to score tubes. The six-wheel drive-train supported the two massive wings, one on each side of the robot. At the end of the match, the wings would slowly fall to the floor, extending out to an eight-foot wingspan. Once an alliance robot had driven up the wing, a specialized anti-roll-back device would ensure the robot was at least four inches above the ground. Finally, upon reaching the top of the ramp, the partner robots would be lifted a foot into the air by three pneumatic pistons stored on the underside of the wing. In addition to all of this, the Goatdactyl was also quipped with a super light elevator and gripper, designed to grasp tubes from the ground and deliver them to any scoring peg on the rack.

Competitions Attended

• BAE Systems Granite State Regional (Manchester, NH)
• Silicon Valley Regional (San Jose, CA)
• FIRST Championships (Atlanta, GA)

Offseason Competitions Attended

• BattleCry@WPI 8
• Mayhem in the Merrimack
• Bash at the Beach
• River Rage

Awards

• Regional Chairman's Award, BAE Systems Granite State Regional
• Regional Champions with 1516 and 1280, Silicon Valley Regional
• Motorola Quality Award, Silicon Valley Regional
• Newton Division Winner with 177 and 987, FIRST Championships
• FIRST World Champions with 177 and 987, FIRST Championships
• Engineering Excellence Award, BattleCry@WPI 8
• "All That and a Bag of Chips" Award, Mayhem in the Merrimack
• Finalist with 40 and 131, River Rage

Game - Aim High

Team Name

Gompei and the H.E.R.D.

Robot Name

Plastic Fantastic

Team Summary

Team 190's 2006 robot used an impressive array of sensors to improve its autonomous ability. Mechanisms sorted the balls collected by two rollers into a revolving 6-column storage container. Each column could hold only three balls, so they had to turn when one column was full. Banner (beam-break) sensors monitored the balls in each compartment so they would never become jammed. This aided the team immensely because one of the main problems in 2006 was poorly managed balls becoming jammed. At that point they rotated to ensure that a column with balls was always in position above the shooter. That allowed a smooth transition to the flywheel-fed launcher on a rotating turret. A camera on the turret monitored the position of the green vision target while the turret turned in response to keep the goal constantly in sight.

Competitions Attended

• BAE Systems Granite State Regional (Manchester, NH)
• Florida Regional (Orlando, FL)
• FIRST Championships (Atlanta, GA)

Offseason Competitions Attended

• BattleCry@WPI 7
• Bash at the Beach
• River Rage

Awards

• General Motors Industrial Design Award, Florida Regional
• Regional Chairman's Award, BAE Systems Granite State Regional

Game - Triple Play

Team Name

Gompei and the H.E.R.D.

Robot Name

Gompei, the Burninator

Team Summary

Team 190's objective for this year was to win a design award at every regional event attended, which it was successful at, winning the Delphi Driving Tomorrow's Technology award at both the Granite State and the Long Island regionals. Of the many devices that contributed to the team objective, Team 190's homemade Mecanum wheels were the most impressive. Teeam 190 was one of the first teams to use Mecanum wheels, along with Team 347 and Team 1000.

Competitions Attended

• BAE Systems Granite State Regional (Manchester, NH)
• SBPLI Long Island Regional (Hempstead, NY)
• FIRST Championships (Atlanta, GA)

Offseason Competitions Attended

• BattleCry@WPI 6
• Mayhem in the Merrimack
• Bash at the Beach
• River Rage

Awards

• Delphi "Driving Tomorrow's Technology" Award, BASE Systems Granite State Regional
• Delphi "Driving Tomorrow's Technology" Award, SBPLI Long Island Regional

Game - FIRST Frenzy: Raising the Bar

Team Name

Gompei and the H.E.R.D.

Robot Name

Unknown

Team Summary

WPI ingenuity and Mass Academy driver participation spawned 2k4, a robot specially designed for one purpose: to win. It has a strong autonomous mode that generally allows it to latch and pull itself up on a bar. If that is not enough, the S.O.D.s on the side prevent opponents from hanging alongside 2k4.

Competitions Attended

• BAE Systems Granite State Regional (Manchester, NH)
• Arizona Regional (Phoenix, AZ)
• FIRST Championships (Atlanta, GA)

Offseason Competitions Attended

• Beantown Blitz
• Canada Wonderland
• Mayhem at the Merrimack
• BattleCry@WPI 5
• Indiana Robotics Invitational (IRI)
• River Rage
• Bash at the Beach

Awards

• Engineering Inspiration Award, BAE Systems Granite State Regional
• Xerox Creativity Award, Arizona Regional
• Xerox Creativity Award, FIRST Championships

Unofficial and Offseason Awards

• Team 839 Best Painted Shipping Crate Award, BAE Systems Granite State Regional
• Team 839 Most Consistent Robot Award, BAE Systems Granite State Regional
• Team 60 Hang Ten Award, Arizona Regional
• Team 22 Best Autonomous Program, FIRST Championships
• Team 60 Free Wheelin' Award, FIRST Championships
• Team 176 Thinking Outside the Box Award, FIRST Championships
• Team 279 The Wow Factor Award, FIRST Championships
• Team 1006 Most Innovative Design, FIRST Championships
• Team 1188 Best Autonomous Mode, FIRST Championships
• Fastest Hanging Robot, Canada Wonderland
• Best Autonomous Award, Canada Wonderland
• Finalist, Mayhem on the Merrimack
• Team 571 Creative Design Award, BattleCry@WPI 5
• 5 Year Veteran, BattleCry@WPI 5
• Thanks for the Memories, IRI (awarded to Heather Senecal)
• Leadership in Controls Award, IRI
• President's Award, IRI

Game - Stack Attack

Team Name

Gompei and the H.E.R.D.

Robot Name

Unknown

Team Summary

N/A

Competitions Attended

• BAE Systems Granite State Regional (Manchester, NH)
• Pacific Northwest Regional (Seattle, WA)
• National Championships (Houston, TX)

Offseason Competitions Attended

• Rally in the Valley
• Mayhem in the Merrimack
• BattleCry@WPI 4
• Maryland State Fair
• River Rage
• Bash at the Beach

Awards

• Leadership in Control Award, BAE Systems Granite State Regional
• Delphi "Driving Tomorrow's Technology" Award, Pacific Northwest Regional
• Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Entrepreneurship
• Leadership in Control Award, National Championships

Unofficial or Offseason Awards

• Team 811 Best Use of Lexan Award, BAE Granite State Regional
• Best Autonomous, Rally in the Valley
• Dominating Defense, BattleCry@WPI 4
• Expert Binmanship, BattleCry@WPI 4
• Engineering Award, Maryland State Fair

Game - Zone Zeal

Team Name

Gompei and the H.E.R.D.

Robot Name

BatGoat

Team Summary

N/A

Competitions Attended

• NASA Langley / VCU Regional (Richmond, VA)
• Silicon Valley Regional (San Jose, CA)
• National Championships (Disney World, FL)

Offseason Competitions Attended

• Rally in the Valley
• Mayhem in the Merrimack
• BattleCry@WPI 3
• Maryland State Fair
• River Rage
• Bash at the Beach

Awards

• Regional Quarter-Finalist, NASA/Langley VCU Regional
• Judges Award, NASA/Langley VCU Regional
• Regional Quarter-Finalist, Silicon Valley Regional
• Best Built Award, Silicon Valley Regional
• Quarter-Finalist, National Championships
• Judges Award, National Championships

Unofficial or Offseason Awards

• 1st Place, Rally in the Valley
• Power and Precision Award, Rally in the Valley
• 1st Place, BattleCry@WPI 3
• Engineering Award, Maryland State Fair
• 1st Place, River Rage
• Finalist, Bash at the Beach
• Coolest Trick, Bash at the Beach
• Most Futuristic Design, Bash at the Beach

Game - Diabolic Dynamics

Team Name

Gompei and the H.E.R.D.

Robot Name

Gompei2k1 a.k.a. SpiderGoat

Team Summary

Gompei2k1 was another successful robot for the team. Continuing their miniFIRST tradition, the team kicked off the year with an excited group of participants ready to face this year"s challenge. Brainstorming all sorts of game-play ideas, the team opted to pick up balls as our main strategy. Dubbing Gompei2k1 as the "SpiderGoat" for its initial ability to climb over the dividing bar, the team headed to the New England Regional. Realizing we were one of the fastest in the bunch, the team opted to replace the spider legs with a multitasking bridge balancer and resetter. This probed to be the answer as Gompei2k1 took home gold along with the Motorola Quality Award from the Long Island Regional. At Nationals, the team was a division quarterfinalist. In off-season competition, Gompei2k1 won 3 of the 7 competitions attended and took home several other awards including Team Spirit for their long trek to Kokomo, Indiana to play in Hoosier Havoc and Beach Bum at the Bash at the Beach competition in Connecticut.

Competitions Attended

• UTC New England Regional (Hartford, CT)
• SBPLI Long Island Regional (Long Island, NY)
• National Championship, (Disney World, FL)

Offseason Competitions Attended

• Hoosier Havoc
• Mayhem on the Merrimack
• BattleCry@WPI 2
• Bash at the Beach
• River Rage

Awards

• Regional Winner, SBPLI Long Island Regional
• Motorola Quality Award, SBPLI Long Island Regional

Unofficial and Offseason Awards

• Outstanding Team Spirit, Hoosier Havoc
• 1st Place, Bash at the Beach
• Beach Bums, Bash at the Beach
• 1st Place, River Rage

Game - Co-Opertition FIRST

Team Name

Gompei and the H.E.R.D.

Robot Name

Gompei 2k

Team Summary

With some cool new robot ideas in mind and some refinement to old ones, Team 190 headed into the six weeks of building. The team worked to improve their translational drive system and to top it off with some cool features. From ducking under the limbo bar to pull-ups, Gompei2k was a tough machine to beat. Although many of the kinks did not get worked out until it was time for the off-season competition, the team had a great time as always.

Competitions Attended

• Mid-Atlantic Regional
• UTC New England Regional
• National Competition (Disney World, FL)

Offseason Competitions Attended

• Mayhem on the Merrimack II
• BattleCry@WPI 1
• River Rage
• The Big E: Robotics Tournament

Awards

• Honeywell Leadership in Controls Award, UTC New England Regional

Unofficial and Offseason Awards

• 1st Place, BattleCry@WPI 1
• Best Offensive Play, River Rage
• 1st Place, The Big E

Game - Double Trouble

Team Name

N/A

Robot Name

Gompei '99

Team Summary

After some hard pre-season work and a dedicated and sleep-lacking six weeks of robot construction, Gompei '99 went to competition. The team's hard work and efforts paid off when we placed 4th in the Philly Competition, 2nd at the New England Regional, and 7th seed and 8th place overall in the Nationals. Along the way the team won the Creativity Award in Hartford and a computer camp scholarship at the Nationals. Gompei '99 was perhaps the team's most successful robot to date.

Competitions Attended

• Philadelphia Regional (Philadelphia, PA)
• UTC New England Regional (Manchester, NH)
• National Championship (Disney World, FL)

Offseason Competitions Attended

• Simplex Tournament
• Mayhem on the Merrimack
• River Rage

Awards

• Regional Finalist, UTC New England Regional
• Xerox Creativity Award, UTC New England Regional
• 4th Place, Philadelphia Regional
• 7th Seed, National Competition
• 8th Place, National Competition
• ACE Computer Camp Scholarship, National Championship

Unofficial and Offseason Awards

• 1st Place, Simplex Tournament
• 1st Place, River Rage
• 2nd Place, Mayhem on the Merrimack

Game - Ladder Logic

Team Name

N/A

Robot Name

Gompei

Team Summary

After the now traditional miniFIRST kick-off competition, the Mass Academy students and WPI engineers began the long six week brainstorming, designing, and construction of the robot. Mass Academy students divided into many different sub teams to build a playing arena, paint the bot, alert the media and of course to just plain cheer on the team at the competitions. A few experienced Mass Academy students played major roles in the building of Gompei, including programming the bot and fabricating pieces.

Competitions Attended

• New England Regional (Manchester, NH)
• Johnson & Johnson Mid-Atlantic Regional (New Brunswick, NJ)
• National Championship (Disney World, FL)

Offseason Competitions Attended

N/A

Awards

N/A

Game - Torroid Terror

Team Name

N/A

Robot Name

Extensor

Team Summary

WPI and Mass Academy organized FIRST around a campus activity that welcomed anyone interested in the competition. After two kick-off meetings in December, there was a list of over 60 participants consisting of WPI professors, Mass Academy faculty, WPI graduate and undergraduate students, and high school juniors and seniors. Many FIRST alumni from all over the country that attended WPI were part of our team. Extensor capitalized on all this expertise and experience. Whole group meetings took place twice a week when the initial brainstorming was done... eventually. Many smaller groups worked independently on the power train, framework, control system, playing field, 3D studio animation, team logo, team strategy, accumulation of rules, reservations, scouting, scorekeeping, driving, and just plain helping when necessary. These responsibilities were shared among all levels of involvement.

Competitions Attended

• Johnson & Johnson Mid-Atlantic Regional
• DEKA New England Regional (Manchester, NH)
• National Competition (Disney World, FL)

Offseason Competitions Attended

N/A

Awards

• Proctor & Gamble Creativity Award, Mid-Atlantic Regional
• Number 1 Seed, National Competition

Team Name

N/A

Robot Name

Phoenix

Team Summary

Mass Academy enrolled 63 juniors and seniors in 1996 and all were involved with FIRST. Twenty-eight of the students, in teams of 4, built mini robots from kits in preparation of the larger FIRST robot designing and building. The building of the official FIRST robot was done mainly by WPI engineers: a consulting engineer, a graduate student, and four undergraduate students. Brainstorming sessions with both the WPI and Mass Academy students were held during and after school for incorporating offensive and defensive strategies in the construction of the Phoenix. Other students were involved with the 3D studio animation, art work for the logo, photography, and video taping. The collaboration is a prime example of the unique educational relationship which exists between this public school and university.

Competitions Attended

N/A

Offseason Competitions Attended

N/A

Awards

N/A

Game - Ramp 'n Roll

Team Name

N/A

Robot Name

Scorpion II

Team Summary

The 1995 team consisted of approximately forty high school students from the Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science in conjunction with two engineers from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. As WPI's fourth year of competition, the relationship with FIRST grew even deeper. Student brainstorming sessions of topics of mobility, chassis design, manufacture, ball acquisition and scoring techniques, as well as offensive and defensive strategies, were incorporated into the construction of one of the most competitive machines in WPI/Mass Academy's history. This year the team took home the Best Sportsmanship Award from the newly instituted New England Regional Competition and the Most Creative Design Award at the National Competition.

Competitions Attended

• New England Regional (Unknown)
• National Competition (Unknown)

Offseason Competitions Attended

N/A

Awards

• Best Sportsmanship, New England Regional
• Proctor & Gamble Creativity Award, National Competition

Game - Tower Power

Team Name

N/A

Robot Name

Scorpion

Team Summary

This year brought a change to the team, with the addition of Massachusetts Academy of Mathematics & Science, a then-newly-formed high school on the WPI campus, joined the roster. WPI, Doherty High School and the Mass Academy participated together in the 1994 FIRST games together as one team. The 1994 season was the first that the club was merged with WPI's educational goals and qualifying projects, yielding over 40 team members! Each WPI student completes a Major Qualifying Project, MQP, which dominates most of his or her senior year. The FIRST robotics competition embodied the challenging problems encountered in one's career and made for an excellent MQP.The FIRST competition is synchronized beautifully with WPI's project system. Both activities envelope the student (college and high school) in an atmosphere charged with the excitement that they have built, with their hands and creative minds, an instrument of purpose and design.

Professor Sullivan capitalized on the harmony between these activities and recruited fifteen WPI students to share in the excitement of the design and the joy of watching high school students learn and live the events of the competition and the events of a design engineer. The FIRST 'Rug Rage' video was all it took to overflow the high school slots. Fortunately, high school teachers were also drawn into the spirit of the competition and signed on to help with the twenty high school students. These new recruits forgot that they were planning to be attorneys, rock musicians, and business managers. They signed on the dotted line with their hearts pounding in anticipation of the games, in the challenge to design an instrument of purpose. The instrument has become the Scorpion.

Competitions Attended

N/A

Offseason Competitions Attended

N/A

Awards

N/A

Game - Rug Rage

Team Name

N/A

Robot Name

Wild Thang

Team Summary

N/A

Competitions Attended

N/A

Offseason Competitions Attended

N/A

Awards

N/A

Game - Maize Craze

Team Name

N/A

Robot Name

N/A

Team Summary

The WPI and Doherty High School team competed with 24 other teams in the first ever FIRST competition in a small gym in New Hampshire. The team placed second in the event.

Competitions Attended

• National Competition (New Hampshire)

Offseason Competitions Attended

N/A

Awards

• Finalist, National Competition
• Best Defensive Match, National Competition