Prototype 1: The first prototype we tested was our initial idea of using a weighted, hinged bar from our starting box to block the opponent's side of the bridge. We thought it would be an effective but simple design for improving our gameplan. We got our prototype built and started just doing some random testing. We initially rejected the design as we wrote up in the last Documentation period. However, we kept the structure built. We were ahead of schedule, we decided to spend some time seeing if we could make it work. We shortenened the structure so it only covered the opponent's half of the bridge, and made other minor mechanical changes that could improve it. So we attached it to the platform and made the small change to the code to allow the iCreate robot to push the structure over deploy it across the bridge. We made a quick data table for testing purposes, and recorded if the blocking structure deployed properly, if the XBC robot still managed to get over the bridge, or if the entire run was a total failure (a total failure was defined as the blocking structure not deploying properly and the XBC not getting over the pipe). We found that out of 10 tests, 5 were total failures. Of the 5 other tests, the structure only deployed properly on 2 of those. 
We think this was a good way to evaluate our ideas. As we continue our development, we plan to use testing results to refine our navigation of both our XBC bridge robot and our Create robot. We are creating several test plans to prove we have the best design and code.