Re: Most Unique Features
 

A feature that 1618's robot has this year that its past robots didn't? It's tall. ;)

I can't say that there's anything particularly innovative about "What robot?"* this year--when I did any design work, I immediately looked back to what had worked in the past. Borrow 1293's 2006 drivetrain, add a speed, and switch your source of rolling stock from Texas to Indiana, and there you go. For the arm, borrow loosely from one picture of 330, add a wrist to let you reach the floor, and make it so fast, you'll be glad you're behind lexan. (I'll have to find the video on my iBook to post.)

The arm is all PVC and angle aluminum, with a little bit of flat to mount a 12:1 BaneBots gearbox. (Granted, I'm still a little worried about running a BaneBots gearbox, but we felt the loads it'd see, both normally and otherwise, aren't going to be as severe as what it'd see (and wither in the face of) on a high-grip drive system.) The second stage is the Denso motor handling a little bit of PVC; I don't expect that exact end effector to see action on Friday, but its replacement is currently a known unknown. (Good thing we can bring bandsaws to events again...)

The drive system is an AndyMark two-speed, with gearing through sprockets for fast and faster. I've got a few ideas percolating for Palmetto as to how we can best use that to our advantage. (I've also got a few more ideas percolating as to how we can handle defense better if need be, since this competition is proving a just a smidge more physical than planned.)

Perhaps more unique is that we were able to do all this with seven kids, one engineer, a PLTW teacher, and a slightly-eccentric marketing major, in a room with two bandsaws, a grinder, a couple of drill presses and a chop saw**, and still come in about ten pounds underweight as of ship day. It might not be the prettiest dame at the ball, but we hope to fill up its dance card.

*That's another unique feature to this year--it's got a name!

**Chop saw.

Re: Most Unique Features
 

if i had to pick a unique part about our robot, i would say it is the "foot" under the gripper. this is a flat piece of polycarbonate that flattens to the ground when the arm reaches the ground. it works much like a doorhendge.

http://metalinmotion.com/

scroll down on the sit for a picture.

Re: Most Unique Features
 

arcade buttons FTW

Re: Most Unique Features
 

Our robot has two small wheels on the bottom of the gripper to help pull the tubes in, then a limit switch triggers a pneumatic to grip the tube so it can lift them.
It also has pre-set limits on the arm for each level of scoring.. so that is one more thing the drivers don't have to worry about getting so precise.
:ahh:

Re: Most Unique Features
 

You forgot about team 79 (krunch) who was one of the fastest robot scorers that i saw at the Florida regional.

Re: Most Unique Features
 

at buckeye i saw two very cool things

1. one of the martians, maybe both, had a full window's computer onboard. they were going to use it to pick up tubes and place it on the rack without using the cmu-2 cam. it was truly amazing

2. the killabytes i believe had these ultrasonic sensors and were doing some great work to program them on the practice field when i saw them. it was real interesting all the work that goes into a project like that.

Re: Most Unique Features
 

We also picked up tubes via what we termed a "spreader" design, a claw which would pick up rings by exerting pressure on the inside of the tube. Pics to come...

Also, I'm not sure if there are many (or any) pictures of 207's claw. I saw the robot at LA and they had a fully articulating wrist on the robot which a 3-fingered claw. Very complex and cool...

Re: Most Unique Features
 

I don't know how to post pictures on a thread reply yet (if anyone wants to tell me that would be great), but here are photos of the "spreader" Emilio was talking about.

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/28017

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/28018?

Re: Most Unique Features
 

Re: Most Unique Features
 

that was our origonal design but we voted that it would take too much time to line up an grab. and its also alot harder to remove spoliers (as if its not hard enough as it is). I think that it gets a much stronger hold though. The arm design we ended up with is 12 inches long and has shifting size pneumatic that powers the finger, it works great except that it too weak under 45 psi.

Re: Most Unique Features
 

we had a great roller-based grabber (like 100). actually, we had three. the SVR one was popping tubes!
we also used a gas spring instead of surgical tubing to take the load off of our arm, and allow us to use the window motors to move our arm, which did have two motors on the end of it for the rollers. the part is pretty unique... i'll try to upload a pic when we can get back into our lab later this week.
they may not be the most elegant features, but they're pretty useful.