Will Your Team Use Bumpers This Year?
 

Since bumpers are not required this year, and have been somewhat of a headache for teams in the past, I am curious to see what teams plan on doing, if anything, in regards to protecting their robots. Will the lack of defense or interaction with the opposing alliance make you decide that bumpers are unnecessary? Or will you still try to add a little padding between your robot and the surrounding game pieces, walls, and other alliance members, but maybe in a different way than in previous years?

Re: Will Your Team Use Bumpers This Year?
 

Maybe set this as a poll? I think it will be easier to see the results.

EDIT: Cool, thanks!!

Re: Will Your Team Use Bumpers This Year?
 

Yes, we're going to use these:

http://www.robopromo.net/product_p/rp_llpb.htm

Re: Will Your Team Use Bumpers This Year?
 

1444 has been dreaming of the day bumpers would no longer be required. Our dream has finally come true.

Re: Will Your Team Use Bumpers This Year?
 

1885 will not use bumpers.

However, since we're still using aluminum axles in a WCD setup, we will make wheel guards out of 2x1 to protect our axles from inadvertent clipping of a tote because the totes don't like to move on carpet. This has nothing to do with driver skill or other robots and everything to do with how a bent axle would impact our performance.

Re: Will Your Team Use Bumpers This Year?
 

Teams that either were around before 2006 or have mentors from before 2006 will know exactly what competition will be like without bumpers. And teams back then worked perfectly fine without them. You just have to make sure to build your frame strong, probably stronger then in previous years.

Re: Will Your Team Use Bumpers This Year?
 

This.

Re: Will Your Team Use Bumpers This Year?
 

Are you planning on making them easily removable as in previous years, or more more permanently attached to your robot frame?

Re: Will Your Team Use Bumpers This Year?
 

We'll probably use a bracket and make it permanent, but velcro will work pretty well too.

Re: Will Your Team Use Bumpers This Year?
 

I hope everyone sees the blue box under R4.

Re: Will Your Team Use Bumpers This Year?
 

I don't understand what a frame has to do with axle material choice? It is as much or more effort and weight to make a direct-drive WCP steel axle than it is to make rivet-on wheel guards.

Re: Will Your Team Use Bumpers This Year?
 

I don't really have an opinion on axle materials. I was agreeing with the notion that wheel guards are advantageous in bumperless games. Every bumperless robot that we have designed has at least some aluminum structure protecting the wheels. We have been in many severe collisions with these robots without any effect on the drivetrains.

Re: Will Your Team Use Bumpers This Year?
 

Ah, I thought I may have misread. Cheers :D

Re: Will Your Team Use Bumpers This Year?
 

Re: Will Your Team Use Bumpers This Year?
 

Nope, no way, no how...