Re: Auto Powerhouse?
 

We haven't prototyped anything outside of our feet yet, but standing up a horizontal container mostly seems a matter of pushing down on the bottom with something grippy and backing up. Not sure if that wasted time is worth the 8 auto points, but container teams are probably going to want some sort of uprighting system anyways unless they're planning on playing in the land of spherical chickens.

Re: Auto Powerhouse?
 

instead of thinking about how to stand up a container why not figure out how to pick up a tipped over one? My feeling is the container laying down is going to be the default condition. All you have to do is bump one a little bit and over they go.
We plan on only picking up horizontal containers. If it is standing we will just bump it first.

Re: Auto Powerhouse?
 

Alternatively, develop a way to pick up a container that is on its side.

Re: Auto Powerhouse?
 

Simply pointing out the point trade-off there. If you're going to actively tip bins, be aware that there will be plenty of potential partners who won't be able to pick them up. That also means plenty of potential teams that won't make good alliance partners for you, whether you're the captain or they are. Passing the buck to the other team here doesn't seem like a great solution to me.

Re: Auto Powerhouse?
 

There will always be an auto powerhouse, it just depends whether it will be easy to do for them, or very complicated.

I'm guessing it might be easy this year, but I haven't seen anything yet.

Re: Auto Powerhouse?
 

The input helps tremendously we have a mock Cad design of a 28 point auto robot I guess just put it to the test

Re: Auto Powerhouse?
 

The theory is there for us I feel many teams will be able to stack but getting the can as well Will be part of the frame perimeter you can extend in my opinion

Re: Auto Powerhouse?
 

We're working on an auton that can stack all the totes on its own, as well as possibly get a container set. It's possible to upright the containers by hitting the handles with the tips of a forklift. That said, if we rely on our alliance partners to move into the auto zone, we were thinking of doing the "Stack n' Smack". That is, we grab a tote, smack the container into the auto zone, go straight forward, stack the totes, then smack the next container out of the way. Stack last one, drive to auto zone, done.

Re: Auto Powerhouse?
 

Not a bad idea. Until you're permanently tethered together for the remainder of the match. :(

Re: Auto Powerhouse?
 

You've got 5.5 weeks to solve the "release & retract the lasso" problem. :)

Re: Auto Powerhouse?
 

We're certainly going to attempt the tote stack auto.
For the container auto, how about three hooks with a base that stands on the floor to an inch above the container's handle, on a rope to pull it in? If you pull the cord through a pulley up high, you could then carry the hooks around at altitude on the back of your 'bot for tele-op. Unless you could manage to put the containers down in an upright position, this would make it MUCH more difficult to score the containers in tele-op; If you had such a system, you'd probably have partners asking you not to use it most matches.

Re: Auto Powerhouse?
 

Tote stack auto == crazy. The only way this is happening is if one robot stacks all the totes while the other two move containers out of the way. The third container probably won't make its way into the auto zone.

In fact, I want to compare this to triple balancing in 2012. If an alliance scores the full 32 points in auto, they deserve Loch Ness Monster stickers on their robots.

Edit::There are many other ways of doing this, but I imagine they would be pretty complex engineering challenges. The above method is what I think would be easiest. But, given the lax rules of this year's game, many solutions are possible.

Re: Auto Powerhouse?
 

So we're looking at a tote pickup mechanism that could probably grab the container, lift it, then grab and stack three totes under that. If we can manage that, then all we really need is two teams to bulldoze the other containers out of the way. And to move fast, of course. It helps that we can be driving to the next crate while lifting the previous one.

Re: Auto Powerhouse?
 

Ah, the whole "grab the container first" trick, eh?? Yeah I guess I wasn't seeing the possibility of starting on that side of the field (where the container starts out closest to the wall) because then you have to go over the scoring platform to get to the auto zone. It will depend on whether your robot can carry a stack of three totes and a container over the scoring platform. That would be very impressive!

Re: Auto Powerhouse?
 

Or what about a two bars that pivot at the frame, and in the middle, then a cord is ran through them, and the cord can pull them up or down. Anyways, auto starts, your team members drive forward, you extend a bar and drive forward pushing all of the containers and totes, seems less complicated than the lasso, you just have to get the lengths right. Basically making a long bar push all of the stuff.