© FIRST Team 846 The Funky Monkeys LynbrookRobotics.com

Fall 2014

News of the Lynbrook High School Robotics “Funky Monkeys,” FIRST® Team 846

Upcoming EventsIn School

Workshops:Electrical (Monday)CAD (Wednesday)Machining (Thursday)Software (Friday)Animation (Saturday)

Out of School — Oct. 11 ­ 12San Francisco Fleet Week

Competition(s) — Oct. 3 ­ 4CalGames

In This Issue1 Presidents’ Welcomes

Chezy Champs

3 California Law AB1575: TheDecline in Funding; SummerInternships and Projects

4 Opinion: Mentors on theDriveteam?; 2014 WorldChampionships

MONKEY BUSINESS

To our new, aspiring young FunkyMonkeys:

The team has come a long way sincemy freshman year, when we had onlyjust received a permanent room oncampus. In three short years, we’vefilled that room with a variety of toolsand machines. We’ve mastered a newCNC mill, vinyl cutter, lathe, and 3Dprinter. We reached the finals of aregional competition for the first timein 2013, won a regional for the firsttime in 2014, and gained a number of

Dear Funky Monkeys,

Welcome to our team! Be preparedto experience the best four years ofyour life, filled with robots, monkeys,food, friends, and more robots. You arejoining us during a very exciting time;in the last two years, we have claimedour first regional victory, gainedextensive support from our school andsponsors, and have grown extensivelyin both members and mentors.

You might be wondering what part

2014/2015 OfficersCo­Presidents:

Raphael Chang, Brent YiVice Presidents:

Nikunj Khetan, Srinjoy MajumdarVice Presidents of Engineering:

Rahul Iyer, Tony PengElectrical Lead: Shikhar JagadeeshHardware Lead: Owen LiSoftware Lead: Manoj VasishtaEvent Manager: Nikita SethMedia Lead: Megan LauPublic Relations: Joshua YuanTreasurer: Patrick DongSecretary: Amrita IyerWebmaster: Brandon Strong

Chezy ChampsWe attended the very first off­season Chezy Champs competition,finishing as one of the finalists.

Nikita Seth (junior)

Starting on August 29th, the FunkyMonkeys competed at the inaugural

Chezy Champs competition, hosted by

Owen Li stands next to Paul Copioli,president of Vex Robotics, and gameannouncer Karthik K. during allianceselections.

Editor­in­ChiefMegan Lau

EditorsOwen Li, Nikita Seth,Alex Shmakov, Brent Yi

Bellarmine College Preparatory andFIRST Team 254, The Cheesy Poofs.Although it was our first off-seasoncompetition with a new drive-team, ourteam performed exceedingly well. Wefinished the qualification matches asthe second seed, picking Team 971from Mountain View High School andTeam 2135 from Presentation HighSchool to join our number two alliance.We did everything we could, playedsome amazing matches, and blasted ourway into the finals. In addition to theFinalist trophy, we were presented withthe “Most Improved Team” award forour “endless pursuit of excellence,working during the off-season toimprove [our] robot or strategy”.

Four teams came to Chezy Champsfrom out of state, a number that isincredibly high for most offseasoncompetitions. Team 148 came fromTexas, and Teams 1318, 1983, and 2928all came from Washington. Why did

Volume 15

continue Raphael’s Welcome, page 2 continue Brent’s Welcome, page 2

see Chezy Champs, page 2

© FIRST Team 846 The Funky Monkeys LynbrookRobotics.com

Fall 2014

Presidents’ Welcomes Continued

they come all the way to California tocompete? According to a member ofTeam 1318, the winners of the 2014Pacific Northwest District, “ChezyChamps . . . was different from otheroffseason competitions”. Team 1983,Skunkworks Robotics added thatbecause “many powerhouses attended,which made the competition moreexciting.” The overall consensus of theout-of-state teams that came was thatthe competition was an impressiveexperience, and worth flying toCalifornia for.

But how exactly was Chezy Champsdifferent from other competitions?Why did so many powerhouse teamsdecide to come? Why did we decide togo, to begin with? There are plenty ofexplanations, the most obvious ofwhich is the fact that Chezy Champswas hosted by our friends atBellarmine, Team 254, The Cheesy Poofs!They are arguably one of the strongestteams in the world, having won twenty-seven regional competitions, more thananybody else in the world, and theWorld Championships in both 2011and 2014. But, beyond that, we alsowent to Chezy Champs because itsought to set a new standard for notonly offseason robotics events, but forFIRST robotics competitions as awhole. They looked to not only fix allthe issues that official competitionshad, but also to completely revamp theoverall quality of the event. Like manyother offseason events, Chezy Champstook the opportunity to tweak rules andmatch logistics, based on feedback fromthe spring competition season, and theytook it even further. Team 254implemented a fully-functioning webcast,ESPN-style commentary, and even built acustom field management system thatautomatically published match scores onthe web. Chezy Champs revolutionizedthe FIRST experience.

Page 2

Raphael's Welcome Continued from Page 1 Brent's Welcome Continued from Page 1

Driveteam members Srinjoy, Owen,Raphael, and Rahul proudly hold theFunky Monkeys’ new awards.

you will play inthis dramaticgrowth of theteam. Our teamgrows by having allsorts of memberswith different skillsthey can contribute.Each one of youhas a unique set

of skills that will undoubtedly play apart in the years to come. Allow me tooffer an observation I have gained inmy years on the team. A wise man oncesaid, “A lot of people never use theirinitiative because no one told them to.”When members become active on theteam, there are two paths they canchoose: to follow or be followed. Thereare those people who simply do whatthey are told, without question. This isthe majority of the people. There arealso those who think on their own todream of new challenges to conquer.These people become leaders on theteam, defining projects and drivingthem to completion with the help ofothers. These people are the key to thesuccess of our team. With students tolead visionary projects to completion,our team will advance to levels higherthan before. I challenge all of you totake this harder, less travelled path. Useyour skills and define a place foryourself on the team. This is what willkeep our team on this upwards trendand define our success.

As new members, these options arecompletely open to you. The first stepsare simply to get involved and tryeverything. Step into room 612 and seewhat we are working on, attend ourworkshops to learn essential skills,attend our competitions to experiencethe excitement. You have already takenthe first step of initiative to join thisteam, now take it a step further andactively engage yourself in ouractivities. Then, in a few years whenyou are in our positions leading theteam, you will look back on the pathyou’ve taken, and you won’t regret it.

-Raphael Chang, Co-President 2014-2015

members with aseemingly endlessamountof motivationand dedication. Eachnewyearhasbroughtnew potential, andthis year is nodifferent.

But, in thewords of one of

our past presidents, potential is notsuccess. Success is going to requirepatience, hard work, and dedication.It's going to need a few late nights,some frustration, and a whole lot ofpersistence. Most importantly, it’s goingto require people. People like you.People who come into our team withlittle more than time and an openmind, and finish the year with a senseof pride in not only what they’velearned, but what they’ve accomplishedand contributed.

To be honest, I really don’t knowwhy I originally joined the roboticsteam. I remember having a whole hostof reasons why I didn’t want to,though. My favorite subjects definitely

didn't include math or science. I didn’tthink that I was any good at either ofthem. I didn’t have any friends on theteam. I needed to spend more time onmy grades.

But I gave it a shot. I don’t knowwhy, but I did. And I really, really likedit here.

Perhaps you’re like I was, and don’tknow why you're even reading this.Maybe you’ve got every detail of thenext four years of your life plannedout. Whoever you are, whoever youwant to be or are planning onbecoming, here’s what I have to say toyou: give everything a chance, especiallythings you aren’t sure about. If youcan’t find an opportunity, make one.Step past your comfort zone. Maybeyou’ll like it. I did.

-Brent Yi, Co-President 2014-2015

“If you can’t find an opportunity,make one.”

Chezy ChampsContinued from Page 1

© FIRST Team 846 The Funky Monkeys LynbrookRobotics.com

Fall 2014

Decline in DonationsThe California law AB1575 isdetrimentally affecting our team.

Owen Li (junior)

On September 29, 2012, GovernorJerry Brown signed AB 1575 into

law, reinstating a former law thatprohibits students from being requiredto pay fees in any school-related activity.Lynbrook and the Fremont Union HighSchool District (FUHSD) beganenforcing this law in the 2013-2014school year, threatening to disband anyclub who required membership fees.Among the activities affected is ourRobotics club, which has experienced aloss in member and parent financialsupport.

Each year, the Lynbrook RoboticsTeam needs a significant amount ofmoney to cover its operating expenses,which range from FIRST registrationfees to robot material purchases. All ofthis adds up to about $25,000, a third ofwhich was once covered by our studentmembership fees. However, after thelaw was implemented, our teamexperienced a 40% drop in funds raisedfrom our members. We spent a hugechunk of time calling parents andreaching out to our membership fordonations, but upon receiving a poorresponse from members, we were forcedto search for additional corporatesponsors, using valuable time that wecould not afford.

Let us go back a few years. Backwhen we could collect membership fees.Our team had more than 130 memberswho were more than enthusiastic to payto become a member of the team.However, after the law wasimplemented, our membership droppeddown to 80 members, with only 45donating, even when we had memberscall parents to ask for donations, andexplained how their contribution wouldhelp our team suceed. This statistic begsthe question: Why were more peoplemore willing to pay when it was a fee,but are less inclined to contribute whenit became a donation?

We may never know the answer, butwe do know one thing for sure: ourteam would not be possible withoutcontributions and support from ourstudents and their families.

Funky Summer Jobs in RoboticsRobotics members take on summer projects and internships using theirexperience in robotics

Alex Shmakov (senior)

Over the summer, many Funky Monkeys took opportunities to explore science andtechnology in activities outside of school and robotics. They took internships that expandtheir knowledge and experience with engineering, or create personal projects thatshowcase what they’ve learned throughout high school. Here are a couple examples ofour members’ summer activities:

It looks like a regular longboard, butit’s actually an electric vehicle!

SaviokeOur Co-President Brent used thecomputer-aided design, programming,and 3D printing experiences that heprocured from robotics to work at astartup robotics company namedSavioke. With his company’simpressive variety of 3D printers androbots, Brent further explored aspectsof STEM. He also exercised hisprogramming skills to help develop thetablet interface on Savioke’s “SaviOne”robot, a robot that delivers suppliesand food to guests at hotels. Theintelligent SaviOne is capable ofautomatically navigating between floorsto travel from the front desk to guests’rooms. You can check out Brent’s workat the Aloft Hotel in Cupertino, wherethe first SaviOne is currently deliveringtowels and drinks to its customers.

Electric SkateboardWorking off the experience he gainedwhile building an electric longboard withformer Vice President Eric Yeh last year,Brent Yi designed a new and improvedmotorized skateboard over the course ofthe last school year. He modeled each partof it using the Autodesk Inventor CADskills he learned through robotics, beforefinally using a combination of 3D printedplastic and machined aluminum to bringthe skateboard to life over the summer.The skateboard, which uses a belt driveand motors designed for radio-controlledplanes, is controlled by a wireless gamecontroller made for the Nintendo Wii. Itcan travel at a maximum of 20 mph forover 15 miles, and is a lot of fun to ride: Irecommend trying it out if you ever get achance!

NanosynCurrent Co-Electrical Lead Alex

Shmakov used his experience inchemistry and computers to work at astartup drug synthesis company knownas Nanosyn. Working in the labs to testand purify chemicals, Alex learned theintricacies of spectroscopy and otherforms of chemical analysis. Using a

process known as ion spectroscopy,Alex separated compounds into theirindividual chemicals and masses.However, he did not just work on oneor two compounds at a time: in one dayhe could separate over 100 differentsolutions with the help of a roboticsystem to transfer and separate thesolutions. Alex's experience in roboticsproved to be valuable when hecombining chemical skills withcomputer automation!

The "SaviOne" butler robot.Photo Courtesy of Savioke.com

Page 3

“in one day he could separate over100 different solutions with the help

of a robotic system”

© FIRST Team 846 The Funky Monkeys LynbrookRobotics.com

Fall 2014

What is YourOpinion: ShouldMentors BeAllowed to Coach?Why mentors should be prohibitedfrom being a drive team coach

Megan Lau (senior)

At competitions, adult mentors areeverywhere, from inspecting

robots to being on the drive teamcommanding every move of the robot.Though these mentors that are on thedrive team do help in increasing theexperience level of their team, it turnsout that mentors are actually winningmedals for their teams and, in turn,students are unable to fully experiencecompetitions.

Some people, like team 1323Madtown Robotics’ mentor AndrewLawrence, strongly believe in thephrase “you can’t teach experience”.Lawrence says that the coach positionon the drive team is “not really a spotfor students to be in. The student’ssupposed to be learning. The coachdoesn’t really do as much learning asteaching”. Mentors obviously knowmore about a variety of topics andhave the ability to lead more efficientlyfrom years of experience as comparedto a high school teenager, but at thesame time they should not dictate thedrive team’s actions. Even if the coachposition seems to be a spot for theskilled and knowledgeable mentors,students can learn to be great coachesas well. Students can ultimately developnumerous skills such as decision-making, communicating, and thoroughlyknowing the functions of the team’srobot all with practice duringcompetitions to become a coach.

Not allowing mentors to be on thedriveteam also gives students a chanceto learn and understand the robot, thegame, and its strategy. This trulyexemplifies FIRST’s ideal of“inspiration” since students involved

Page 4succeed in learning, rather than merelyfocusing on achieving glory atcompetitions. In the case of all-girlsteams like Team 1868 the SpaceCookies that hold a “pro-student”standpoint, prohibiting mentors fromcoaching eventually promote anotherFIRST’s goal to inspire others becauseit would create better chances for girlsto be on the drive team and balance theratio of boys to girls in engineering.

Since a student cannot learnexperience, he or she should be allowedchances to build up experience levels.Even a student from Team 1678 Citrus

World ChampionshipsFunky Monkeys take the World Championships by storm

Raphael Chang (senior), Owen Li (junior)

The 2014 season has truly been a monumental one for our team. We workedtirelessly all throughout build season, and when stop build day came around,

we had put together a very competitive robot. We flew over to Cleveland and wonthe Buckeye Regional, winning our team’s very first blue champions banner.Because of this, we were able to take a step further and travel to St. Louis,Missouri to compete in the Newton Division at the World Championships.

We were more ready than we ever were for the World Championships this year.In the weeks preceding the competition, we targeted all the weaknesses wediscovered at our previous regionals, and we went into the competition with arobot we were confident would do well. After a slightly rough start with getting allthe parts replaced on our competition robot in the pits, we went into our firstmatch all guns-a-blazin’. Our first matches were accompanied by the announcersaying, “846 has returned stronger than ever.” Unfortunately, we suffered twolosses in the middle of the qualification rounds, but that did not stop us. Wefinished qualifications as the 7th seeded team among the 100 teams in ourdivision, and held the highest Offensive Power Ranking in our division!

In alliance selections, we were the third pick of the draft, selected by the thirdseeded team, team 910, who happened to also be our alliance captain from theBuckeye Regional. After two intense, quarterfinal matches, we were defeated byteam 971, a powerhouse team and our friends from Mountain View high school.

And while the 2014 season winds down to a close, it’s time for our team torefocus on the upbringing and nurturing of a new generation, to make sure thatour successes build upon each other for all the years to come. And as we lookforward to the 2015 season, we will do as we always have — Build, Learn, and Inspire!

Our victory in Cleveland qualified us for World Championships.

Circuits, which has a mentor as a coachagrees that “it should be student-drivendrive team, not a mentor driven team.”If a single mentor constantly assumesthe role of his or her team’s drive teamcoach, students may neither find achance to continuously hone theseimportant skills nor interact with otherteams.Therefore, by ruling for student-only drive teams, mentors would bedoing a favor to students by providingchances for students to learn andaccomplish the task of winning a gameon their own.

Fernando feigns exasperation.