Collaborations
 

So it seems as though its no big surprise that teams have started collaborating on designs. My one questions is: Why does the collaboration start? Does it have to do with a lack of mentors, students, or resources on a team? It seems as though having a collaboration with another successful team can lead to success, just look at 968/254, 980/4, and I think 60 collaborated with someone from the east. Well yeah, I was just wondering what the reason for starting a collaboration is.

Re: Collaborations
 

I think one main reason is that is is easier to build 4 of one part than 2 each of two different parts. But there are a lot of drawbacks to it too. It is a tough deal to organize. But I would like to hear from the "insiders" on these collaboration efforts and hear why they did it and if it turned out as expected. I'm wondering if it is something we need to try one day.

Re: Collaborations
 

This thread details quite a bit about why the Triplets do it. I think that Karthik phrases his reasons well.

Re: Collaborations
 

Im on Team 4 and I Used to be 22. I think a lot of collaborations start out with your connections and your ability to walk up to a team and just ask if they want to work together. I was sitting at a table with Ms. Wendy Wooten at a restaurant our team ate at last year after a post ship competition(i dont remember where, probably battle at the border) and 980, walked up to us and said that they would like to collaborate. We originally planned to collaborate with our close friends from Canada, Team 188 Woburn Robotics, but honestly idk what happen that. So anyways our teams exchanged informationa and got together i think the day after Kick off to start talking on weather or not we should collaboratem we decided we would, because they have good engineers and we have the ability to transform our final designs into a fully functional robot. I personally think we planned to much this year, thats why we didnt really finish our bot.

Re: Collaborations
 

i dont really know what you mean by collaborate (designing or building) but we collaborated designs with watertown, wi (1753) because it was their rookie year and needed someone to show them the ropes.

Re: Collaborations
 

Typically, these discussions are about teams that have worked together to, as a single unit, design and build nearly identical robots.

Re: Collaborations
 

That sounds a bit more like mentoring than collaborating. Collaboration typically refers to when multiple teams share designs, help manufacture parts for eachother, and the like (each team involved doing roughly equivalent amount of work). Examples include the NiagaraFIRST triplets (1114, 1503, and 1680), 980/4, 254/968, and past relationships such as 217/229 and 254/22.

Re: Collaborations
 

From the looks of Team 60, they too are part of the 968/254 collaboration.

Re: Collaborations
 

Not true at all. The only commonality is that the three of them share the same wheel design. However, 60 collaborated with 254 in 2004 and I believe it was the first instance of such a thing.

Re: Collaborations
 

I can't back this up with anything, but I recall hearing at some point on CD of two teams in 2003 did such a thing. Their relative ineffectiveness on the field, however, kept them from making too many waves.

Re: Collaborations
 

Two rookies (one may have been a 2nd or 3rd year team) who attended the Sacramento Regional in 2003 collaborated and designed the same robot.

Re: Collaborations
 

60 2003 and 254 2003 shared ideas but didnt develop the same robot so no one noticed

(Notice the lil ramp clamps)

Re: Collaborations
 

the disney teams have been collaborating with their teams to some extent since 2002 (that's as far back as i can remember), though from what I remember they weren't identical, but looking at them you would think they were seperated at birth...945 and 665 were two of those teams if my memory serves me....from what i was told both teams were lacking in the funds dept and disney had them collaborate, but don't quote me on that :cool:

edit: wow i can actually remember things accurately, check out the photos
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/13702 - 665
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/13708 - 945

as usual you can credit a florida team for the innovation :p

Re: Collaborations
 

Doesn't 60 and 254 share the same transmission design as well. From the pictures I've seen of both robots 4, 60, 254, 968 and 980 use the same transmission design.

Re: Collaborations
 

The 254/968 tranny is new for this year. It uses dogs to shift instead of meshing gears.

I am pretty sure that the 4/980/60 tranny is the same one 22/254/60 used last year.