Our Robots
Armstrong
Our 2023 robot for CHARGED UP was named Armstrong. Why? Because its predominant feature was a single arm that incorporated our first pivot and elevator. It also featured our first articulating intake-a milestone for Mechanically Challenged.
Armstrong was also our first attempt at competing in two regionals. It debuted at the Arkansas Regional and later competed at the Green Country Regional in Tulsa.
Armstrong used tank drive and was operated with the Thrustmaster T 1600 M Joysticks. Another first for Mechanically Challenged was the introduction of a secondary operator. Our "gunner" used an Xbox controller to control the pivot, elevator, and claw.
YEET! The Baby
YEET! was our 2024 robot for CRESCENDO, inspired loosely by the Unqualified Quokkas-and named accordingly. Legend has it that quokkas throw their babies at enemies when threatened, and the chaotic energy felt like a perfect fit.
YEET! used a pivot-based shooter paired with a pull-through intake/outtake system. Working together, the programming team and driver added a "reverse controls" button, letting the driver instantly flip the robot's controls for quicker turnarounds on the field.
This year, we scrapped the AndyMark kit and built our own West Coast drivetrain with a brand-new gearbox. YEET! competed at the Arkansas Regional before heading to the Bayou Regional in New Orleans.
Ebirah - Horror Of The Doorknobs
Ebirah was our 2025 entry for REEFSCAPE. Its main focus was an elevator built from the Thriftybot Elevator Kit, which was heavily modified to meet our needs. Over the season, we cycled through three different intake designs, with the final version pictured at the bottom.
Ebirah ran on a modified West Coast frame powered by Kraken Motors generously donated by a team member's family. It featured three cameras and was our first to be retrofitted with SWERVE after the season. The robot also included a plethora of 3D-printed parts, and its 3D-printed battery case turned a lot of heads in Knoxville.
Ebirah competed at the Arkansas Regional and debuted a completely new intake at the Smoky Mountain Regional outside Knoxville, Tennessee. Later, it showcased the new Thrifty SWERVE drivetrain at the 2025 Ozark Mountain Brawl.
Grozam
Grozam marked a major milestone for Mechanically Challenged, as it was our first competition bot to utilize a swerve drive. Built with Thrifty Swerve Modules powered by Kraken X60's as the drive motors, and REV NEO motors for steering, the drivetrain gave our team a new level of maneuverability and control on the field.
The robot was designed around one primary objective: quickly collect game pieces from the floor and accurately shoot them in the scoring target. A slap-down intake gathered game pieces from the carpet and transferred them into an internal storage system. An indexer then fed each piece into the shooter. Throughout the season, we continued refining the design and eventually added a polycarbonate hopper, allowing Grozam to hold additional game pieces and improve scoring efficiency.
Vision played a significant role in Grozam's operation. The robot featured two cameras with dedicated purposes. A forward-facing camera assisted the driver with navigation and aligning the intake with game pieces, while the second camera was dedicated to helping aim the shooter for more accurate shooting.
Grozam also continued our team's tradition of incorporating extensive 3D-printed components. One of the most unique features was a set of custom shooter wheels printed from a specialized foam TPU material. The compliant structure of the wheels compressed the game pieces just enough to generate consistent launch velocity while maintaining an excellent grip. These wheels attracted significant attention from judges throughout the season and sparked many technical discussions about the design and manufacturing process.
Grozam competed at the Arkansas Regional, where Mechanically Challenged earned another historic achievement by captaining the eighth-seeded alliance-our team's first time serving as an official alliance captain at an FRC event. Later in the season, Grozam competed at the City of Fountains Regional in Missouri, where we were selected by the third-seeded alliance and advanced to a fourth-place finish.
The robot was operated with two Xbox controllers. The driver concentrated on field navigation, robot positioning, and aiming, while the operator managed the intake-mechanism, controlled the shooter, and maintained shooter wheel speed to ensure consistent scoring.
As with all of our recent robots, Grozam's software was developed in Java, continuing the programming language tradition of Mechanically Challenged through the 2026 season.
