Iron Tigers Robotics / 2025 season

2025 competition robot

Iterative ball-intake design, arm development, and competition operation.

Role: Mechanical design lead & driver
Focus: Robotics · Mechanisms · Leadership

Responsibilities

As mechanical design lead and driver, I led the ball-intake design and manufacturing, helped develop the five-axis pipe-handling arm, and taught approximately ten students Fusion 360 and the design process.

Design iterations

The first intake flexed laterally. Subsequent versions added rear braces, with a third brace added after further testing. Two compliant wheels replaced the early star-wheel arrangement to reduce mass and improve ball centering.

Final mechanism

Separate Kraken X60 motors operate the pivot and belt-driven rollers. A magnetic absolute encoder measures the pivot position. The intake was designed to be lightweight, reliable, and serviceable between matches.

Project documentation

01The completed competition robot, including the multi-axis arm, claw, ball intake, and swerve drivetrain.

02Final intake: two Kraken X60 motors operate the pivot and belt-driven rollers. CNC-cut 0.25-inch polycarbonate side plates, aluminum hex shaft, and compliant wheels support the mechanism. A magnetic absolute encoder measures pivot position.

03First intake iteration. Insufficient rear bracing allowed lateral flex. The star rollers were later replaced with two lighter compliant wheels that improved ball centering.

04Second intake iteration with rear support braces. Testing identified remaining flex and led to an additional brace in the final assembly.

Testing videos

Test video 1 ↗Test video 2 ↗Test video 3 ↗

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