Intentional Innovation Foundation, the operating sponsor of Triple Helix Robotics, publishes this detailed look at the team’s approved budget for the July 2022 – June 2023 fiscal year.

Budget

Triple Helix students have proudly submitted the following application to the 2022 Indiana Robotics Invitational, a competitive and prestigious annual offseason FRC tournament in the Indianapolis area.

What competitions did you attend in 2022?

• FIRST Chesapeake District – Greater Richmond Event #1 Day 1 (Winner)
• FIRST Chesapeake District – Greater Richmond Event #2 Day 1 (Undefeated, Winner)
• FIRST Chesapeake District – Greater Richmond Event #2 Day 2 (Winner)
• FIRST Chesapeake District Championship (Winner)

What was your best performance this year?

Triple Helix won our District Championship as the first overall pick of the event, and with a first-time robot driver. Over the season, we accumulated a 55-4-3 W/L/T record including a 27 match win streak and having gone undefeated at one district event.

Are there any special circumstances we need to know about?

Working with limited membership due to COVID, we focused on building the fastest possible Cargo cycling robot. With a simple robot design, and by devoting remaining time to practice and tuning, this strategy led to competitive success unprecedented for our team. We prioritized Cargo cycling to maximize points during teleop even during the last 30s; by ending matches with a buzzerbeater climb using an improved Everybot climber, we were able to rival Traversal climbers representing far greater resource investment and mechanical complexity.

During competition season, we selected and trained a new driver ~1 week prior to the DCMP due to an injury on the drive team. Triple Helix declined our invitation to the FIRST Championship due to travel restrictions by the school system.

Link to a team video, if you would like to share one.

Triple Helix’s pit crew ensured that our 2022 robot, Genome Nu, was ready for each match by working through the following checklist.

• Periodically inspect all wire connections
  • Power: battery->breaker->PDP->Controller->Motor
  • CAN: RIO->can devices->PDP
• Inspect each swerve module
  • Clean movement
  • Carpet fuzz
• Inspect belts for wear
• Inspect shooter wheel tread for wear
• Inspect climbing hooks for smooth operation after use
• Clean intake flaps with alcohol when needed
• Charge pneumatic system (with old battery)
• Log and install a new battery. Secure loose battery cables with zip-tie.
• Check proper auto switch setting
• Push the hood all the way down to the lowest position

Intentional Innovation Foundation, the operating sponsor of Triple Helix Robotics, publishes this detailed look at the organization’s approved budget for the July 2021 – June 2022 fiscal year.

Budget

Intentional Innovation Foundation, the operating nonprofit sponsor of Triple Helix Robotics, is proud to present our Annual Report for the organization’s 2020-2021 fiscal year.

Report

Triple Helix head coach Nate Laverdure sent the following message on behalf of the Intentional Innovation Foundation Board of Directors.

Intentional Innovation Foundation, the nonprofit operating sponsor of Triple Helix Robotics, strives to provide a safe, affirming, and professional environment for learners to explore tough, exciting problems in STEM.

We are disappointed by Tuesday’s [August 17, 2021] vote of the Newport News School Board to reject proposed revisions to Policy JB, Equal Educational Opportunities, which would have expanded the district’s existing anti-discrimination protection to the reasons of gender and gender identity. This change would have also enabled schools to implement policies consistent with the Virginia Department of Education’s “Model Policies for the Treatment of Transgender Students in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools” as required by law.

Adopting the proposed policy changes will make the school environment more reflective of the professional working environments of our employers and sponsors. This environment is one where contributions to the team matter more than identity based discriminatory factors, and it is an environment which we seek to provide to our participants. Adopting the policy changes enhances our ability to provide, at no cost to Newport News Public Schools, the high-energy competition robotics experiences which inspire our young people to become science and technology leaders.

Intentional Innovation Foundation advocates for the passage, without delay, of the proposed revisions to the Equal Educational Opportunities policy at the next Special Meeting of the Newport News School Board scheduled for Thursday, August 26, 2021, at 5 p.m. in the School Administration Building.

Nate Laverdure
President, Intentional Innovation Foundation
Head coach, Triple Helix Robotics