Monthly updates

mid-February '25 update

This month we worked extraordinarily hard, staying for countless hours in our free time to complete the robot. At the beginning of the month, we fixed the linear sliders by changing the rope and the way we wired them. The arm was mounted and after several design changes, the claw was attached. Some other major achievements of our hardworking team this month are neat wiring and a functioning bucket. Our skilled coders completed the code for all parts of the robot, including a complex configuration of the arm and the bucket on the linear sliders. After many months of hard work, we have completed our design and are ready to put the product of hard work to the test at the FTC Italy Championship.    

In January, the Thunder Kites team worked hard on linear sliders and several arms designs. Even though at first the linear sliders did not function as they should have, by the end of the month our engineers found the issue and started fixing it. While one-half of the team was working hard on the sliders, another half was designing the optimal arm and claw constructions. By the end of January, we can proudly state the final design is defined and the following month we will mount it on the robot. 

December '24 update

Over the past month, we have maintained high efficiency, even with the Christmas break. Team members have been actively working on various tasks, including sliders, arms, claws, and coding, all of which are crucial for our success in the upcoming match. We’ve also undertaken multiple redesigns and reflected on the lessons learned along the way. As we approach the upcoming Christmas break, we’re looking forward to some well-deserved relaxation and will be fully prepared to tackle the challenges in January.

This November has been a very productive month for the Thunder Kites community. Members have consistently contributed to the team’s efforts. We have come up with new ideas for the overall structure of the robot. Furthermore, we will continue making significant progress toward achieving financial independence and stability.

October '24 update

This October has been a very efficient month in the Thunder Kites community. We have recruited multiple new engaged members, who will surely contribute to our team. We made significant progress on the development of the robot, namely planning out methods and ideas that will allow us to succeed in this season. Additonally, we have been making huge steps to gain further financial independence and support. 

September '24 update

Welcome everyone to our 24-25 season! We are back after a well needed summer break, and ready to tackle this FTC season. The new water theme has peaked our interest, and will ensure our focus on this year's season. September has been a slow month, as always, but we have been growing our team and getting us setup for this year. We hope to perform well this year, and give our everything to do so!

June '24 update

This year we have competed in many tournaments, through hard and easy times. The school year is coming to a close, but we have plans for the future (as any aspiring team does). The Thunder Kites have been brainstorming many ideas for how to expand our group, from new partners to new robots! We are also excited by the teaser trailer for next year FTC season: FIRST DIVE. Have a look at the video yourselves! This blog entry concludes the second year of robotics at BFIS and signals a renewal of something that will hopefully last generations! If you have any questions, or would like to know more, please contact us at thunderkites@bfischool.org !

May '24 Update

APRIL '24 UPDATE

March '24 UPDATE

We have been working on social and partnership outreach initiatives, aiming for financial independence for our team. As the Lyon competition gets closer, we have also been finalizing the latest design of our robot. We have drastically revamped our intake and grabbing mechanisms since the last competition. Our new design allows us to move pixels quickly, accurately, and easily. These changes will hopefully allow us to perform at our best in Lyon!

February '24 UPDATE

With the upcoming Lyon competition in April, the team has been working hard to make changes and improvements to not only our robot but our team as a whole. We've encouraged the senior members to participate in finding and recruiting younger students into the club to foster more innovative and creative minds. The team has finally been able to set up the game field, meaning that we will be able to get lots of practice in before the competition, so we will very prepared to give our best performance yet.

January '24 Update

Our team has returned from the winter break and has gotten right back into the development of our robot. We are implementing new linear sliders, which are more efficient and effective versions of our previous design, to take our performance to new levels. Our coders have worked to refine the movement controls for the mecanum wheels of the robot for simplicity and precise mobility. With the competition in Hasselt, Belgium less than a week away, we are working round the clock to make sure we are fully prepared for our competition. Wish us luck!

December '23 Update

Our team has been working on improving our previous design in preparation for our upcoming competition in Hasselt, Belgium. We have updated the base of our robot to be smaller and include mecanum wheels, which will allow the our drivers to maneuver the robot more efficiently. We also worked on setting up our practice field for the robot so we can improve our driving skills. We are also creating a hanging mechanism for the robot and are improving our plane launching mechanism for the final stage of the game. 

November '23 Update

The BFIS Robotics team has spent November working hard to prepare our robot for our upcoming FTC competition in The Hague. Our coding team has been working to get the autonomous mode ready for the competition, while the rest of our team has been working on making our linear sliders more consistent, finalizing the robot's launching and claw mechanisms, and completing anything else we will need for the competition. We are aiming to have a fully functional robot before we compete in The Hague. 

October '23 Update

The BFIS Robotics team has gotten off to a great start to the FTC Benelux competitive league, having already been invited to compete in two international tournaments. We are steadily on track to being ready to go to The Hague and Bladel for each of their respective competitions. Our team has been working on new and innovative ways to improve our bots to the best of our ability. We hope to be finished with the final design by this coming November.