12
The Bear
CyBears Complete 10th Robotics Competition Season
Keaton Norfleet
Staff Writer
On Wednesday, March 22, 2023, the
5041 CyBear Robotics team hit the road and made
their way to Cedar Falls, Iowa, to compete in the
F.I.R.S.T Robotics Competition. After settling in the
hotel, four team members made a stop at the UNI-
Dome a day before the competition to drop off and
set up the robot and the pit station. The team woke
up early the next morning and traveled directly to
the UNI-Dome.
The robot and bumpers had to undergo
inspection before the robot could perform in any
matches. A competition volunteer has to check to
see that the robot meets the stated regulations and
does not contain any hazards.
The robot drive team was broken into
two groups. The first group consisted of Seth Can-
trell as Drive Coach and Katey Lenoch and Carter
Hetrick as drivers. The second group consisted of
Audrey Watt as Drive Coach and Ewan Arlen and
Wyatt Chapman as drivers. Sophomore Keaton
Norfleet was the team Safety Captain, and an inter-
changing member acted as Technician and Human
Player.
Matt Cain, the CyBears’ mentor and
sponsor, said, “We got to see quite a broad diversity
of driving because we let so many members take a
crack at it. It was really interesting to see different
dynamics between different partnerships that went
out there.
“I think we learned quite a lot about
who will be really capable drivers for the team, and
I think we learned a lot about how we can best
structure drive teams in the future, and it really gave
us a lot of food for thought for how we can best
apply practice during the actual season that will be
more productive when we actually get to a compe-
tition.”
Thursday consisted of only practice
matches, giving the team a chance to test their
robot on a proper playing field and work out any
problems the robot might have, while also allowing
the teams to meet the other 55 teams.
Another inspection found that the Cy-
Bears’ bumpers weighed too much. At 15.1 pounds,
the team needed to trim 0.1 pounds to meet weight
requirement.
The brackets that connected the
bumpers to the robot were .2 pounds, so the team
cut them in half, and replaced the brackets on one
bumper with the cut bracket. Now at 14.9 pounds,
the bumpers were approved, and the robot entered
its first practice match, which was Match Four.
The drive team for the first match was
Lenoch as driver, Hetrick as systems operator, and
Cantrell as coach. The human player was sopho-
more William Hayes, and the technician was junior
Jade Gongora.
“Stepping onto the field for the first
time, I was a little nervous, but after talking with
the other teams, I felt more confident with myself
and my team members,” Cantrell said. “We stepped
onto the field, and we at least tried with the little
complications we had that continued throughout the
day.”
During the first match, the drivers ran
into a major problem: none of the robot’s systems
functioned correctly. The two drivers each control
a different part of the robot. One driver controls the
drivetrain -- steering and accelerating -- of the
robot, and the other controls the systems - the arm
that picks up and places cubes and cones. The sys-
tems controller did not work. Eventually, the drivers
decided to try and push the game elements into the
designated areas.
After the match, the team took the robot
back to the CyBears pit station. After a few minutes,
Cain found that the systems controller was never
plugged into the computer that connects to the
robot.
The team’s second match was Match 15
in the Blue alliance, which meant that the team had
time to fix problems with the robot, practice the
robot’s autonomous round -- the string of code that
moves the robot independently during the begin-
ning of a match -- and hand out safety kits.
The drive team for Match 15 included
Arlen and Chapman as drivers and Watt as coach.
During the team's second match, the
robot ran into a wiring problem that stopped the
robot’s pneumatics from working. The arm and
grabber of the robot didn’t function for the rest of
the match.
The team's third match was Match 27 in
the Red alliance.
The drive team for the third match was
Lenoch and senior Kyra Robinson as drivers and S.
Cantrell as coach.
During the team’s third match, the robot
functioned correctly for the match, and the drivers
scored a few points.
Even though the CyBears did not have
any more scheduled matches, they decided to queue
for an extra practice match.
During this practice session, the robot
got stuck to the side of a charge station. The drivers
were able to wiggle the robot out and continued; ho-
The 2023 CyBears Robotics Team. Photo by Laura Gongora.
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wever, the side of the charge station had scratched
off the team numbers on one of the bumpers.
After the match, Cain and Norfleet
eventually decided that it would be best to revert to
the previous year’s bumpers rather than try to fix
the new ones.
“I really didn’t want to, but when faced
with the options and our limited time, I knew that
switching back to last year's bumpers would be the
best decision,” Norfleet said. “It just felt like a kick
in the teeth though, seeing the bumpers I worked
long and hard on go to waste.”
After switching out the bumpers, the
team packed up and went back to the hotel.
Friday held day one of the qualifica-
tion matches. Each match would determine the
team’s rank, rank one being the best. All teams at-
tended opening ceremonies, which officially wel-
comed everyone to the Robotics Iowa Regionals.
The CyBears played seven matches with minimal
software and hardware problems.
The CyBears' first match was qualifica-
tion six. The robot’s grabber stopped functioning
due to a wire issue. The team competed in qualifica-
tion matches 12, 26, 34, 41, 50, and 57 with mini-
mal issues. By the end of the day, the team was
ranked 50 out of 56.
Hayes said, “It was pretty nice getting
to understand how the robot works and talk with
other people, too. It was pretty nice being a human
player. At first, there wasn’t much to do. I didn’t
really understand. I talked with my fellow human
players, and they taught me the basics of it. We had
great communication with each other, and overall,
I had a great time.”
Caleb Reardon said, “I was able to ac-
tually help out with the team without actually get-
ting in the drive station. It was really fun knowing
that I could help them and support them by being
on the sidelines.”
After closing ceremonies, the team went
to a team social, which was held in the UNI Recre-
ational Center.
On Saturday, which was the last day
of the Iowa Regionals, the team only had three
more matches. The first round was qualification
match 67 in the Blue Alliance.
Their second round was match number
76 in the Red Alliance. During this round, the ar-
mature of the robot was swung outside of the field,
which had become a problem for referees in pre-
vious matches. For the safety of the referees, the
game officials remotely shut down the CyBears’
robot. The robot sat on the field for the remainder
of the match.
The team’s third and final round was
match number 85 in the Blue Alliance. By the end
of qualifications, the CyBears were ranked 48 out
of 56. The team had won three out of 10 matches.
After all matches were complete, all
teams had one member act as a representative for
their team. The top eight teams would, at this time,
choose what teams they wanted in their alliance for
finals. A chosen team can accept or decline an invi-
tation. The 5041 CyBears Robotics was not invited
to an alliance.
Only the next top eight teams were al-
lowed to stay as a back-up team for alliances. The
CyBears were not in the next top eight and could
not compete further.
After packing up the pit, the team had
lunch, then hopped on the bus and made their way
back to West Branch.
Cantrell said, “We are getting better.
Most of our team is still new, so we are still not
doing as great as we could be. With us still learning
and growing as a team, we were not putting forth
our best foot at this competition. If we had more
time to practice, we might be able to do better.”
This year’s FIRST Robotics competi-
tion required students to build a robot with the
capability of gathering inflatable purple cubes
and yellow caution cones. The robot would also
have to be able to balance on a “charge station.”
The game was called “CHARGED UP.”
The cubes must be picked up and placed
on one of three platforms. The platforms have a
staircase look, and the higher you place the cube,
the more points you receive.
The cones have a similar placement, ex-
cept for the second and third levels, instead of plac-
ing a cone on a platform, you must place a cone on
a metal pole that sticks up from the ground. The
cone can be slightly hanging or fully on the pole.
The charge station is like a balance
board on each side of the playing field. Robots will
attempt to dock at the station before the match is
over. Weight on one side of the board will cause the
entire station to tilt towards the robot that is dock-
ing, so drivers need to be fast in order to let other
robots dock the station. If all robots can dock the
charge station, or if the station is level, the charge
station will be engaged, which will cause the board
to light up. Engaging the charge station earns the
alliance more points.
The team had until March 21 to finish
construction.
Cain said, “It seems like a great game,
although I was disappointed there was no climbing
aspect. It was especially great for new members to
learn some basics of object manipulation with a
claw and arm which is common every year.”
To build the robot, the team bought parts
from vendors such as AndyMark, VexPro, Robo
Promo, and REVRobotics. Any parts they didn’t
buy were fabricated and built by members of the
team.
Arlen and Chapman primarily wrote
software and code to control the robot. Though,
whoever wanted to contribute and learn about the
code work was welcome to. Almost every member
had a hand in the design and fabrication of the robot
mechanisms and accessories.
Norfleet said, “I have had a lot of fun
this year. I have learned so much, and I have had
many unique experiences and opportunities that I
can apply to my future. Learning how to wire the
robot was certainly a tedious process, but now I can
do it a lot faster next year!”
Constructing the robot was not an easy
task for the new and inexperienced mix of
members. Brainstorm sessions were very common
at the beginning of the season, and eventually, the
team decided on the kind of robot they wanted to
build.
After constructing the kit chassis of the
robot, which is the part of the robot where the
wheels and battery are located, the robot workers
split into two teams.
The first team designed the arm and
grabber of the robot. Senior Izaiah Hansen and 7th
grader Eli Garrett designed the robot’s grabber; this
grabber can pick up both the cones and cubes with
the push of one button.
The arm of the robot is a telescoping arm, which
can expand and retract, making the arm longer or
shorter. This arm allows the robot to reach the
higher and farther platforms that hold the cubes and
cones.
Apart from robot work, there were sev-
eral necessary jobs, such as constructing bumpers,
model building, pit design, shirt and button design,
mascot construction, shop-space management, the
annual report, a new cart, and fundraising. These
jobs were completed in small groups.
Instead of four red and blue bumpers to
cover the corners of the robot, which must be re-
moved and reattached after each match in a compe-
tition, the team made reversible bumper covers,
which were made by Norfleet.
Expanding on what he did last year, in-
stead of two bracket shaped bumpers with revers-
ible covers, Norfleet made four individual panels
with reversible covers that would cover each side
and corner of the robot.
Norfleet said, “I wanted to make
bumpers a little bit simpler this year. Last year I ran
into a major problem with the bumpers, which was
the corners. It took time, and help from a profes-
sional to find how to make those bumpers work.
The four panels eliminated the need for corners, so
construction would be much easier than last year.”
Kayla Garrett and Robinson created a
scale model of the platforms and poles that the
cubes and cones are put on to. The elements of the
play field are created in order for drivers and pro-
grammers to test drive the robot, and find out
whether or not the robot functions safely and cor-
rectly.
After many years of not having one, the
CyBears decided it was time to make a new CyBear
mascot. The mascot head is a cyborg bear that re-
sembles the team logo.
The head is half fur half “metal,” which
is actually foam that was spray painted with a silver
metallic coating. The top of the head hides a con-
cealed fan that the wearer can turn on so they can
stay cool inside the suit. The last feature is a glow-
ing red eye on the metallic side of the head.
The mascot was primarily worked on by
Gongora with assistance from Robinson and Rear-
don.
Along with the new mascot, Cain also
introduced the team to a new pit. The new pit in-
cluded two new workbenches, a shelf, and a metal
frame to surround it. The shelf held awards from
past years, buttons for other teams to take, the an-
nual report, and a monitor that played a slideshow
of pictures taken throughout the season.
These materials were bought using the
grant money that was won by former Safety Captain
and Alumni Tanner Harrison C. Cantrell.
I. Hannsen, S. Cantrell, Zeb Brown,
Reardon, Eli Hansen, and E. Garrett all had a hand
in the construction of the team's new cart. This cart
is responsible for holding and transporting the robot
between the pits and game field.
The old cart was at ground level, had no
handle, and the wooden frame was close to snap-
ping in half. The new cart has a metal frame, a plat-
form that holds the robot a few feet in the air, and
below the platform there is storage space for
bumpers, toolboxes, and a fire extinguisher.
Brown and E. Garrett made a sign with
the team name and number that was attached to the
front of the cart. The text was cut out with a CNC
machine.
Freshmen Ewan Arlen and Wyatt Chapman drive the robot and collect purple
blocks with its arm. Inset: CyBear Mascot. Photos by Keaton Norfleet.
The shirt design was completed by Nor-
fleet. The annual report was written by Aizlayn
Marsh, Watt, and Robinson.
The annual report holds information
about the CyBears' whole year including finances
and budget, sponsors, recent projects, robot work,
Lego League mentoring, safety, student creative op-
portunities, and even a page named “#STEMis-
ForEveryone,” which is about team diversity and
what STEM means to robotics members.
This season, the CyBears heavily fo-
cused on safety and reestablished it as an important
part of robotics. The team put together 60 safety
kits, which were bags consisting of band-aid packs,
robot battery plugs, and a team pin and sticker.
Lenoch’s “Safety Bear” became the
mascot of all things safety on the team. The Cy-
Bears named the safety bear, “BEARY Safety.”
BEARY Safety is an acronym for Be, Extra, Aware,
Regarding, Your, Safety.
Lenoch also worked on the safety ani-
mation. The safety animation is a video that FRC
teams can submit for a chance to win the safety ani-
mation award. The animation was to be featured at
the competition during opening ceremonies. She
was unable to complete the project before the dead-
line; however, she plans to have it completed and
refined by next season.
Lenoch said, “I definitely feel like I
gotta step up my game if I want to contribute to the
group, especially with me now being in my second
year. I feel like I should know more than I do. My
first year didn't have that much pressure since it was
only my first year, so I was learning a lot of things.
Now I have the basics, but still pretty lackluster. ”
Norfleet, the new Safety Captain, made
two safety pages that are featured in the team’s an-
nual report, and safety posters to hang in the pit,
which he likes to call, “Robotics Propaganda.”
Norfleet revised the team's safety agree-
ment, which is a contract signed by all members of
the team; he also wrote battery cleanup instructions.
K. Garrett said, “Even before the season
started, the team took on several new projects out-
side of the robot game. A project over the summer
was a redesign of our pit, the area where we and our
robot stay during competitions when we are not ac-
tively competing. After the school year started, we
started working on a mascot to take to competitions
and show 5041 spirit.”
She continued, “Another long project
was making an annual report, a report on what our
team worked on throughout the season. This is
something that 5041 had never done before, so it is
quite a big undertaking.”
At a competition, five members are al-
lowed to enter the playing field. Two members
drive the robot after the autonomous round, which
is the period in which the robot drives on its own,
working from pre-installed code. One member acts
as a coach, who provides instructions and strategy
for drivers and supervises the match.
Another member is a human player. The
human player’s job is to feed cubes and cones
through designated loading stations, so drivers can
have the robot pick them up as the match goes on.
Joining the team for the first time this
year were freshmen Arlen, Ryan Lukavsky, Marsh,
Logan Heick, Watt, Hetrick, and Chapman; sopho-
mores Hayes, Dawn Johnson, E. Hansen, Reardon,
and Zayden Waite; junior Gongora; and seniors I.
Hansen and Robinson.
Hayes said, “I joined Robotics because
it was recommended to me by friends, and the man-
ual work that is required for making the robot is
what really drew me into joining Robotics. I also
had a knack for creating things and collaborating
with others.”
Robinson said, “I’ve always wanted to
join, especially since it’s something I couldn’t do at
my old school, so I thought it would be good to take
advantage of the opportunity.”
Returning members include sopho-
mores Brown, Norfleet, Elliot Hinkhouse, Lenoch,
K. Garret, and S. Cantrell; seniors Cole Cantrell and
Lu Guetzko; and honorary member E. Garrett, who
is in seventh grade.
This is the CyBears tenth year of com-
petition; they started their rookie year back in the
2013-14 robotics season.
“It feels amazing and a little surreal.”
Cain said, “Ten years went by fast, but it is great to
think back on all the great young people I have had
the honor to learn with.”
In past years, the CyBears won grand
champions at the off-season competition in Rock-
ford, Illinois, back in 2019. During their rookie
year, the team won the Rookie All Star award at the
Central Illinois Regional.
Cain said, “I hope more than anything
that every member feels valued, and the team is a
place students feel they have a place in. It wouldn't
be too bad to win something, too.”
The 2023 Iowa Regional Competition
marked the end of the 5041 CyBear Robotics sea-
son.