Re: Bumpers vs Frame which is better
 

I dont remember off the top of my head, do the bumpers have to fit within the footprint size limit of the robot, or do they extend past that?

for stability you want your wheels as far apart as possible. If you must make your frame smaller to leave room for the bumpers, then you have traded off robot stance (stability) for impact protection.

BTW - impact is a fascinating field of study. Metal hitting metal can experience thousands of g's, even at low speeds (10mph, like our robots).

Re: Bumpers vs Frame which is better
 

i say the bumbers r better.. because they allow for a low CG and protect valuable parts of your robot.. although we didn't use a bumber because of all the specs to them.. we just reinforced our frame and moved all of our controls towards the inside for safety

Re: Bumpers vs Frame which is better
 

Who needs 'em when everyone else has 'em, HUh? ;)

Re: Bumpers vs Frame which is better
 

With the continuous pushing and shoving, robots are going to take a punishing and bumpers are going to help immensely.

What are you all finding as the best way to attach the bumpers to your frames so they are easily removable? Particularly those of you who attached them to the Kitbot frame.

Re: Bumpers vs Frame which is better
 

I think we are just using screws...

Re: Bumpers vs Frame which is better
 

So I am going to look at this whole thing from another perspective...

One of the reasons I liked having the bumpers this year was the amount of weight we could lose from the robot. Since our outside drive side panels are now covered and not exposed to a robot directly hitting them, we were about to swiss cheese them a little bit more than we would of.

New ways to remove weight safely are the best.

Re: Bumpers vs Frame which is better
 

what good are bumpers on other robots when you slam the wall or railing?!

Re: Bumpers vs Frame which is better
 

The way I see it is that there is no negative from having bumpers!

Re: Bumpers vs Frame which is better
 

Ken,
You're right, we inadvertently SLAMMED into a cement wall at full speed (12fps) three times during auto programming. We were lucky and had no ill effects. But bumpers would have been nice though.
Another added advantage for some teams is that the 15 or so lbs. are on the BOTTOM of the bot and add to stability. I just watched the videos of the UTC matches and it makes you realize just how top heavy many bots are this year.


http://media.putfile.com/Team-329-ball-pickup

Re: Bumpers vs Frame which is better
 

The bumpers will not only help keep the robot safer, it adds more weight to the bottom of the robot, which will help keep it from tipping. Besides, it's more space for team colors!

Re: Bumpers vs Frame which is better
 

Bumpers in all cases except when you have a spring-supported frame or a geometrically sound frame. I haven't heard anything about using springs to reinforce a frame, though. Would it be legal?

Re: Bumpers vs Frame which is better
 

Bumper do a few things for the robot. It will protect things you want protected. Like for us it is the sides. We left the front and back open to be able to push others around. but if we want to block someone we would use the sides of the robot. Weight is big ( more traction ). low CG is also better. Your robot gets to start bigger.

If bumpers are done right it should give the team a better robot.

Re: Bumpers vs Frame which is better
 

hmm, I wonder why our team didnt think of bumpers... one on the front would help, due to the position of the electronics this year is rather close to the front for comfort :(

theirs pros and cons......its all physics, inelastic vs elastic collisions.. . ohhh.. im not going to be able to watch a match without thinking physics (go gr12 physics:))

Re: Bumpers vs Frame which is better
 

While we were practicing a night or two before ship, Don Wright asked us if we were using bumpers. We said we weren't sure, and he went on to explain that he noticed that robot tended to ride up on balls. Not always, and I know FIRST said in Section 5 that the bumpers were designed not to ride up on balls, but we still dont' feel to safe about riding up on those things, especially because our drivetrain is quite needy as far as having all wheels oin the ground all the time. I don't think we'll use bumpers, but if we decide to, we always have thursday at GLR to build some..

Re: Bumpers vs Frame which is better
 

One negative I heard about from the scrimmage is that robots no-longer glance right off each other but can stick because of bumper friction. That means a more sudden stop when hit than without bumpers. Hope your internal components can take the loading.