Re: The Ultimate Game-Breaker Robot: 2012 Edition
 

If I had to guess at a potential basket-scoring design, I'd surmise that there's some sort of external pickup that flips a ball into a low-lying catapult. Given the fact that balls need 2-3 seconds to clear a basket before the next ball comes in (or else risk a jam), even a 1-ball capacity could still be a powerful robot.

I guess my big question would be about the battery's placement outside the wheels on the left, which potentially reduces the traction that the opposite side's swerve module(s) have. But I suppose that's neither here nor there at this point since Aren's more recent posts imply a redesign.

Re: The Ultimate Game-Breaker Robot: 2012 Edition
 

The weight of the battery was originally counterbalanced with the weight of the almost entirely steel manipulator in the front.

Re: The Ultimate Game-Breaker Robot: 2012 Edition
 

I can't believe you fit all that engineering in such a small frame. To have all the essentials and to have swerve drive blew my mind. RIP troll-bot.

Re: The Ultimate Game-Breaker Robot: 2012 Edition
 

I'll say it all fit, I won't say it all worked great :o

Re: The Ultimate Game-Breaker Robot: 2012 Edition
 

Re: The Ultimate Game-Breaker Robot: 2012 Edition
 

For those too lazy to search, but interested enough to see:

Lil' Billy Goat Gruff*

Its the only robot with blue bumpers. :)

*not its actual name

Re: The Ultimate Game-Breaker Robot: 2012 Edition
 

And the killer (as if one were needed) is that the ball-returns don't work all that well! :yikes: Having a 'bot that can get under there to fetch a ball or two out might actually have been useful.

Re: The Ultimate Game-Breaker Robot: 2012 Edition
 

here ya go, this is now a "before" picture

Re: The Ultimate Game-Breaker Robot: 2012 Edition
 

Gamebreaker loophole specific designed robots are so vulnerable to having their creative designs and build efforts instantly devoured when a GDC decision turns the loophole into a black hole that swallows up all the good work done.
Dancing too close to the legal/illegal event horizon of the rules does carry some very real risks.

We also opted to be a "third bot on the bridge", while still allowing room for two full size bots to go by us, by seriously overhanging the side of the bridge and balancing with only ~14" of our bots 33" width above the bridge. We can ride the rail without gripping it and tilt bridge down for our two partners to roll right past us and up to the middle. A tight fit but doable. Lots more tuning and practice needed though, so we are building a 2nd practice bot next week.

-Dick Ledford