The Bionics Place Second, Win IndusTRIAL Design Award at URI District Event

The BIonics Beocme Finalists at The UniveRSITY of rhode island

On March 14-16, Team 4909 - The Bionics competed at the University of Rhode Island District Event in Kingston, RI for Week 3 of the 2024 FIRST® Robotics Competition. This weekend-long competition took place at the Keaney Gymnasium and was the team’s third official event of the 2024 season. 

In the weeks prior to the competition, the team was able to focus on consistency. The software team updated code to improve the robot's performance during both automated and tele-operated periods and the drive team held extensive driver practices to consistently score game pieces with short cycle times.  

Like previous events, the match structure is composed of qualification matches, followed by a double-elimination playoff bracket. Team 4909 ended the first day of the competition undefeated and broke the event high score of 91 points in one match. After the end of qualification matches, The Bionics won 11 of 12 qualification matches and was tied in ranking points with the first-place team. However, the Bionics dropped down to 2nd place due to FRC's tiebreaking procedure. Despite this, Team 4909 captained the 2nd-seed alliance, partnering with Team 1058, “PVC Pirates” of Londonderry, NH and Team 8544, “Reinforcement” of Sutton, MA. 

During the playoffs, the alliance won three consecutive matches, moving on as event finalists. In the finals, the Bionics won their first match against the 1st-seed alliance. Unfortunately, this match did not count and had to be replayed due to a field error. Despite the previous success, the team's robot suddenly experienced a mechanical error in the drive train, causing the Bionics to lose the replay, and the following match. This ended the competition with the Bionics placing second, earning the title, "Event Finalists." Even though the Bionics did not take home a blue banner, URIDE was unarguably one of the team’s best performing competitions in team history. 

Bionics Win Industrial Design AwarD

During the award ceremony, the judges awarded Team 4909 the Industrial Design Award, presented by General Motors. This award, "celebrates excellence in marrying form, function, and aesthetics within the realm of robotics." The judges specifically complimented the team's implementation of industrial design principles, including the use of precise machining and a compact design.

The Bionics' next competition will be the New England District Championship at The Big E fairgrounds in Springfield, MA from April 4-6.

Published on 3/18/2024 by Daniel Darris-O'Connor
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