Re: Best Way to Launch unusual items?
 

We used a hammer for Aerial Assist as well. This only worked because the game piece had enough give to keep pieces from breaking in the collision. If you tried using a hammer to project a tote, you'd need to put a big cushion on the hammer head or as part of the holder, or replace something every few firing cycles.

Re: Best Way to Launch unusual items?
 

We're mostly looking at hockey pucks right now, which are the same weight as the frisbee but different parameters.

Re: Best Way to Launch unusual items?
 

I think I'll just leave this here.
http://youtu.be/JQ8jGqdE2iw

(Note, I do not condone the launching of these kinds of objects)

Re: Best Way to Launch unusual items?
 

My team has usually used a wheeled shooter. The wheels we have used, however, are magical! We call them marshmallow wheels, but they are actually wheels for conveyor belts. What makes these wheels special is that they are made of a toughish rubber that when you spin with even a direct driven mini-CIM or CIM, they expand. So they sell these in 4-in diameters, but when they are spinning, i think you can get them up to 6 inches. These wheels were ideal for 2013 and 2014 because you wouldn't need suspension on the shooter to account for the give that the balls had and the Frisbee had a more consistent flight with these. I'm sure if we had gone with a tote shooter idea we would have used these wheels to shoot them onto stacks :D .

Link

Re: Best Way to Launch unusual items?
 

Which one of those did you use?

Re: Best Way to Launch unusual items?
 

I was about to ask the same thing

Re: Best Way to Launch unusual items?
 

Sorry, I must have linked the wrong thing, We used the Sure Grip Rollers, We tried the Neoprene (Black), but that doesn't expand as much as the Nitrile (white) which is what we used for the past two years.

By the way, we discovered these wheels from 2590 in Hatboro Horsham 2013, kudos to them!

Re: Best Way to Launch unusual items?
 

You could try a slingshot like a aircraft launcher

Re: Best Way to Launch unusual items?
 

Use a strong person.
It'll work until you start throwing tables, for example! :eek:

Re: Best Way to Launch unusual items?
 

Nitrile sure-grip wheels are simply awesome. Except for the price.

Hot tip! They are cheaper, and there are more bore options available from the manufacturer: http://www.fixtureworks.net/Home/Ord...path=9|0|4|2|3

Re: Best Way to Launch unusual items?
 

If you don't care about precision landing sites and have a PR team who are pros at getting landowners to let you recover your device, a High Altitude Balloon can launch any lightweight items you can dream of. A few of my colleagues are getting into this at work, and I've suggested that launch windows be every 6-1/2 weeks so we have a nice consistent set of deadlines to aim for.

It may also take longer than a single match to come back down, but depending on how good (or intentionally bad) your engineering is, you can easily fix that.

Re: Best Way to Launch unusual items?
 

Right now we're working on hockey pucks, but seeing as one years game could have a multitude of shapes the question arose.
For multiple unusual shapes what works well?
Then the argument was what's a different way to launch the pucks.

Re: Best Way to Launch unusual items?
 

If you want an unusual challenge, try to build something to throw pool noodles. Maybe you could enter it as a "robot player" in one of the human vs robot exhibition matches this off-season. :rolleyes:

Re: Best Way to Launch unusual items?
 

You should try using a pneumatic cannon, but make foam casings for what you're shooting that come off when you fire it, sort of like a shotgun shell.

Re: Best Way to Launch unusual items?
 

In my honest opinion the best way to launch unusual items it by a piston that hits it