Where will you get your game objects from?
 

I'm curious as to how many teams will be relying on just the human player station or the landfill, or just being completely versatile.

The design we have right now relies on the feeding chute almost entirely as it grabs from the sides

Re: Where will you get your game objects from?
 

We were hoping to get them from Sams club but they were the wrong model. So we settled instead on landfill

Re: Where will you get your game objects from?
 

We've designed for the landfill as the slightly more difficult task, but the one that can at least theoretically be done more quickly, since you don't have to wait for the HP. That said, we aren't depending on packed totes, so our design should also be capable of working an HP station efficiently as well. It's a very simple long-side grapple of the totes that we hope to automate to a well-above-average time to stack. We should also be able to lift RCs from the step, and pull two totes at a time off it from the short sides so we can then do a long-side stack.

Re: Where will you get your game objects from?
 

I'd like to see the double tote thing in action. It sounds very interesting, especially if it flows into a stack.

Re: Where will you get your game objects from?
 

We've tried designing our robot to be versatile on the field. If there are strong bots that can handle landfill/step then we can handle feeder, and vice versa.

Re: Where will you get your game objects from?
 

...other? What, does Woodie Flowers walk onto the field and personally hand you robot a tote?

Re: Where will you get your game objects from?
 

No, he just gives your robot a thumbs up

Re: Where will you get your game objects from?
 

It wouldn't be a poll without an other option. What if you're robot relies on human players from the other alliance to throw it to you? ;)

Re: Where will you get your game objects from?
 

Our robot is capable of picking up any right side up tote (at the moment) but we will mostly be relying on the human player for the sake of efficiency.

Re: Where will you get your game objects from?
 

Other. Totes are dropped in through a hole in the roof.

Re: Where will you get your game objects from?
 

I'm not sure what you mean by "flows into a stack." Our lift engages with totes and RCs through a "contour gauge" made up of about 20 3" long 10-32 machine screws, 20 springs, 20 nuts, and a length of 1-1/4" c-channel. The sprung bolts allow us to automatically conform to the tote geometry and engage on the long side just about anywhere, though we hope to be consistent enough at alignment that we could have used a less flexible "hand".
To pull totes from the step, we believe we can make enough contact under the deep tongues (see arrow in attached picture) to lift the totes a fraction of an inch and drag them over the lip, onto the floor on our side of the field. Once we've pulled several down, we'll continue with our usual side lift. We should know for sure in another week or two; building a step is not high on our priority list.

Re: Where will you get your game objects from?
 

We can pick up from the floor and the step, I know we battled about the upside down ones but I can't remember our final decision. We also have a way that if we grab it from not-so the center area it can adjust as we pull it in, since it will be an internal pickup.

Re: Where will you get your game objects from?
 

In your context, the question is: "Where are the totes dropped from that they fall through a hole in the roof?"

Re: Where will you get your game objects from?
 

We do have a half-baked plan to flip totes using an extra piece of aluminum angle attached below our lift so that it can touch the floor and get under the end of a tote. If we find out this doesn't work (or knocks too much stuff off the step onto the other side of the field) and we still have time to develop an alternative before stop build (doesn't seem likely at this point), there's a plan B. We have a conceptual design for a flipper that uses two pneumatic cylinders and some downward-pointing grippers located on the back of our robot. One cylinder pulls the totes toward the robot; the other cylinder lowers the gripper into the grips on the sides of the tote before pulling it in, then lifts the side to rotate it after it's close and personal and away from the step. The "pull" cylinder then "pushes" the now-top of the tote out to complete the flip.