Judges’ comments: This team follows a protocol in their appearance on and off the field. Consisting of rookies, they have team spirit with custom safety glasses that glitter, special names for each other, and hats that match their name sake. The Spirit of the Competition Award goes to a team that wants to “bee all they can bee”, Team 33!
Technical
Excellence Award –
Awarded to the team that possesses technical excellence in robot design and operation.
Judges’ comments: This team started out shooting, but decided dunking was their style. They implemented a strategic gripper design that has been constantly improved upon throughout the competitions. When partnered in a match, this team definitely has your back, and their spirit rivals any team in the building. The dedication this team displays at each tournament is a solid testimony of their technical excellence, as well as spirit!
Strategic Design Award --
Awarded to the team with a well-defined strategy and an unusually clever or effective design feature to implement that strategy.
Judges’ comments: This team had a plan with strategic design up-front and center. Every part of their design was tested, modeled and redesigned when needed. They used clever solutions to tackle the tough jobs like making the three-pointer, effective ball manipulation, and scoring. Best of all, the robot worked like a clock!
Quality Award – Oakland Schools Technical Campus Northeast
Awarded to the team that best exemplifies a quality robotics program. The recipient of this award must employ quality practices in an effective manner in terms of team organization, team
The alliance of Pontiac and Rochester Adams won the annual Oakland County Competitive Robotics Association (OCCRA)
An alliance between Oakland Schools Technical Campus Northeast and the
The combined team from Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice and Marian,
This year’s OCCRA theme is “bot basketball” where teams earn points when their robots score baskets on a mock basketball court. The tournament structure randomly pairs robots from two different schools in an “alliance” against two robots from an opposing alliance.
> Feature on OCCRA Diversity Tournament at Royal Oak
> Feature on OCCRA Tournament at Birmingham Seaholm
> Feature on OCCRA Tournament at Waterford Kettering
> County championship photo gallery
This is a full-contact robotics competition, where students control their 120-pound creations as they clash on the court of play. The robots will try to score points by placing balls into basketball hoops while their opponents try to stop them. OCCRA robots play rough and some damage will surely occur but, unlike “Battlebots,” the rules prohibit teams from intentionally damaging another machine.
Other award-winners from the county championship included:
Beautiful
Bot Award –
Awarded to the team with the best looking machine.
Judges’ comments: This robot looks beautiful with a bucket loading and off-loading design. It is simple and colorful, yet functional.
Spirit of the Competition Award –
Awarded to the team that exhibits extraordinary enthusiasm and spirit along with the best sportsmanship and continuous gracious
Judges’ comments: This team has a quality robotics program, effective organization, great team management, and a quality robot building process.
Simple Solutions Award –
Awarded to the team with a uniquely simplistic mechanical design and/or a simplistic game winning strategy
Judges’ comments: This team used a “simple” robust design that maximized the shape of their rectangular tubing to handle the stress of their scoring arm and took advantage of the increased cross-sectional area to keep it stiff and functional under the constant attack of competition! Like Albert Einstein said, “Make things as simple as possible – but not simpler.”
Most Improved Award – Birmingham Groves
Awarded to the team and/or robot that has improved the most during the competition season.
Judges’ comments: Team 1213’s robot has improved the most during the 2009 competition season.
Judge’s
Award One –
Created by the judges on the day of the competition.
Judges’ comments: To stop other robots from pushing them around when their arm is deployed, they used two pistons to push a no-slip brake like pad to the carpet to hold the robot in place as they deployed the ball up the long gantry like arm. They turned a huge offensive problem into a stable platform.
Judge’s Award Two – Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice and Marian
Judges’ comments: This winning team had an excellent robot right from the beginning. The team made a few changes, with one particular change designed to help the communications between the
robot and the drive team. The judges award for the best out of the box team goes to Brother Rice and Marian.
VEX Award --
The VEX award goes to a team that demonstrates excellence in the design, the autonomous programming and/or the strategy for the VEX robot.
Judges’ comments: This winning team has usually relied on the big brother robot to score. However, today it was the vex robot that earned the points, scoring consistently in autonomous mode. The Vex Award goes to Team 51, Pontiac.
Competitive robotics generates enthusiasm for technical and academic disciplines such as design, engineering, physics, and electronics. The high-energy OCCRA competitions provide recognition and encouragement for students who are devoting their time and energy to this academic activity. Furthermore, OCCRA participants have the opportunity to learn more about the diverse technical career options available in our county and state.
OCCRA is administered by Oakland Schools and supported by the Oakland Schools Education Foundation (OSEF). This assistance is made possible through the generosity and support of area businesses and individuals. Current corporate sponsors include: DTE Energy Foundation, Chrysler, Delphi Automotive Systems, Denso International America, Inc., General Motors Powertrain, and SMC Pneumatics.
The final event of the OCCRA season will be the award banquet on Dec. 2 at 6 p.m. at Oakland Schools.
The Oakland Schools Education Foundation Award will be announced at the event. Finalists for the award are: Brother Rice and Marian, Oakland Schools Technical Campus Northeast, Pontiac, Rochester Adams, and Waterford Kettering.