project. That is why it is necessary to have a lot of people brainstorming together on the same project. More people also make troubleshooting a lot easier, so it is important to not only question your own ideas, but also those of others.Actually, please, please, please ask questions. In fact always question. There is no design which is perfect and no idea which is flawless. Continually question, dissect, take apart, stare at every single part of the robot. It is useless if we discover a flaw during the competition (i.e. faulty welds). Everyone can screw up- even engineers- and it is important to realize this and to (almost) never accept anything on faith.• 2. Design RobotOnce the tasks have been finalized, design of the physical robot can begin. At this stage, it is only necessary to decide on a frame/chassis design and major features of the robot. It will be the job of each team to come up with the actual design of the components. If you're like most people, you are probably stuck trying to come up with a design. I wish there could be a set of directions I could give you to solve all of your creativity blocks, but that is obviously impossible. I've included a couple pointers to help you get over those mental hiatuses common to all involved in any creative problem.Where do ideas for designs come from? These are the most creative steps of the whole process, and inspiration can come from anything. Let me repeat that: inspiration can come from ANYTHING. If you are ever stuck on a design problem, go look at something around you. We are surrounded by mechanical marvels (and even are one ourselves), and all are potential sources for a design. For example: notice how the arm on The Doctor mechanically resembles a human arm? Coincidence? Probably not. Another technique that seems to work well is just letting your mind wander. One day after school, Mr. Van was talking about something or another and I found myself blanking out, singing "Ca...
