What is RIVAL?
RIVAL is a relatively new robotics competition similar to FRC and FTC. The competition focuses on the design and construction of a robot that can compete in a yearly challenge, this year, the theme is "DOOMSDAY". The competition allows the construction of robotics with minimal design contraints, allowing participation from beginners to advanced robotics enthusiasts.
https://rivalrobotics.co/
Our Proposal
Summary
Our ideal drone features a pivoting claw mechanism and a specialized roller system guided by a vision system to manipulate game pieces. The claw can pick up and move game pieces from the floor, while the roller mechanism can interact with silos to make game pieces fall onto the floor for collection. A horizontal pivot on the claw allows manipulation from various angles with minimal drone movement. The efficiency of our manipulation mechanisms will allow for a stable quadcopter configuration, permitting resources to be prioritized towards the scoring and vision systems. Control will be split between a Raspberry Pi for general operation and an Orange Pi, dedicated to vision processing. This design maximizes scoring potential and adaptability, with the right sponsorship, it positions us to be highly competitive while challenging our engineering skills and strategic ability.
CAD and Progress
The following are images displaying our progress in the construcion of our robot, we have a design and sketch ready, and are beginning the stages of CAD and prototyping.
CAD Link
Estimated BOM
Below is the estimated Bill of Materials (BOM) for our drone project. This covers all major flight, control, RC, and vision components. Subtotals and a grand total are provided for transparency.
| Description | Qty | Unit Cost | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flight Hardware | |||
| EMAX ECO II 2207 1700KV motors | 4 | $12 | $48 |
| 4-in-1 ESC (35–45A BLHeli_32) | 1 | $45 | $45 |
| 4S LiPo 2200mAh 30C battery | 1 | $30 | $30 |
| XT60 power splitter/harness | 1 | $8 | $8 |
| 3-blade 5" or 6" propellers | 4 | $2 | $8 |
| 5V 5A BEC/UBEC | 1 | $12 | $12 |
| Vibration dampening foam/pads | 1 | $5 | $5 |
| Screw/wire/mounting kit | 1 | $10 | $10 |
| Flight hardware subtotal | $166 | ||
| Flight Control & Navigation | |||
| Navio2 flight controller | 1 | $250 | $250 |
| MicroSD card (32–64GB) | 1 | $10 | $10 |
| Heatsink + fan kit for Pi 5 | 1 | $10 | $10 |
| GPS module (Ublox M8N) | 1 | $20 | $20 |
| Flight control + power subtotal | $270 | ||
| RC Control System | |||
| FlySky FS-i6X Transmitter (TX) | 1 | $55 | $55 |
| FlySky iA6B Receiver (RX) | 1 | $18 | $18 |
| Servo extension cables | 1 | $5 | $5 |
| AA Batteries or Li-ion pack for TX | 1 | $5–10 | $5–10 |
| RC control system subtotal | $83 | ||
| Vision System | |||
| Raspberry Pi Camera v3 (12MP autofocus) | 1 | $30 | $30 |
| Camera ribbon cable (30cm) | 1 | $4 | $4 |
| Mount (3D printed or clamp) | 1 | $5 | $5 |
| Vision system subtotal | $38 | ||
| Grand Total | $557 (approx.) | ||
Our Mission
We are a completely student run organization, based in Southern California, and currently lead by our founder, Rishi Mishra (also the one writing this paragraph). Through our experiences, we understand that robotics is difficult, mainly due to lack of accessibility to training, and resources. Our mission is to inspire an interest in innovation to a wide audience of high schoolers, and to show our members the limitless possibilities of robotics, literally anything can be automated, all it takes is the resources and knowledge. Many of our members have taken a part in robotics competitions such as FRC, FTC, and VEX, we aim to take those skills to the next level, training students in the design and creation of completely custom robots, not limited by average competition standards. Additionally, we always build robots as a team. Our workflow excessively emphasizes teamwork, and learning together, shared knowledge is a necessity in creating a sustainable team.
Meet The Team
Sponsors
Branding and Inspiration
Our team's identity is inspired by the 2012 Hip Hop album "Good Kid, M.A.A.D City", by Kendrick Lamar. The album itself represents change and evolution containing themes of spreading positivity in a world that can be negative at times. Our primary colors are Cardinal (#D20041) and navy blue (#132034), colors that the team collectively decided would theme well with our vibe. For accents, we use dark purple (#1A1423), and Champagne (#F5E5CC) for paragraphical text. Our logo uses these colors as well, made specifially to appear well, while maintaining a professional presence. This branding extends across our robot, future merchendise, pit display, and communications, creating a cohesive and memorable identity in competition.
Color Palette
