Information
About Our Team
Matrix 9013 is a team that usually houses 7th through 9th graders from Edgewood but we are open to anyone wanting to join. Our team resides in Merritt Island at Merritt Island Highschool, portable 1. Our team includes multiple different sectors or fields of work such as mentoring, electrical, mechanical, and programming. First is an international robotics organization with three different challenges. First offers the First Lego League (FLL), First Tech Challenge (FTC), and First Robotics Competition (FRC).
Team Past
We had started as 2 Lego Leagues in 2014 called Scrap Metal and Space Chocolate. Scrap Metal and our sister team, Horsepower had eventually merged in order to educate more experienced players and been promoted into a team of the First Tech Challenge. Our name, 9013 Matrix, had come from one of the original mentors of the Lego League, Mrs. Lesie Leutbecker, who currently runs the club.
Awards
We got the Innovation Award 2nd place, Connect Award 3rd place, Winning Alliance Captain, Motivate Award 3rd place, and Control Award 2nd place.
Programming
Debugging and programming the robot. Starting with HTML is advised, as it helps get the grasp of coding and scripting. Most programmers enjoy the feel of victory or just finishing a script.
Mechanics
The team dealing with mechanics are in charge of concepting the design of the robot and building the structure of the robot from the ground up. The team is currently working on prototypes in Onshape. Mechanics also wire and secure connections throughout the frame of the robot, allowing it to use its motors and other mechanisms.
Web Design
Web design is heavily intertwined with programming. Web designers work on coding Matrix’s website which hosts information on our team, as well as fundraising dates.
Game
This year's game has two alliances of two robots competing to score the most points. The field has two 'hives' in which the robots will attempt to score 'pollen' and 'nectar'. Three 'nectar' start in each upward-facing hive cell, and when enough pollen is launched into the hive, it will 'tip', earning points and allowing access to the pollen and nectar in the hives. Every hive tip allows the HP to add one additional nectar to the field. At the end of the match, the 'flowers' are also scored. Teams earn points if they have one of their nectar at the bottom of the flower, and/or at the top.
Game times and Points
There are 3 time zones in the match: Autonomous, Teleop, and End game. Autonomous is the first 30 seconds of the match, and during it, robots are not controlled by the drivers, but instead they follow a pre-programmed routine. During Auto, robots can earn points by tipping the hives (20 pts), leaving the starting zone (3 pts), and parking in the loading zone (5 pts). Additionally, the alliance will earn the 'Swarm Ranking Point' if the allience has ≥ 16 points from leaving and parking. After Autonomous is completed, there is an 8-second transition window to TeleOp. During TeleOp, the robots become controlled by the drivers, who should continue launching pollen and nectar into the hives. The flowers will not be scored until the End game period, and is is actually a major foul (15 pts to opposing alliance) to score nectar into the flowers before then. Once the game ends, all robots are to stop moving and flowers are scored. Flowers are scored by nectar is at the bottom of the flower (5 pts) and if the topmost element in the flower is a nectar (3 pts per element in the flower). Further game info can be found in the game manual.
Ranking Points
Ranking points determine a team's position in the season. This season, ranking points can be earned not just by winning the match, but also by completing certan objectives. Teams earn one ranking point for each of the following: Tipping the hive 4 times, tipping the hive 7 times, scoring ≥ 16 points from leaving and parking during Auto, and completing the match in a tie. Three ranking points will be awarded to the winning alliance, and all ranking points stack. So, for example, say team A and team B lost the match, but tipped the hive 5 times and got 17 pts from leaving and parking in auto. They would be awarded 2 ranking points for that match. This means it is possible for both the winning and losing alliance to earn the same number of ranking points.