UBC RoboMaster Student Team

A group of robot enthusiasts dedicating their whole summer and beyond

to one of the largest university robotics tournaments in the world.

The Team

Starting from a group of 8 friends with some free time to explore in summer, to a full size student team with more than 35 members, the UBC RoboMaster student team was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. Serving as the external captain, I coordinated team outreach events, organized team meetings, and brought our robots overseas to competition.

Robot Mechanical Design

The core objective of the RoboMaster competition is to launch projectiles at opposing robots while maneuvering a complex field. Therefore, our team designed a robust, stable chassis with suspension system, and a launcher capable of fast and accurate firing. One of the major difficulties was manufacturing all custom components in-house. Starting from zero machining experience, I got trained with machine shop tools and assembled the robot with the team. Putting the robot together was one of the most exhausting yet rewarding things on this team.

Integration & Programming

Going from a computer model of the robot to a final product takes much longer than imagined. As with this launcher, integrating it with the rest of the robot is one of the major challenges for the robot design. The robot chassis spins 360 degrees, hence we have to route all cables through a slip ring, and use quarternion coordinates for calculating the position of the launcher. The firmware also integrated CAN communication and RTOS, making it robust and fast. Further, we then integrate the firmware with the computer vision system, allowing us to detect the position of opponent robots and respond accordingly.

Youtube Video

I created this video in celebration of one-year birthday of the team, and also one of the most eventful years in my life. Unfortunately, the team had not been able to continue since then due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, when I am faced with challenging problems, I often look back to this year, and this video, to find strength in completing something we once could not imagine. I hope this video will bring you some courage as well!
Alice X.

Alice X.

Engineering Physics student at UBC, interested in novel materials, quantum computers, robots and instrumentation, and ways we can make STEM education more accessible.

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