Re: New Off-season Defenses
 

Throwback to 2008!

Seriously, I've seen so many throwbacks to previous years (1992, 2003/2015, 2008, 2010, 2014 and probably more) in this thread.

Re: New Off-season Defenses
 

Maybe we can just borrow this thing and use it as a fire breathing dragon.

Re: New Off-season Defenses
 

I really like the "spinning log" idea. What if it was just a bunch of wheels on an axle?

Another idea is to have a triangular prism so that it is slightly harder to traverse than the rock wall.

Re: New Off-season Defenses
 

Yes, but the flame is Fluorescent Green rather than Green...

Re: New Off-season Defenses
 

That wasn't the only casualty, one of 1678's alumni/mentors also broke two of her fingers setting it up at the Sacramento regional.

Re: New Off-season Defenses
 

Also harder to open. (And, we only broke both sets of drop panels on both days at the Scrimmage...)

And the team versions don't play well with the full field.



What I would suggest would be something that can work with the same general type of motion as the defense that is being replaced. So, replace Portcullis with a drop-door of some form, rigged to open into the Neutral Zone... Maybe.

Re: New Off-season Defenses
 

This is exactly what I was thinking as I skimmed thought some of the more plausible ideas.
Ideally, the portcullis would simply be replaced with a safer version of itself as to not disadvantage teams that specially built mechanisms for crossing that particular defense.
Don't get me wrong, some of these new ideas are really cool, but they may upset teams that are suddenly unable to cross a one less defense than they could during regular competition.
Many portcullis and cheval de frise manipulators are two articulated wedges that simply push up the gate as the robot crosses.

While I recognize that this thread was not limited to replacements for the portcullis, it would likely create the most problems of any of the defenses if it was removed. (seeing that the drawbridge was almost never played in the higher level of competition, and the sally port can easily be breached using the spin maneuver.)

Re: New Off-season Defenses
 

Many drivers would like to see the Drawbridge and Sally Port gone (or changed) because they are large and impossible to see through.

Re: New Off-season Defenses
 

This. In my opinion as a spectator the decreased visibility to drivers added no value to the game.

Re: New Off-season Defenses
 

The lower bar ;)

Re: New Off-season Defenses
 

https://giphy.com/gifs/star-lego-logs-9TuMAqF9MUkq4

Timing is everything!

Re: New Off-season Defenses
 

I emailed Mark Lawrence yesterday a suggestion that the new defense be a 12 foot length of heavy chain encased in a vinyl tube suspended across the platform with the center of the loop 5 inches above the bottom platform.

It provides a challenge that is similar to the portcullis in that you have to lift the chain up and over the robot, but is easier in that it swings out of the way and harder in that the chain can catch on the robot as it passes under.

The vinyl/plastic cover is of course to prevent the chain from completing a circuit as it drags over your robot.

Re: New Off-season Defenses
 

I like the idea of a rolling log in the middle. Challenging, but not too.

Re: New Off-season Defenses
 

The difficult thing here is - tall robots could go under the portcullis, but how can tall robots go under this?

Re: New Off-season Defenses
 

In exactly the same way. A 12 foot loop of chain can be raised well above 4' 6", it isn't as simple, but should still be quite possible.