Stationary robots?

[Alex Burman]

I got this idea from the robotic arms used in car manufacturing plants and such.

How interesting would it be if one year they introduced the ability of teams to create a stationary robot that sat in one spot outside the field, possibly raised up. The robot might have extended size and weight limits. The robot would be sitting on the edge of the field and be reaching in to achieve various goals. Such as in triple play you would have the robot there to be capping the goals.

[Billfred]

I got this idea from the robotic arms used in car manufacturing plants and such.

How interesting would it be if one year they introduced the ability of teams to create a stationary robot that sat in one spot outside the field, possibly raised up. The robot might have extended size and weight limits. The robot would be sitting on the edge of the field and be reaching in to achieve various goals. Such as in triple play you would have the robot there to be capping the goals.
I know BEST has done such a thing in their game a year or two ago.

Personally, it would be an interesting change. It would almost certainly level the playing field a bit, as nearly every team in FIRST that's building for the preseason is planning on a mobile base.

All said, though, you'd have to design a heck of a game to do something like that and have it remain interesting. Can it be done? Sure. Will it be done? Eh...it's Dave. Judge how you like. ;)

[Andrew Blair]

Only problem is, its a great target. If theres an obstacle of some sort impairing the opposing driver's view, sounds good. If its flat, no. The standards that the thing would have to be built to in order to surivive being hit would be astronomical, assuming that it would have to reach moderate distances. Very few teams would attempt it, even with less restrictions, because of the obstacles. However, it would create some awesome robot designs, which I would be eager to see.

Second problem: Real world- FIRST attempts to introduce students to the world of robotics, allow them to think outside the box, and to some extent become familiar with robots commercially. Though its an interesting idea, having your robot reach thirty feet across a storeroom with a boom as versus just moving over there by track or whatever is completly impractical. However, I would love to see an expandable robot that uses drag and drop as a strategy. (imagine a toy crane machine) That would be freaking awesome!

[coastertux]

That sounds awesome! It reminds me of the Robo-Cow they had at the Cabot Cheese factory to take cheese from the line and stack it on pallets. It had a pretty neat manipulator, was fast, and was very agile.

[Ebolagirl]

I know BEST has done such a thing in their game a year or two.

BEST has done stationary robots for the past two years. http://www.capitol-best.org/home.php We compete in BEST, and frankly I don't think stationary robots would work for FIRST. Teams in BEST came up with some amazing, amazing designs that completed the tasks super efficiently. But it almost seemed as if the stationary tasks were too "easy" because the number of high scoring teams was much larger the two years that they have done stationary robots than in years past. Because of this "the heat of competition" is reduced to something more like a simmer, especially this year.

My teammates and I have thought about the possibilities of stationary robots, we've even poked fun at the thought of aquatic or hover bots. But in all reality I don't think stationary is the way for FIRST to go. The challenge of designing a drive train, then actually operating it in competition along with designing and operating a manipulator simultaneously adds and extra challenge to the competition that a stationary robot cannot provide without very meticulous designing of the game.

I will be interesting though to see what FIRST comes up with. Who knows, they may unveil a super innovative stationary game...

[dlavery]

I think that it is safe for me to let out the one piece of confirmed news I have: FRC will not have a stationary robot game in 2009. :)

-dave

[Andrew Blair]

I think that it is safe for me to let out the one piece of confirmed news I have: FRC will not have a stationary robot game in 2009. :)

-dave

Hehe, I figured... It'll be wayyyy overdone by time 2009 rolls around!;)

[Simon Strauss]

After build season someone on my team brought in footage of some Japanese robotics competition that they had found where the object of the game was to race to the middle of a field and place something on a goal. well one team made a stationary robot that used the motors etc. to unfold all the joints of the robot so that it kind of unrolled across the field and around the obstacles (very well done in fact with the turns it required) to place the object on the goal and the thing totally owned everyone else's mobile robots. moral of the story you never know whether or not a team will think of a creative enough stationary robot and put the rest of us to complete shame.

[Nuttyman54]

I personally think it would be very inseresting to have two different types of robots that were allowed (ie driving or stationary) Teams would have to sign up for a specific type at the kickoff or something. I realize there are many flaws to be worked out with this system, but it would be very awsome to see stationary and mobile 'bots working in conjuction.

[Jon Jack]

Who's to say a team can't do that already? Is there any rule against having a stationary robot? Granted a team would not be very effective if they were stationary, but it would be interesting to see.

[sciguy125]

At one point, we were concidering a stationary robot for 2005. It would have had wheels to move, but its primary objective would have been to park somewhere between the loading zones and the goals.

[phrontist]

I've often thought of this, but it has yet to be a competitive option. Here's to this year! :D

[RogerR]

over the past five years that i've been in FIRST, my team(s) have made many a stationary robot. usually after forgetting to plug in the battery or radio before a match.


...or did you mean something different?:p

[Jon Jack]

At one point, we were concidering a stationary robot for 2005. It would have had wheels to move, but its primary objective would have been to park somewhere between the loading zones and the goals.

This would have been interesting. You could have loaded up with a lot of tetras and then went to some row (one of the home rows or center row) and be responsable for scoring and defending it.

Imagine a robot that could have loaded up with a match full of tetras and went the opposing team's home row and be responsable for making sure your alliance got a triple play on the opposing teams home row.

I know it's not truely stationary, but oh well...