The Robonauts 118 - 2014 Video

[Justin Ridley]

The Robonauts robot for 2014.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtRewwr59d8

Good luck to all teams!

[Tyler2517]

Looks really good. That shooter ...

[Torrance]

Wow! Love the self catch and how easily it is for you guys to make truss shots. The linear puncher looks fabulous.

[dcarr]

Spectacular as always. The fit and finish on 118 robots is amazing. Superb range on that shooter.

Nice truss hang ;)

[Navid Shafa]

There are so many similar robots out there. Most of the robots seem to have some form of a RI3D or Build Blitz Bot mechanism. Pick a collector, pick a shooter, mix and match...

What will 118 do differently? Maybe a turret? Maybe we'll see swerve back?

I would not have guessed this in a million years...

Beautiful as always.

[azcalg]

That shot over the truss... :eek:
I also love the paint job, kinda steampunkish

[tim-tim]

Another great machine from 118. There must be something in the water down there.

[Link07]

Looks pretty cool. Nice job 118

[Blackphantom91]

Looks Great! Can't wait to see you all at KC.

[wilsonmw04]

Having problems seeing it on mobile devices.

[Nathan Streeter]

As always, an awesome reveal video! Everything looks simply awesome... I have to say that shoot-on-the-move may be one of the biggest difference-makers!

The two-ball auto + mobility in 5 seconds seems to be a clear teaser that you could pretty easily do a 3-ball... :-)

[Mk.32]

Pure bliss.

Thank you 118 (and others) for giving me something greater to aspire to each year.

[calvinstence]

I am speechless. That's an incredible robot.

Amazing work. Can't wait to see it in person at LSR!

[Anupam Goli]

Great machine. I especially liked the shot showing how high the ball could go when released vertically. is this machine super overweight like last year's machine in the reveal video? ;)

[Jaxom]

<Jaw drops> THAT should make GKC interesting.

[JohnFogarty]

Dang. Not sure if this is just a mobile device thing i'm seeing. Pinball wizard is such a good song too.

http://i.imgur.com/vSukIzx.png

[JohnSchneider]

Dang. Not sure if this is just a mobile device thing i'm seeing. Pinball wizard is such a good song too.

http://i.imgur.com/vSukIzx.png

Yes 620 had the same issue last night.

[wilsonmw04]

That's the risk you take using copyrighted material without permission.

[!Alp!]

Thats quite an interesting shooter. Are you guys getting multiple shots or just a high goal shot?

[techtiger1]

You guys continue to raise the bar on what an amazing robot is. Congrats on what looks like another stellar build season :] . Oh yeah nice video too.

[Mastonevich]

Love all of the features of this robot. Looking forward to team 118 coming to Kansas City so I can see it in person.

[eddie12390]

Any chance of getting a still from the video showing an image? I don't have access to the video on my current network and I can't contain my anticipation.

[IKE]

This is the architecture I thought most top teams would have this year. Love the music selection. Great reveal video as we have come to expect from 118.

[ajlapp]

Here is a Dropbox Version of the video...

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bsng8uf8kc5xdm7/Team%20118%20Robonauts%202014.mp4

Better quality...

https://www.dropbox.com/s/m7aft6gq8gzkf65/Team%20118%20Robonauts%202014_HQ.mp4

and a still image...

https://www.dropbox.com/s/63uuy9d6fsv1leo/2014-02-18%2021.12.07.jpg

[Justin Montois]

Looks awesome as always. Good luck this season!

[mounikab]

That looks amazing! Great job guys!!

[Lil' Lavery]

Simply fantastic. That robot should be able to execute just about every role, short of goalie, in most every strategy at a top level. Love the truss passing and two ball hot goal autonomous.

Not to mention the Robonauts foresaw the secret endgame more than a year ahead of time!

That's the risk you take using copyrighted material without permission.
How anyone can still defend the ridiculous business model of record companies or our broken handling of "intellectual property" confounds me.

[cadandcookies]

Dang it, not available on mobile... Ah well, I'm sure it will be worth the wait.

By the way, I still have the dropbox link to the 2013 video on my phone to show people.

EDIT: Thanks, love the video and robot. Will need to watch it on a bigger screen to get the true experience :P

[coalhot]

Them micro omnis. wow

Awesome vid as always! 118 never fails to impress.

[Brandon Holley]

Blown away as usual 118. Amazing job guys!

#sealingcantholdus

[Navid Shafa]

118 never fails to disappoint.

::ouch::

[vhcook]

Wow. Definitely looking forward to getting a closer look at this at Kansas City.

[Jared Russell]

Very nice, Robnots.

[Jeffy]

What are the micro-omni wheels for?

[Electronica1]

Are the micro omni wheels powered like a butterfly drive or are you using them as drop down casters?

Also, I assume this is what a transformer that transforms into a pinball machine would look like.

[Abhishek R]

Not sure if it's a robot or artpiece.

[tim-tim]

Not sure if it's a robot or artpiece.

Who says it can't be both? Functional art?

[Jibsy]

So when is 118 going to join us at the Waterloo regional?

[protoserge]

Awesome work. I like the new Voyager (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_1)-like design!

On the mobile format issue, we had something like that occur on our Gangnam Style video. I believe it was how it was encoded - Mac users pay attention to the encoder that is used for the exported file.

[PayneTrain]

Wow neat robot

*goes to http://frclinks.frclinks.com/e/txsa/2014*

*reads team numbers*

http://gifatron.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/ive-made-a-huge-mistake.gif

[L1dor]

Just wow
i can't tell what i feel inside me

[George1902]

Just wow
i can't tell what i feel inside me
It's called inspiration. Gotta love it! =-]

[wilsonmw04]

How anyone can still defend the ridiculous business model of record companies or our broken handling of "intellectual property" confounds me.

This is a convo for another thread, but I think you would feel differently if you were the one making the music.

[Coach Norm]

Are the micro omni wheels powered like a butterfly drive or are you using them as drop down casters?


I believe they are for drifting/J turn when driving. Lower omnis down right before the turn and Drift/J turn to reverse direction. West Coast with the ability of omnis for turning and reversing direction of the robot. Check out the video starting at :30 seconds and watch the action of the robot right before the wall.

[s_forbes]

Love the position locking mechanism for the arm rotation, that there is pretty clever. Lots of other beautiful little details in the mechanisms, I'm always amazed with how your design team is able to agree on and implement so many aesthetics into your parts. Can't wait to check it out at champs!

[Peter Matteson]

I got a copyright takedown message for music licensing...
:(

[JVN]

Wow! Incredible machine as always. I'm looking forward to seeing it next week in San Antonio. :) I'm completely in awe of you guys.

[tim-tim]

I got a copyright takedown message for music licensing...
:(

Use the dropbox link in post 24 - here (http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1345954&postcount=24)

[Hjelstrom]

Very very nice!

[waialua359]

As always, excellent, excellent work.:)
Having got the chance to see the facilities and meet the engineers/students last summer was awe inspiring.
Good luck to you folks this season.......or should I say good luck to all of the other teams at the same regionals.

-Glenn

[Akash Rastogi]

much graceful. such wow.

Also I really love the use of round tubing on this thing. Beautiful.

I won't be able to see it in person until IRI. :(

[roystur44]

The drop down omni wheels for the T bone defense are the bomb!

When I saw that shot at the end my jaw dropped. What's the actual spring tension force to shoot the ball across the truss and into the high goal?

Are you using set points for the variable distance or using a camera and algorithm to control the pull force?

Great robot my favorite so far.

[JohnSchneider]

When I saw that shot at the end my jaw dropped. What's the actual spring tension force to shoot the ball across the truss and into the high goal?
Great robot my favorite so far.

They cheat a little bit there by being in motion already ;)

[Abhishek R]

They cheat a little bit there by being in motion already ;)

Yeah, firing while driving can easily double your shot distance.

[Michael Corsetto]

Love the position locking mechanism for the arm rotation, that there is pretty clever.

This is one of my favorite parts as well. Reminds me of the locking mechanism used in 254's T-shirt bot. Perhaps some inspiration there?

Great work as always 118. I like how the reveal videos for the top teams this year actually show how the game will be played (human loading balls into robots, trussing, consistent shooting, passing, etc.)

See you all at champs!

-Mike

[magnets]

Does anybody have specs for this robot (like how the spring tensioning works)?

It's really awesome, as usual for 118.

[Hallry]

Another amazing one for the record books; both an awesome machine and video, as always. With 148's reveal yesterday and 118's this morning, today was a good day to wear my "Don't Mess With Texas Robots" shirt that I won at IRI. ;)

Just a question though: how do the, for lack of a better description, big white floppy catching ears, stay within the frame perimeter at the beginning of the match?

[bEdhEd]

I wish i though of lifting up the robot to get the drive wheels up to speed before touching the floor again to increase the rate of acceleration. I may have to consider doing this for future seasons, and it could work well for defense evasion.

[hadynbrouwer98]

Please make it available to watch on mobile devices please ?

[Hallry]

Please make it available to watch on mobile devices please ?

That probably won't be possible due to the music used in the video. They'd have to upload a video without any music to watch it on mobile devices.

[Navid Shafa]

Please make it available to watch on mobile devices please ?

You can watch it here too:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bsng8uf8kc5xdm7/Team%20118%20Robonauts%202014.mp4

[P.J.]

My favorite part of 118's reveal videos from the last few years is the symbolic passing of the game piece from the previous year's robot. It's such a small thing, but I love it.

[mrnoble]

I too am wondering about the side rails and the perimeter. I loved, loved the drift turns. Regarding the "pop" sound, did you create the punch plate hollow to give it that sound? For that matter, did you engineer most of the whirls, pops and other noises on purpose? It sure comes across that that was the case. If so, it really is taking my appreciation of your engineering to new heights that I hadn't even imagined that any team could reach for. I might someday take a pilgrimage to Houston from Denver just to visit your facilities and learn as much as you'll allow.

[Hallry]

My favorite part of 118's reveal videos from the last few years is the symbolic passing of the game piece from the previous year's robot. It's such a small thing, but I love it.

I've noticed this too. I think it started back in 2012 with Endeavor when their 2011 bot Magic 'passed off' a basketball?

[Donut]

Looks awesome. Haven't looked at to many robots yet but this is one of the cooler catching mechanisms I've seen. Should have named the robot Roger Rabbit or Bugs Bunny with those catcher ears.

[Tristan Lall]

Please make it available to watch on mobile devices please ?
Google's policy for YouTube videos is that mobile devices should be treated differently than conventional computers with regard to potential copyright infringement (especially of music). I'm not sure what their rationale is (because no such mandate exists in U.S. law), but I can think of a few possible reasons why they might choose to do so anyway. For example, maybe they have an agreement with the RIAA, maybe they're relying on a particular legal precedent that concerned only one type of device, or maybe they have an economic reason for doing so.

Also bear in mind that unauthorized use of copyrighted content may nevertheless be legal, due to the fair use (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use) doctrine.

Edit: By the way, that's a nice robot.

[AllenGregoryIV]

Amazing, to be able to switch construction techniques from year to year and still produce astonishing robots is a testament to the skill of the entire team

I love the casters, a small little feature that will make a huge difference against defense.

Can't wait to throw some passes to both of those machines.

Fantastic job, Alamo is going to be an impressive show next week. If I don't get to do your real inspection I'll probably have to "randomly" inspect it at some point during the event.

[L1dor]

always amazings robot's

[Edxu]

I literally burst out laughing when I saw the hang.

Great robot for this year!

[sdcantrell56]

I wish i though of lifting up the robot to get the drive wheels up to speed before touching the floor again to increase the rate of acceleration. I may have to consider doing this for future seasons, and it could work well for defense evasion.

Shhhhh. Don't tell too many people this secret

[MichaelBick]

Did you purchase the mini omnis? If you did would you mind posting a link for them.

[eddie12390]

Did you purchase the mini omnis? If you did would you mind posting a link for them.

I haven't seen the video since it was released but IIRC they looked a lot like the small VEX (not VEXPro) Omni wheels (although I could be wrong as I don't think they would be able to support a full FRC robot)

http://www.vexrobotics.com/media/catalog/product/cache/11/image/296x/5e06319eda06f020e43594a9c230972d/2/7/276-1902-omni-wheel-front.jpg

[Navid Shafa]

Can't wait until they release CAD so I can figure out how the whole shooter and cocking assembly works.

[MichaelBick]

I haven't seen the video since it was released but IIRC they looked a lot like the small VEX (not VEXPro) Omni wheels (although I could be wrong as I don't think they would be able to support a full FRC robot)

http://www.vexrobotics.com/media/catalog/product/cache/11/image/296x/5e06319eda06f020e43594a9c230972d/2/7/276-1902-omni-wheel-front.jpg

Doesn't look like it. The wheels they used were smaller and had 4 red rollers

[Lil' Lavery]

I wish i though of lifting up the robot to get the drive wheels up to speed before touching the floor again to increase the rate of acceleration. I may have to consider doing this for future seasons, and it could work well for defense evasion.

Shhhhh. Don't tell too many people this secret

I question if that's why they have the drop down omnis, and if that would even achieve what you think it would. Spinning up the drive motors with almost no load on them is not going to help their acceleration much (if any) once the full load of the robot is suddenly placed on them.

[eddie12390]

I question if that's why they have the drop down omnis, and if that would even achieve what you think it would. Spinning up the drive motors with almost no load on them is not going to help their acceleration much (if any) once the full load of the robot is suddenly placed on them.

This was tested on Mythbusters once and I recall them saying that "hitting the ground running" doesn't help. (At least not significantly)

[Botwoon]

I wish i though of lifting up the robot to get the drive wheels up to speed before touching the floor again to increase the rate of acceleration. I may have to consider doing this for future seasons, and it could work well for defense evasion.

I don't think that they intend for all four to be deployed at any time. Simply dropping two would make you much more slippery in terms of escaping pinning. I'm also quite sure that they are what are making those flashy 'handbrake turns' possible.

[coalhot]

I question if that's why they have the drop down omnis, and if that would even achieve what you think it would. Spinning up the drive motors with almost no load on them is not going to help their acceleration much (if any) once the full load of the robot is suddenly placed on them.

It seems like they wanted to be able to do turns and drifts with a drivetrain that looks like a 8WD no drop. You can do some nifty things by popping down the front two or back two as you turn. I think the spinning up the wheels and dropping the bot was just to show off. :D

(just from my observations from the video. I see more every time I watch it)

[AlecMataloni]

It seems like they wanted to be able to do turns and drifts with a drivetrain that looks like a 8WD no drop. You can do some nifty things by popping down the front two or back two as you turn. I think the spinning up the wheels and dropping the bot was just to show off. :D

(just from my observations from the video. I see more every time I watch it)

There's definitely drop on the wheels from what I see, as the robot rocks back and forth at the end of their little "spin up the wheels while off the ground" maneuver. Also, without drop that robot wouldn't be able to turn at all in that configuration (8wd, centered COM).

I think you're correct to say that the omnis are there for neat driving tricks, though. It's similar to the driving that 148 showed off in their 2011 video with their butterfly drive.

[mplanchard]

Great video. Great robots. Great song. Marie

[george.tan]

Impressive machine!

[magnets]

Can't wait until they release CAD so I can figure out how the whole shooter and cocking assembly works.

It looks like a lead screw to me.

[Navid Shafa]

It looks like a lead screw to me.

I think so too, but I think there is a lot more to it than just a lead screw. That's the part I'd like to figure out :)

[R.C.]

Doesn't look like it. The wheels they used were smaller and had 4 red rollers

They are 2" omni's!

[Joohoo]

Well it looks like YouTube blocked it for copyright reasons.

[Cory]

Well it looks like YouTube blocked it for copyright reasons.

Only on mobile devices.

[Mike Marandola]

Did you purchase the mini omnis? If you did would you mind posting a link for them.

I believe they are 40 mm Dagu omnis

http://www.robotshop.com/en/dagu-omni-wheel-40mm.html

[Canon reeves]

One cool thing I noticed about their 2" omni wheels seemed to be very useful when someone tried to t-bone them? I thought that was really cool and useful.

[Mike Marandola]

One cool thing I noticed about their 2" omni wheels seemed to be very useful when someone tried to t-bone them? I thought that was really cool and useful.

And those slick 180s

[rnewendyke]

I believe they are 40 mm Dagu omnis

http://www.robotshop.com/en/dagu-omni-wheel-40mm.html

They are either those or these (http://www.rotacaster.com.au/shop/product/item244506/rotacaster-48mm-double--90a--12mm-plain.html). I'm not seeing a rating on the Dagu's, but the Rotacoaster is rated at 30 kg a wheel.

[Mike Marandola]

They are either those or these (http://www.rotacaster.com.au/shop/product/item244506/rotacaster-48mm-double--90a--12mm-plain.html). I'm not seeing a rating on the Dagu's, but the Rotacoaster is rated at 30 lbs. a wheel.

I think you are right. I think you meant 30 kg which is even better at ~66 lbs. a wheel.

[rnewendyke]

I think you are right. I think you meant 30 kg which is even better at ~66 lbs. a wheel.

That I did. Opps.

[waialua359]

Every season as of late, we always cross paths with the Robonauts.
Being able to see the engineering behind their robot, competing both with and against them, and talking story with all of their mentors and students are always part of the highlights of my season (among other Texas teams).

I would have never guessed when the video was released that both 118 and 359 would team up in elims. Those semifinals matches in Curie were oh so close.

[MrRiedemanJACC]

What is the "normal" drop on an 8wd system for the two center wheels? Is it around 0.100" like a 6 wd drive? Does anyone know what 118 did on this bot?

[Answer42]

What is the "normal" drop on an 8wd system for the two center wheels? Is it around 0.100" like a 6 wd drive? Does anyone know what 118 did on this bot?

Chain in tube drive. so they have zero drop on the drive. Instead their outside wheels are smaller, no clue how much smaller though.

[tim-tim]

What is the "normal" drop on an 8wd system for the two center wheels? Is it around 0.100" like a 6 wd drive? Does anyone know what 118 did on this bot?

In 2013, I believe they ran the outer set of wheels without tread.
I would assume they either did the same thing this year, or used different sized wheels on outer vs inner axles.

I make this assumption based on the "Chain in Tube" method 118 used in 2013 and 2014. With 17t sprockets and #25 chain (2013 setup) there isn't much room at all inside the frame rail. This leads to altering the wheels.

[MrRiedemanJACC]

Cool, thanks for the information.

In case anyone doesn't want to buy the rotacaster's from Australia, they have a distributor outside of Cincinnati. Kornylak Corporation

http://www.kornylak.com/

http://www.kornylak.com/wheels/rotacaster.html

Plus the mechanum wheels they sell look an awful lot like Andymark mechanum's.

[JohnFogarty]

Is 118 releasing the cad on this like they have in the past on FRCDesigns.com?

I'm really interested in that drill gearbox assembly that you have on your shooter.

[Andrew Lawrence]

Like JohnFogarty, I'm interested in if Team 118 will be releasing the CAD to their 2014 robot. I briefly got to check it out at championships, but there is a wealth of knowledge in that machine that there is still to learn.

[ajlapp]

Like JohnFogarty, I'm interested in if Team 118 will be releasing the CAD to their 2014 robot. I briefly got to check it out at championships, but there is a wealth of knowledge in that machine that there is still to learn.

We're working to get the CAD posted.

I hope to have it up next week.

[ajlapp]

Until it's posted on our website...here is a direct link.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/36m8hvaxot7mnfq/00_robot_asm_06302014.stp

There are some details missing, but this is pretty complete. Enjoy.

[JohnFogarty]

Until it's posted on our website...here is a direct link.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/36m8hvaxot7mnfq/00_robot_asm_06302014.stp

There are some details missing, but this is pretty complete. Enjoy.

you just made me a very happy person!

[Max Boord]

Until it's posted on our website...here is a direct link.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/36m8hvaxot7mnfq/00_robot_asm_06302014.stp

There are some details missing, but this is pretty complete. Enjoy.

Well, there goes the rest of my week.

[rnewendyke]

Just out of curiosity how much use did the servo brakes see in competition?

[JohnFogarty]

The brake and overall gearbox surprised me as well. Was the 5:1 reduction the final reduction..for real?

[Aren Siekmeier]

The brake and overall gearbox surprised me as well. Was the 5:1 reduction the final reduction..for real?

That's pretty reasonable for a single speed on wheels that size.

[JohnFogarty]

That's pretty reasonable for a single speed on wheels that size.

I didn't measure the wheel diameter, and I don't have my CAD workstation in front of me. What was it? Weren't they 4in wheels? That kind of reduction would pull some serious amps if they ever met interference on the field.

[Aren Siekmeier]

I didn't measure the wheel diameter, and I don't have my CAD workstation in front of me. What was it? Weren't they 4in wheels? That kind of reduction would pull some serious amps if they ever met interference on the field.

Only if they tried to power through the interference. If speed matters, 5:1 with 3.5-4" wheels is pretty alright, and the acceleration and speed (14-18 ft/s depending on losses, 90% of top speed in just under half a second) are really nice. Breakers are at risk if you sustain less than half free speed at full voltage, but acceleration is quick enough that this only happens if you plow into things. So just don't do that.

I don't have Windows up, so I'm not sure of the exact wheel diameter (or the gear ratio) either, but assuming they used small pinions (11 or 12) and the gear is close to the size of the wheel (it is, from my brief glances before), a single gear stage is certainly fine for the drive, if you're not worried about applying lots of force at low speeds, and instead want to get places. Their omnis helped with this I'm sure.

Edit: For reference, we ran 5.1:1 on 4" wheels for our high gear this year. We only needed low gear when we thought we'd be pushing people, but we honestly would have been better off going around. The high gear had really nice response with 6 CIMs for acceleration. I sort of wish it had been faster, but you have to be careful with the longer acceleration time when you do that.

[Jared]

I'm having a hard time opening the file, but did they just press the bearings into the frame rail with no bearing blocks?

Also, did they run chain in the frame again?

[Bryce Paputa]

I'm having a hard time opening the file, but did they just press the bearings into the frame rail with no bearing blocks?

Also, did they run chain in the frame again?

Yes to both of those (as far as I can tell). Are you using inventor? I had to delete the compressor from the electronics board in order to get it to view nicely.

[Jared]

Yes to both of those (as far as I can tell). Are you using inventor? I had to delete the compressor from the electronics board in order to get it to view nicely.

Thanks.

I'm using inventor on a laptop that doesn't have graphics drivers that play well with inventor. Solidworks got its install corrupted during an update. After deleting the compressor, it works more.

[ajlapp]

I'm having a hard time opening the file, but did they just press the bearings into the frame rail with no bearing blocks?

Also, did they run chain in the frame again?

The frame is a customized version of the SimpleTube Chassis seen here (http://www.team221.com/viewproduct.php?id=130).

The bearings are a slip fit into the rail. We run a fixed center distance, no tensioners.