Re: 2007's Best Robot Ramps
 

Can you explain a bit more about how your robot is designed? Specifically, I'm curious how many gas springs you use, their force, stroke and location and -- the biggie -- how they're restrained and released at the end of each match.

I was told y'all need something like 8 people to reset them. How do you get the machine off the field at the end of a match and how do you reset it?

Re: 2007's Best Robot Ramps
 

They're a box with an arm inside. From what I've seen during reset, it looks like 2 gas springs per lift, on opposite corners. Might be more. To get the bot off the field, they fold up the ramps somehow first without collapsing the springs.

Re: 2007's Best Robot Ramps
 

Well... Our robot has sandwich structure panels composed of 1.5" thick pvc-foam sandwiched between to .020 plates of aluminum held together by lots of gorilla glue (lots). We'll post more details on these panels later - the design is truly sick, they weigh around 20 pounds and can easily support over 200 pounds point-loaded each with less than a 1/4" of deflection; they're amazing and one of the things we are proudest of on our robot.

These aforementioned panels fall are held up by servos which realease them; they are then pulled down by gravity. The panels then are extended 12" in each dimension thanks to fold out flaps (look at the pics we have already posted and the videos to come to see how these fold out). The dimensions are about 46" by 44" and have an area of about 2000" each and can easily hold any robot with no tipping issues at all and room to spare. These panels lock into the chassis of our robot upon falling.

The 150 lb. gas springs (4) are located at the point closest to the panels in the front and farthest in the back (look at the silver piston mounts in the pics) and each have a 16" throw. They are reverse-mounted inside of the previously mentioned aluminum housings to create a piston design placing the weaker rod of the spring inside of the houing and allowing the stronger casing of the spring to extend down.

They are restrained via an internal locking mechanism that comes stock with the springs we chose. This pin extends beyond the top of the housing and is depressed by a lever/cap... Each lever/cap is pulled - thus depressing the pin and releasing the spring - by four bike cables which are pulled by a leadscrew system driven by a banebots motor attached to the inside of the frame. Each spring/cable is individually tuneable, so we can determine when each spring releases and in what order. That being said, we chose to have the front springs release a split-second earlier in order to allow the other robots to roll back against ourback rails to locate the robots.

As for the last question, yes it takes 10 people to depress them LOL. We fold up the panels on the field and let the springs stay extended and then depress them in the pits/practice field...

So that was the readers digest version of our panels haha... Theres a lot more to them so feel free to ask any and all questions. Good luck at nationals :D

Re: 2007's Best Robot Ramps
 

As a member of their eliminations alliance in UCF, I may be biased, but I've seen few ramps that compare to 180 SPAM. I can't find a picture right now, but it wasnt nicknamed the aircraft carrier by more than one person for nothing....

Re: 2007's Best Robot Ramps
 

Easily one of the best lifting bots I have seen was 316 at FLR. They got 60 BP almost every match. I love their bot. Actually I'm still looking for pictures of it...

Re: 2007's Best Robot Ramps
 

Hate to toot our own horn, but I was didn't fully realize the size of our ramps until one of the Martians did a 360 on top of us, remaining on for the 30 points.

I'd also like to cast a vote for Team 27, who has a huge, constant, flat ramp. If you have any ground clearance and some driver ability, you'll be able to make it on them. Plus, they've got a very effective roller gripper to go along with their ramp.

Team 93 also had impressive ramps. They were nice and easy to climb, being only about 2" tall, and it lifted reliably.

Re: 2007's Best Robot Ramps
 

I was impressed with SPAM's ramps at UCF--wish we could've climbed those for a bit.

Of all of the ramps 1618 climbed at Palmetto, I'd say that my favorites were 900 and 1102--both nice and crazy wide, giving our driver plenty of fudge factor (though he was quite adept at getting the robot pointed right).

Re: 2007's Best Robot Ramps
 

definitely team 57 they worked every time, it was easy to get up and it wasn't too big so it was hard to get a tube stuck under it. Definitely my favorite ramp good job team 57 it's always great being paired with you guys

Re: 2007's Best Robot Ramps
 

I gotta say 357.

Their ramps are perfectly flat (allowing ANYONE to get up) and have a smooth, powerful scissor jack. The ramps elevate perfectly straight up, leaving no chance of tipping whatsoever.

In fact, we were so impressed with them that in the semis at Philly, we were prepared to take as many incursion penalties as necessary to keep them from getting the other robots on!

Re: 2007's Best Robot Ramps
 

Team 204 had an impressive ramp robot at the Philadelphia Regional.

Re: 2007's Best Robot Ramps
 

469 - easy to get up on and wide enough for some elbow room
27 - same as 469's design just different colours (yeah i spelled colours that way :) )
503 - They are the Martian killers with those ramps, at GLR both of the martian teams laid waste to there awesome froggy power.
703 - Although they didnt get to show off they ramps too much at Western michigan, when those babies fold out you hear the call of the phoenix!

Re: 2007's Best Robot Ramps
 

I normally don't pimp my team's own hardware, but I'm really a fan of 48's ghetto-functional Viagra Button-actuated ultrasteel ramps of doom. I enjoy watching them spring up and crash down to the ground every time they deploy. Whether this makes them some of the best ramps, I don't know, but they are certainly some of the most entertaining.

Re: 2007's Best Robot Ramps
 

Now I cant help but boast our team's ramp. I'm pretty sure it's one of the largest ramp in the nation with an area of 45 sq. ft (half of them ramp, half of them platform) with 15.6 degress elevation. It's literally a portable parking lot and can fit 3 robots on it optimally.
And the nice thing about it is, we used no fancy material, just plain sheet metal with some teflon, stitched together with pop-rivets.

Re: 2007's Best Robot Ramps
 

Our teams lifter is pretty good. Buzzer lifter so it gives the team mates more time to place rings. I don't have any pictures from regionals yet. Here's one form a scrimmage:

Re: 2007's Best Robot Ramps
 

I have got to say 476. Although they could only lift one robot at a time, they were very consistent.