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Brainstorming...probably the least favorite part of BEST for many people, but also one of the most critical aspects. Many
people may think that you can have one "brainstorm session" in the beginning and get it over with, but in truth, it's never
done! Even after a team has won a competition, the process continues: How can we make this better for Nationals? What should
we do to make it more efficient? In the beginning, all you can do is brainstorm ideas for how to start. After you have your
initial ideas, you have to test them out to see if they work. If they don't work, then it's back to the drawing board for
new ideas! This process continues all season long, because the robot is never perfect; part of the reason BEST helps so many
people in real life is because there are always new problems to be solved, and new ways to make it better!
The builders say that they brainstormed the most on the rotation of the claw. It was hard to keep the tension on the
strings that pull to rotate the claw. Team Captain Gary Brown says that they had to redesign the claw's rotation at least
four times! This year's robot also features an extending arm, which Gary said also gave them a few problems to brainstorm.
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