First FTC Swerve Drivetrain in South Florida

What is the project about?

The goal of this project is to become the first FTC Team in South Florida to make a Swerve Drivetrain. By doing this it significantly improves our chances to make it to the FTC World Championships, and even win it.

Why did I decide to make it

I decided to make it for the goal of trying to make it to the world championships as we have not for over 8 years. We are one of the best performing clubs and teams in our region. Within the FIRST Community in South Florida and Florida worldwide, we are widely known for unique robots and a dance that we do at competitions to promote spirit. On top of this, our members participate in several other competitions such as VEX VRC where they were at the World Championship and they won 1st place Excellence Award, SkillsUSA where they placed #1 in Florida in 2 different competitions, and specifically PCBWay and help us through out the season by sponsoring other projects that we need later on, we can put your logo as the biggest, and most prominent one out there. You have the ability to reach over 10k people through inperson events, social media, or in our school.

How does it work?

Swerve drive overall is the concept of a wheel being able to rotate and spin at the same time, allowing for a very fast and precise holonomic drivetrain.

To make swerve drive you must first have a pod. This pod is what has a bearing to rotate the entire thing and most of the ratios and gears to spin the wheel at the desired speed. . At the top, the first pulley is for spinning the wheel. This is connected to a belt which is connected to a pulley on a motor. Then, below that pulley is another custom pulley. This is attached to the entire wheel which is attached to a gear fork. On the gear fork, there is then a bevel gear which allows you to have better packaging and have a 90* angle for better spacing.

To drive this, we need a motor and servo.

The gear ratios are very complex to take a 6000 rpm motor down to 617rpm wheel spin. Then the servo rotates at arround 111 rpm.

Who are we?

We are Team 3888. For the past 2 years, we have consistently reached the finals, and this year we were division finalists. At our regional competition, we were honored with the highest award, the Inspire Award 1st place. We are well known within Florida for our iconic dance and we directly teach 90+ people, reaching nearly 10,000 individuals, including 5,000 in our school. Our goal this year is to become the first South Florida team to develop a swerve drive and advance to the world championships, a dream we’ve held for the past 2 years.

How does this impact us?

As a self-funded team of 15 members, we face significant challenges in securing the resources needed for advanced manufacturing and complex projects. Achieving our goal would not only elevate our team’s capabilities but also enhance the STEM education and opportunities for 90 other individuals directly involved with our club. By supporting us, you are not only investing in the future of 15 passionate team members but also inspiring and empowering a larger community to reach new heights in STEM and robotics. This support will be instrumental in helping us achieve our dream of competing at the FTC World Championships.