Best looking robot ever?
 

So, offseason opinion/discussion threads are cool, so I had an idea for another one.

What is the best looking FRC robot ever? Forget about how it performed, it's mechanical design, etc. I'm talking sheer aesthetics.

Let's see your picks below!

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

I'm quite partial to every robot Team 60 made from their inception up through 2004.


In my opinion their 2002 robot is one of the cleanest ever built, particularly given the fact that basically nobody was making gorgeous robots in 2002. Oh and it was at worst the 3rd best robot in the world.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

Without the spinning dome light I almost wouldn't have believed that was from 2002! I only ever saw that robot from far away but it is exceptionally beautiful for that era!

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

The "for that era" qualifier is totally unnecessary. It's gorgeous compared to 2016 too.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

1157, in 2015. They are known as the Landsharks.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

I think there are only certain games that lend themselves to really beautiful robots. As great as some of them were, I can't think of any 2009, 2011, or 2015 robots that could make their way onto a list like this. Probably not 2013 either.

There were a few really slick robots from 2010. The best looking was probably 148's Armadillo. Elegant but also bad-$@#$@#$@#, at a time when underglow was still pretty rare.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

233 pretty much any year.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

But especially 2005:


2008 was gorgeous in an insanely over the top way. So many cool details on this robot:

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

Apologies if that was taken as a negative remark, that was supposed to say that this robot is gorgeous then or now, and even more impressive because it was 2002. Our robot in 2002 came onto the field with wood and termite jokes.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

1114 in 2011 is probably the best looking robot that I can think of.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

One of, if not THE, deadliest bot in the world that year too. It was simply amazing to watch the drivers of that bot operate at a level other teams had never even thought existed.

-Brando

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

I've been a real fan of 696 aesthetics. I love the look of their 2015 bot.
It must be a California thing because I also really love 1538 robots as well. Clean everything including the wiring.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

I am a big fan of 1717s 2012 robot. It looks great, not to mention how effective it was.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

RIP 1717. :( They had beautiful robots.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

I suspect their reincarnation (5818) will do great and continue the legacy.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

It is so hard to qualify which robot for me is the best looking ever, but year after year this team collectively builds some of the most striking machines.

I think Recoil from team 118 and all of their robots for that matter are breathtaking when seen up close. This video form 2014 shows the construction, the quality, and the aesthetic appeal of their machine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtRewwr59d8

This robot would be near the top of my list.

If you don't like that one, you can't deny the space age look of Apex their 2013 robot. Which has to be the best looking machine I have ever seen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DojyJ9bZ4fk

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.




832's 2008 robot comes in at a close second for me.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

If you like the look of a xerox machine ;)

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

I really like 1714's Polycarbonate robots.

2012
2014
2015

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

My all time pick for best looking. 1501 in 2006.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

You won't be seeing a 1678 robot in this thread, that's for sure. Something has gone wrong if we ever build a good looking robot.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

Ahem, a climbing xerox machine. Also known as the scariest type of xerox machine this Earth has ever seen.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

Confirm, at least for this least year. Had to do a double-take on them being rookies.

I don't have any photos, though.

That's alright. We'll be seeing them on Einstein instead :P

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

Every 254 robot since I started FRC in 2004 has been a work of art. It is almost unreal how they set the bar in both performance AND aesthetics on an annual basis. Truly the best in the world.

-Mike

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

+1

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

I'm going to echo that 696 and 1538 build really great looking robots. I've really liked 3476's robots as well as of recent. 1241's black mamba during 2016 was one good looking machine. 148 builds bost every year that look beautifully crafted to me, I'll never get tired of seeing their reveals.

In Minnesota, 5172 built a sweet looking machine in 2016. I got a close look at it during the 2016 MN state championship and it looked like a beautifully designed bot.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

Two robots that spring to mind are Team 4481's 2016 robot and Team 40's 2011 robot! Both were beautiful robots!

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

2826 from 2015 and 4488 from 2014 have to be my favorites, personally. I love the curves and functionality of 2826, and the classy LEDS and overall look that 4488 pulls off every season.

971 and 2791 from this year are pretty close runners up, as well as 33 from 2014. 971 and 2791 had some awesome flipping action while also looking polished and intricate. 33's catching flaps were enough to identify it from any stream quality, and the large logo on the back was a great edition.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

1501 always seems to build beautiful bots. Now if they bring back that sort of styling for Steamworks... :D

Paint + rivets = awesome apparently.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

They're beautiful in a way only a weary-eyed production team can love.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

2485's Wiring and overall aesthetics get me every time too.

I <3 me some Carbon Fiber

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

I don't have a picture of it, but the Team 60 2004 robot was quite a masterpiece as well.

I'm also rather partial to the following robot, but Team 968's 2009 robot was quite good looking too, and it wasn't half bad playing the game either.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

I wasn't a student at this time (actually only nine years old, in all actuality) but didn't 254 have a very similar design to this? Or did most bots of 2009 share a similar design?

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

https://www.team254.com/about/outreach/

Look under collaboration :).

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

Correct

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

2014 too

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

118 robots have always been gorgeous. Their reveal videos for the last couple of years generate hundreds of thousands of views--they're beautiful.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

You might need to re-calibrate your eyes :P


I'm surprised that no one has mentioned 1983, Skunkworks. Their 2014 robot was beautiful, and their other robots are all very aesthetically pleasing as well.



In terms of best looking robot, I would say 1538 from 2013 takes the cake.



Minimal, elegant, and super effective.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

Since we are talking about 254 robots........I like 2007 THE best.

The only reason we ever bought our own powder coating oven is because of 254/60 back in the day.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

Wow... scrolling this thread I cannot believe that nobody's showed admiration for 148 Robowranglers' 2011 Raptor which _has to be_ one of the all-time great looking and functioning bots in FIRST FRC.

Look at the workmanship on that machine... I think it should be on a rotating display somewhere with a spotlight on it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XECmOwmYiu8

The bot _still_ gives me goosebumps...

--Michael Blake

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

Here's a collection of some of my favorite looking robots over the years.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

in 2015 team 869 had a flawless electrical board and for 2016 i really liked there robot as a whole along with 5895 who were rookies last year. both had really amazing robots. i wish i had pictures.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

Poofs 2014 for me. Not a part out of place on that robot. Still pretty after a season of being beat up and abused by other robots. Simple and elegant.

I generally appreciate robots without lightening patterns in their tubing; they look more elegant to me. So that puts a lot of Poof robots above a lot of 233 robots just based on that preference. But both teams routinely produce the best looking robots in FRC.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

233 from 2011 & 968's 2006 & 2007 machines come to mind. I liked the red. :rolleyes:

1114 in 2007 had the cool "transformer" look to from an operational standpoint.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

67 from 2012. It was gorgeous and elegant and one of the things that inspired me to really get into FIRST.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

Some honorable mentions have to be the robots below. You can take one look at the paint and know which team you are looking at because these teams have built that brand that most people recognize.

148 Raptor in 2011
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XECmOwmYiu8

I think I saw someone mention this already and I agree. Their mastery of sheet metal components and the fact that it can be any color as long as it is black make all of their machines simply awesome to look at. This robot stuck out to me as way above the bar for sheet metal robots.

254 Barrage in 2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFZy8iibMD0

What I love about the 254 machines is that they are not the most complicated or crazy looking. Their machines are simple, clever, and elegant with not a single motion or pound wasted. From an engineering standpoint, the quality and performance of their robots stand above the rest. Simple lines and popping blue paint let you know which team is on the field before the robot even moves. As soon as their robots move on the field your eye is drawn to them and you have no doubt 254 is on the field.

Cool robots are not the most complicated or best looking, cool robots are the ones that win. This is why this robot ranks one of the coolest on my list of favorites even if it is not eye candy for everyone else.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

Of course many extremely clean (mostly powder-coated) robots come to mind when I saw this thread... Particularly ones made by 254, 233, 148, 118, 33, etc. I definitely think there is a lot of "taste" involved in this too, as 148 robots tend to look cool in a "transformers" sort of way with tons of edges and complexity. 254 robots tend to look more elegant and simple... even though they're really anything but simple. I love both those styles quite a bit, but I think I most love the robots that look like they have personality... that look like some little creature going about its business.

The one that stands out for me is 33's 2013 robot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cgP2FJC7Hw It had all the elegance and polished aesthetics that 33's robots have had for quite a few years, but it also looked like a studious, efficient little creature in the way that Wally does, in my mind. https://www.flickr.com/photos/danielernst/8586567293/

I think 1114's 2015 robot has to be the best-looking 2015 robot (in a year where most robots looked more like scaffolding or fork lifts than anything else)... The thing really looked like a weight-lifting crab (or something).

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

:(

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

Any robot in 973's Super Pit gets a 2x multiplier in terms of looks.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

This is a great point on why 254 is such a great team.
Even their technical document is something to marvel over similar to how they build their robots as you have described.
This team along with 368 provide a special inspiration to us because of our roots back when they helped get us started back in August 1999.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

I can't believe no one listed 2056 yet. Their 2016 bot was a monster on the field and a beauty to look at.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

In my many years of doing FIRST the most stunning robot I have witnessed has to be 1114's amazing 2015 robot.
2015 was a terrible game but I must admit that year featured some of the most beautiful and clever engineered robots I have seen in FIRST.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

Totally biased but 1058's summer restoration project came out beautiful. https://www.facebook.com/PVCPirates/...410607027340:0

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

I remember them demoing the goal spin maneuver for a news segment during lunch time that year at SVR. Incredible bot. During our rookie year we saw their 2001 bot pictured below. No one was making their bots look that clean! They set the standard for make a bot look "good".



Another close one that blew everyone's mind was 254's 2004 bot... you can definitely see where they got their early influence from :) and PTO.. what?

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

I am surprised 1595 isn't referenced more in these threads

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

Usually an optical illusion, haha

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

Back in 2002 my dad, my brother, and I volunteered to do a demo combat robot at the MN State Fair. My brother gets the idea of motorizing a full sized refrigerator and driving it around. Basically the refrigerator would lurch around borderline unstable using the door to hit things while empty pizza boxes and water bottles fall out of it. It was really funny.

Fast forward to this years championship, I was walking around the pits and team 5084 goes by. I see their shirts and just see "Team FridgeBot". So I follow them back to their pits and ask about the team name. Turns out they thought their 2014 robot looked like a refrigerator so that's how they got their team name. I got a bunch of magnets for my brother (he has them proudly displayed on his refrigerator).

Anyway, my vote goes to team 5084's rookie effort in 2014 because fridgebots rule.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned these three:

217's 2011 bot-

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...36c470a195.jpg


118's 2011 bot-

https://frcdesigns.files.wordpress.c...2/2011_118.jpg


1902's 2013 bot-

http://www.explodingbacon.com/wp-con...re-300x300.png

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

My vote goes to team 1319's 2014 bot, it worked well, had very well positioned leds, and the powder coat yellow is super eye-catching.

As much as I like powder coating I also like the clean, bare sheet metal look that 283's robots (2015-16) have.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

Thanks for the mention! :D That was my senior year as a student and my favorite robot. W-Ham-O is still one of our main outreach robots and serving us well!

As far as the best looking ever, watching 180's robot on the field, while not the "prettiest" robot, it moved in the most fluid way and look GORGEOUS when watching it in motion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbnJ-gV5ZeY

The only other robot that moves in a similar fluid motion I think I've seen is 971's 2016 robot, which might just be my favorite robot of all time.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

2009 was a great year for looks, with 973's Raptor and 1771's Black Widow being my two favorites.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

I'll back up my friends from Colorado in saying that the Landsharks' always look great. (It's hard to beat a paper mache shark) But also Angelbotics' fuzzy bumpers are pretty great.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8e...0dDgtTmRV/view

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

Very, very true. We saw them at Champs last year, and none of us on 1619 could stop touching the bumpers. :D

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

Aww thanks :) The bright blue LEDs also helped that robot really shine (sorry couldn't help it).



We tried the clean, bare sheet metal look last year and it definitely has a sharp look.

343 always has a sleek, black and sheet metal look but the flames on the 2010 robot were especially cool.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

Won't be seeing a 3036 robot either. If we built a good looking robot (let alone a consistent robot), the apocalypse would begin. ;) ;) ;) ;)

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

[quote=robochick1319;1613464]Aww thanks :) The bright blue LEDs also helped that robot really shine (sorry couldn't help it).




It was you!! Gasp

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

[quote=Taggerun;1613467]I hope that is a good gasp? :confused:

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

1323 has had some pretty dang good looking robots.


https://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/im...fee4998c_m.jpg

http://www.frctracker.com/photoshare.../2014/6638.jpg

https://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/im...7ba7059d_m.jpg

Also 1086:


https://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/im...cb869103_l.jpg

(If someone could tell me more about the robot below that would be awesome! :D )

https://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/im...7c3263b6_l.jpg

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

1323 definitely builds some MFD robots....


Sorry RC :)


-Brando

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

Too far :P

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

:eek:

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

1595 has fielded some gorgeous robots.




Another amazing PNW team's robots are 4488. Every robot they have made is amazing.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

I'm going to throw my vote in for 2046's 2012 robot. Pictures really don't do it justice, but this is the best I could find. It still stands out in my mind as some of the most beautifully over-the-top machining I've seen in FRC.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

Although I'm not a fan of pocketed tubing, I was very impressed with this robot's performance in our division that year. Very solid machine.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

ROBOT

NAME: Muenster
about: Designed to play 2009 game, LUNACY
Strong hybrid design
Floor intake mechanism capable of holding
8 to 10 balls
Three direction catapult system capable of firing
1 to 5 feet
Dump move capable of dumping 3 balls in one direction
PUKE mode to drop full load of balls at point-blank
range in second

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

1768's 2016 robot.
https://www.thebluealliance.com/team/1768

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

Not sure what team number (2269?), but the red alliance robot on the right looks awesome!

https://kbots.files.wordpress.com/20...pg?w=300&h=211

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

I first thought it was 2269, because of it's teamname 'Dragons'. But it is 3360 (Hyperion from Canada, i believe)

and this was the match:
https://www.thebluealliance.com/match/2012on_sf2m1

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

From this camera angle you can barely see it's 3360

http://aditpateltej3m1-02.weebly.com...6_orig.jpg?419

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

Correct. But what you can tell is that it's 610 and 188 from 2012. So all you have to do is find a match that year where they played together on red and you can see its 3360.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

The 2016 robot from team 4656 rock solid robotics is by far the most clean robot I have ever seen.

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

Looking at their Facebook page I found that their bot is just as stunningly clean on the inside as on the outside

https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0...c7&oe=589043AE

Re: Best looking robot ever?
 

After looking at the inside of their robot I can see what the "buzz" is about ;)