Question of the Week!!! (10/25/04)
 

Hi everyone, sorry for the skipping of weeks and stuff...been pretty busy.

Question of the Week (10/25/04):

What do you think is the coolest designed component you have ever seen on a robot?

Have fun!
-Andy Grady

Re: Question of the Week!!! (10/25/04)
 

Easy.

111's 2004 drive system. Being able to glide over the platform without even chaining height, and doing it fast and effortlessly, it's amazing. Hands down, the coolest thing ever.

Re: Question of the Week!!! (10/25/04)
 

Not to toot my own horn or anything, but i really loved our voodoo arm this year. Even with the programming problems we have had, it was a brilliant design. Whenever it was functional, it was a perfect match in the movement of control to actual. I must say it was a great design.

Past that, i think MOE in 2002 was a brilliant design. It played the game perfectly, got all goals and controlled the match within 10 seconds of the start, it was rarely beaten.

Re: Question of the Week!!! (10/25/04)
 

The Killer Arm by 45. Had a lots of Complexity in that machine, but technokats made it look like it was so easy... coolest arm i have seen in the past season. 1083's holomonic drive system. it was awesome. i would like to see a ball drive... :)

Re: Question of the Week!!! (10/25/04)
 

Team 25's arm in 2000. The "Craddle Robber" was amazing and it carried them to the championship. In a close second would have to be 111's ramp bot in 2001.

For this last season I would have to pick the arm from 45 for the same reason stated above.

Re: Question of the Week!!! (10/25/04)
 

that was acctually in 2000
and for my vote its gotta be either

111's swerve drive
or
45's gearbox/transmission

both amazing marvels

Re: Question of the Week!!! (10/25/04)
 

There are lots of "cool" design components out there. Some are extremely complex, some are extremely simple.

The coolest simple design component I've ever seen was 45's lexan "forks" for pulling the ball off of the ball tee this year. I think it only worked in one match, but it was cool none the less. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it was the only 10pt bonus ball scored all year.

For complex components, there are tons that deserve mention:
The first Swerve drive i remember was Chief Delphi in 1998. It was, for the time, revolutionary. Wildstang and several other teams has since perfected the swerve drive and has also created several variations of the original design. 45's ball drive is also noteworthy.

To my knowledge, no team, to date, has created a shifting swerve drive. If it were to be created, it would definitely be the "coolest design component ever"

Re: Question of the Week!!! (10/25/04)
 

Yes, that was the only 10-point ball. (There was one on the floor at Robot Rodeo, but folks seemed more interested in trying to get four on the bar. Ah well.)

I have to say, I'm still blown away by StangPS from 2003. Just...holy cow.

However, I'm also quite partial to 180's arm this year. Once that hook gets on the bar, DO NOT BLINK. They get in the air that fast...faster than I've seen anyone else do it.

On the subject of bars, how about 237's monkeybot design? Equally pimp, indeed.

Re: Question of the Week!!! (10/25/04)
 

Nope. Wrong again man.
Though I'm almost POSITIVE there were others before this:
We scored one in a qualification match in Atlanta.

It got knocked onto the field, our robot corralled it to our HP Mikey, and Mikey shot it in. Bam, 10 points.

I know there were others, the one we scored was the first I'd seen, and 45's was the second. (Those t-kats did it in a much prettier way.)

John

Re: Question of the Week!!! (10/25/04)
 

Grady -- Excellent Question!

I think after much thought, I'm going to have to say Team 71's goal balancing arms and gripper from 2001. Those 2 components made every single "on ramp" goal balancer in the country obsolete.

John

Re: Question of the Week!!! (10/25/04)
 

i think my all time favorites has to be the goal lifting arm on the 2001 demo-squad (267) bot. 2001 was the first competition i saw, and the fact that they completly lifted the goal off of the ground absolutly blew me away. i think that robot has to be my all time favorite.

i also liked 824's arm in 2004. i'm not sure if it ever worked, but it was a prety awesome concept.

at the robot rodeo this weekend i spotted a couple pretty cool components, PINK's battery holder, and Krunch's custom made bearings, to name a few.

Re: Question of the Week!!! (10/25/04)
 

In 2002, Bionic Bulldogs (Team 60) could pick up two 180+ lb goals and could also spin the around at 30 rpm (I never saw them spin the goals during a match, but heard they demo'd it for a tv crew during a Friday lunch break at Sil. Valley).

WildStang's 2003 bot overall was incredible. It could find and knock down stacks and hit the top of the ramp in under 10 seconds consistently. And once they were on top, they dominated, you might be able drive over them, but you couldn't move them!

Re: Question of the Week!!! (10/25/04)
 

I agree John. That was my first year in FIRST. When I saw 71 I remember everyone around me (people from several teams) saying, "Ahhh. That's what we should have done."

Re: Question of the Week!!! (10/25/04)
 

Team 190's puck control system from 1999. It's hard to call this system a component, because it integrated so many components perfectly to accomplish a single goal.

This system allowed the operator to latch onto one of the bars of the puck with little effort. Next, the puck could be tilted 6-12" off the ground with a motor powered linear actuator. By slamming the puck into the corner of the playing field, opponents were rarely able to get on the puck. Further, 190 had a drive system allowing the robot to move laterally with the puck (all wheels could turn 90º), effectively allowing 190 to use it's robot as a blocking device for other teams trying to get on the puck. As the match approaches 10 seconds left, 190 would reverse it's motor, and hoist itself up off the ground and be fully supported by the puck.

An amazing puck control system, involving every aspect of the robot. In retrospect, this machine definately inspired me to become a mechanical engineer. I've looked back to this design a number of times while working on other FIRST robots and other robotics projects.

- Patrick

Re: Question of the Week!!! (10/25/04)
 

Rich, that's what everyone says about Beatty! :D

Re: Question of the Week!!! (10/25/04)
 

45 Technokats arm in 1999. That was the coolest ever.
-Court- :D

Re: Question of the Week!!! (10/25/04)
 

The drive system from Team 16 (Baxter Bomb Squad) in 2003. With all due respect to the awesome Wildstang drive and positioning system from 2003, I think the BBS system was the most maneuverable and agile drive system I have ever seen. Two driven wheels in the front, one steerable drive wheel in the rear, very high acceleration and top speed, ability spin in place, go into the corners and dig out bins, the most precise high speed machine I have seen.

Ken

Re: Question of the Week!!! (10/25/04)
 

Metal-in-Motions arm from 2001. I saw that at VCU and went ooh. Well isn't that a nice and simple way to solve that problem. They balanced both goals without putting the robot on the bridge.

After that, Beattys feet from 2002. It was so cool, they even made a rule for it. :D


Wetzel

Re: Question of the Week!!! (10/25/04)
 

I'm judging this one based on the "wow factor" as I call it, thinks just made me stop and say wow. A lot of the robots that would be on my list have already been mentioned in this thread, so I'll leave them off.

1998 - Team 95
They took the big 24" balls out of the 8' high center cylinder. The only to team to even try this. It was scary.

1998 - Team 16
24" balls should not be squeezed through pipes that are only 16" wide that easily. Those Baxter people sure know what they're doing.

1999 - Team 95
Teams drove on the puck, they pulled the puck, but this team had their own approach to controlling the puck. They tilted it. Again, one of those things you see and ask yourself, "did that just happen?"

2000 - Team 308
The Mini-Me arm. The controls geniuses from Team 308, created a miniature version of their robot's arm, that was used to control the arm. It was so intuitive, and so precise. This Mini-Me arm was a definite pioneer in the realm of driver friendly controls.

2001 - Team 45
I know there were other teams who did it as well, but the Technokats autobalance routine was amazing.

2002 - Team 71
This robot deserves being mentioned over and over again. It was a sight to see. Many times no more than 10 seconds into a match, and they had it won. I'd never seen a chokehold strategy employed so well in FIRST before. Many people thought of grabbing all three goals, but most figured "it'd be too hard to do it well, and have any sort of robustness". We all obviously forgot that nothing is too hard for Beatty.

Re: Question of the Week!!! (10/25/04)
 

For coolness of design, I can't believe no one mentioned the famous "Ball Drive" that the techokats had for a module in Stack Attack. Leave it to Baker and crew to come up with such a cool design!

The other one I think is worth mentioning, and this one is really obscure...team 467 from Shrewsbury High School in 2001 that had the ability to climb over the bar on either side of the ramp. Team 25 also had an excelent pole vaulter that year!

Then of course for the oldies...let us not forget Kod Red, Kodak and Eastman HS in 1997...the only team to launch tubes at the goal! Another oldie...Baxter and Johnsburg HS in 1998 who could hold I believe 6, 24" balls and deliever them to the goal! And last but by no means least, just this last year, we need to give WPI their due...the only team that was a true threat to steal a ball while hanging and score it in their own goal...cool as all heck!

Have fun,
-Andy Grady

Re: Question of the Week!!! (10/25/04)
 

The coolest thing I saw this year would definitely have to be 190's autonomous hang/ manipulate balls from bar combination. A lot of teams had great designs as well, however WPI's robot stood out the most for being the only one that could do that.

Re: Question of the Week!!! (10/25/04)
 

Thanks to both of you guys...and all the other people that mentioned us. Tonight (10/26/04) we had a meeting and some people were wiring up the ball drive, so it may be operable in a few weeks. It may even come to a regional with us, hopefully. Maybe we will see a ball drive drive base in the 05 game? That would be cool to see a team actually use it and compete with it.

-Kyle

Re: Question of the Week!!! (10/25/04)
 

My favorite/coolest design I saw was 111's drive base. I think it was great how the pneumatics were and how it could go literally any direction. My other favorite design was the Killerbees gearbox. That thing just looked awesome and they proved it performed well too. What's next? :ahh:

-Kyle

Re: Question of the Week!!! (10/25/04)
 

Re: Question of the Week!!! (10/25/04)
 

I'd have to go for the ball drive as well. Man , that was funky!

Re: Question of the Week!!! (10/25/04)
 

While I don't know how successful it was, I was most impressed by team 857's drive train in 2002. It's been done again since, but it allowed them to move in any direction without the turning of the robot or the pivoting of any wheels. A picture of it is here: http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/pi...&quiet=Verbose

Matt

Re: Question of the Week!!! (10/25/04)
 

Actually, not to downplay the awsomeness of 857's drive train, it was extremely effective and I think the only 3 wheel omni directional drive, but the very first omni-drive goes to those innovators from team 95, I believe it was in 1999 when they first unvieled the omniwheel! Of course, the first multi directional drive goes to Delphi and Pontiac Central.

Speaking of Chief Delphi, I'd like to nominate their whole 2000 robot for coolness in design. It could do just about everything and it looked sleek while doing so. I still hold firm that the CD Robot that year was probably the most beautifuly designed robot I have ever seen in FIRST...not to mention extremely dominating in match play!

Re: Question of the Week!!! (10/25/04)
 

501's 2003 arm of most things. That allowed them to win in 2003's regionals by hanging on the bar most of the time.

Re: Question of the Week!!! (10/25/04)
 

Sorry to do this Andy...

The HOT Team (Team 67 GM Proving Grounds and Huron Valley Schools, Milford, MI) had omni wheels on their 1998 robot. That is the first robot that I have seen them on.

Re: Question of the Week!!! (10/25/04)
 

Technokats (45) also had omnis on their Champion 1998 robot.

Re: Question of the Week!!! (10/25/04)
 

Team 33's 10x ball sucking / eating carrying thing. That thing gobbles em up like theres no tomorrow. It does it so smooth and elegantly too! And it can hang. I wonder if it could hang with most of the 10x balls inside it!

1114 drive system / piston that allowed it swerve/strafe and move onto the platform which was somewhat similar to 111's drive system.

Re: Question of the Week!!! (10/25/04)
 

I would have to say team 716's tranny from this year....i was in awe. I have a problem remembering team numbers, but i remember that one ;)