Building systems where mechanics, robotics, and proof meet.

Architecture and specifications

• 16 inch by 14.5 inch drivetrain with one-inch wedges and an integrated torsion box.
• Tightly packaged, hexagon-pocketed structure designed around competition impacts.
• Elastically sprung intake that maintains contact while accommodating artifact position.
• Passive spindexer that indexes artifacts for any motif pattern and can continue intaking without rotating.
• Three-bearing spindexer and transfer assembly for redundancy at a critical handoff.
• Gear-train turret and transfer system with a one-sided flap and adjustable shooter hood.
• Shoot-on-the-move capability supported by OpenCV artifact detection.

Design process and iteration

Cupid was my first complete robot design to move beyond a strict KISS strategy. I developed the full CAD architecture in 48 hours, using dense packaging to connect the intake, passive indexing, transfer, turret, and shooter into one coordinated path. The process forced explicit tradeoffs: the drivetrain and critical transfer support were made robust and redundant, while the artifact path was optimized for speed and continuous flow.

Engineering takeaway

The central lesson was learning which subsystems should be made reliable and which should be made efficient. That distinction shaped the torsion-box structure, redundant bearing support, passive indexing behavior, and high-speed transfer path.

Program scope

• Led an eight-engineer mechanical division across CAD, fabrication, design review, and competition iteration.
• Worked through three years of mechanism development in an established, internationally competitive FTC program.
• Connected mechanical execution with the reliability and repeatability required across elite tournament fields.
• Represented Northern California at the FIRST World Championship in Houston as a first-pick alliance team.

Design process and iteration

The Innov8rz program operated as a sustained engineering cycle rather than a single isolated build. My role centered on coordinating mechanical work across eight engineers, reviewing CAD and manufacturability, moving parts into fabrication, and continuing development against competition feedback.

Measured performance

The team ranked Top 10 of 20,000+ worldwide in the 2023 to 2024 season, reached number 1 in California, and was listed 14th all-time in the FTC Hall of Fame. At the June 2024 Maryland Tech Invitational, a field of the top 40 teams globally, Innov8rz finished second. The program also recorded two top-10 world scores in offseason play.

Architecture and specifications

• Second robot developed by MKII FTC 26216.
• Complete-assembly view paired with the isolated drivetrain CAD to expose packaging decisions.
• Drivetrain study shows the relationship between mecanum wheels, structural rails, plates, shafts, and motor placement.
• Hardware workflow draws on goBILDA motors, wheels, gears, shafts, and pulleys.
• Fabrication capability includes CNC machining, laser cutting, and FDM printing.

Design process and iteration

The robot and isolated drivetrain are presented together so the packaging logic can be read at two levels. The complete assembly communicates subsystem density, while the drivetrain render makes the underlying structure and component access visible. This is the same part-to-system reasoning used throughout MKII development.

Result

Purple Emperor established MKII's second complete competition platform and added another full robot architecture to the team's mechanical development history.