Hallelujah

It's raining, man! A little shower can't slow down the Blitz train, though. Then again, we really did nothing, except for some buying and scavenging here and there.

To accommodate for our severely underfunded ventures, we decided to pool what remains of our hard-earned money, giving us enough to buy a total of 40 blind rivets and a few 2-inch screws. Fortunately, a kind soul gave us some cash for welding and fixing the wiper motors.

(Note: This was the first time one of the Sciborgs felt the punishing heat of a freshly-welded wiper motor. It still hurts even now. )

With the wiper motors welded and ready for rolling, we shunted them onto Baby Blitz's frame, with some effort. Later, the wheels were attached, and BAM! Blitzkrieg is ready for action...

Or not. 

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Stressed Out

    Stress (n.) - a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances.

   When people get overworked, they tend to go haywire. When people are thrust into a sudden, serious situation, they tend to go catatonic. When steel is placed on a long piece of wood, it tends to break.  All of these things are collectively known in a single word – stress.

   It's been 12 hours since we started this charade. For some reason, we can't seem to fix the wiper motor. And it broke down. We tried to fix the magnets inside back in their place, but alas, we were unsuccessful. Then we bought a new one.

   Another problem had come forth when we tested out the pneumatic system. Contrary to our high and prideful hopes, the pneumatics, even with the aid of an illustration board to have a bigger impact area, was useless. The ball couldn't even go out of the makeshift cannon. The clock's still ticking. We're screwed.

   This all happened in the midst of the periodic exams. With mind, body, and soul crushed as the tremors of examination burrowed deep, our stressful escapades have just begun.

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He Lives!

     This is a momentous day for the Sciborgs. After weeks of planning, building, and frustrations, finally – FINALLY – we have achieved our penultimate goal: the test drive.

     Still reeling in from the devastation brought upon by periodic exams, the team was unsurprisingly haggard. Most of us just want to go home relax. Alas, the show must go on, and the robot’s waiting for us. Before the test, some adjustments were made to Blitz (Has riveting ever been this fun?), and the wiper motors were fixed. After a not-so-terrible time of learning how to use tools, we successfully put the wheels, motor, and boards in place, if ‘successfully’ means ‘the wheels are slanted and can’t even move normally.’ And so, Blitzkrieg’s first test drive began. During the test, we discovered a lot of aspects that may hinder our efforts: one wheel was slower than the other, and the concentrated mass on the back was slowing down, or even stopping, the robot. In short, it was not going well. So much for Blitzkrieg’s first-ever test drive.

     This day had both success and failure written on it. Nevertheless, all those technicalities mean that we can still go the full mile, and a few adjustments actually gave us hope that Blitz can rise upon any adversity center stage. Our ancestors did not give up on Fuego back then, and neither will us.

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Leo

There comes a time when every Robotics team has to swallow their pride and ask others, besides their coach, for help. For us Sciborgs, no pride has to be swallowed; in fact, it invigorated us even further. With tech-saviness in one hand and badassery in the other, he proves to be a powerful asset to the team.

Meet Leo!

The husband of our coach, Mrs. Lea, he's an aeronautic engineer who really knows his trade. Leo's tools, skills, and know-how helped us greatly in fixing Baby Blitz.

Leo's advice has passed on to our generation, and we will pass them onto the next. Thanks for everything!

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