CPR Mechanical Division

Imagination is realized and carried out by this essential division of our team. At the beginning of each season, our team collaborates to establish the best robot design. The Mechanical team takes that vision from the drawing board to complete execution. They practice collaboration among students and mentors alike to capitalize on each individual’s engineering excellence. By emphasizing hands-on learning, Mechanical spurs on the creation of an exceptional robot.

The students in our mechanical division, while being the backbone of our team, also learn valuable engineering skills that will benefit them when finding a career. Students who work in our Mechanical division are guaranteed an education in how many heavy machines work and how to operate those machines. This has given many CPR alums a leg up when they get to college, providing them with the basics of engineering so that our alumni may excel in deeper fields.

Electrical

Our electrical team has evolved over the years, and as of 2022 it is standing on its own feet as a subdivision. This subdivision is the bridge between the software and the hardware. They are responsible for creating and routing wires that travel all throughout the robot. Nearly all our wiring is made from scratch, and major modifications to the robot’s hardware often requires large sections of electrical work to be redone, so this team must be uniquely flexible. They also use challenging processes such as soldering to achieve complex results.

Thinking Like an Engineer

Every student in our division is provided with multiple opportunities to think like an engineer, finding chances to flex their creative muscles in a real world environment. Thinking like an engineer involves a blend of logical and narrative reasoning, being able to think of what must happen to build a successful robot but also visualize how to get there. This style of thinking trains our engineers to think critically in any job scenario, finding ways around problems by utilizing their unique thinking style.

CPR mechanical engineers are trained daily by professionals in the field who give our students the same level of training they would receive in their career, giving them the knowledge that they need to thrive in both college or trade school, leading them to their eventual career. With this mechanical training, students also learn how to behave in a work environment, learning skills that are applicable in any career such as working together, valuing teammate ideas, and cooperating with members.

Mechanical Highlights

Over the years, we’ve had the opportunity to bring creative and innovative ideas to life. Here are some examples of our best Mechanical designs!

2022 - We created a climber that was able to rotate 360 degrees, and climbed the bars with incredible precision. Our windmill-style climber was aided by movable hooks and a drag chain that ensured organized wiring.

2018 - In the FIRST Power Up competition, there was little space for robots to climb. To accommodate our alliance partners, we latched onto the side of the bar and kept our robot out of the way. Our elevator extended and snapped an arm mechanism onto the bar, then detached from the arm so that its only connection to the robot was a very sturdy string. We then climbed this string, using the length of the arm mechanism to keep our distance from our alliance partners.

2017 - During the FIRST Steamworks 2017 game, the final portion of the game presented a significant challenge in the form of a climb. [Start from here Nat]