Building Cithaeronian: Our First Competition Robot

Cithaeronian was our first robot to compete in an official FTC competition. Here's the story of how we brought it to life.

Design Philosophy

When we started designing Cithaeronian, we had three main goals:

1. Reliable artifact intake and scoring
2. Fast cycle times for competitive advantage
3. Robust construction for tournament conditions

Key Mechanisms

Compliant Wheel Intake

Our intake system uses compliant wheels to reliably grab artifacts from various angles. This proved crucial in matches where precision was difficult.

Spindexer Sorting

The aluminum spindexer mechanism allowed us to sort and index artifacts efficiently, reducing cycle time significantly.

Competition Results

At the Brisbane South Regional Qualifier, we placed 13th. While we didn't make it to finals, we learned valuable lessons that are shaping our next robot.

“Every robot teaches us something new. Cithaeronian taught us the importance of reliability over complexity.”