A Robot That Inspires You
 

Has there ever been a robot that inspired you? Has there ever been a robot that makes you say “I wish our ‘bot was like that”. If so which robot was it and why?

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

Nearly every robot I've ever had the pleasure of looking at closely has had something that makes me pause in admiration, whether it's something I wish my team had thought of, something we did think of but didn't manage to bring to reality, or something we didn't even attempt. When you look at another team's robot, you're seeing the combined product of six weeks of brainpower from a group of both current and future engineers; I'd be surprised if you *didn't* find something to admire or look up to.

To answer the basic question, though...our robot was a hybrid, and we were quite happy with how well our designs worked out. After going through the process of trying to cram so much into one robot in one build season, every other hybrid made me pause and take a close look. The really effective ones impressed me, because I understand the amount of thought that must go into it to pull that off. 71 is the hybrid from this year that comes to mind most easily, after watching them on the Championship webcast.

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

probably team 968's bot and their team because there so organized and neat and they are very creative with their ideas.

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Team 60 - Bionic Bulldogs, that thing was crazy fast, omg, that was just awesome seeing it on the Curie Field except in the second match my team had against them(from the driver's point of view), they were missing a team for their alliance and the other team they were with broke down really early and, that hurt(us, because 60 won the match single handedly). We were quite impressed though. Finally my team believes me we need to upgrade the drive train.

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

I don't know if it was the bot of the drive team or a healthy mix of both but 330s bot still inspired me. It was so effective and though I wouldn't call it simple (because I don't think any FRC bot should ever be called "simple" :rolleyes:) it wasn't overly complex and was simply a beautifully effective bot. The arm was also very well built and looked like it could take some punishment.

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

71 I say this because i'm pretty sure every year after the game is revealed everyone thinks "WHAT WOULD BEATTY DO??"

just look at the quality of robots that they have had (and driving abilities)

Also some other teams that come to mind quickly are:

25, 45, 67, 121, 173, 217, 233, 254

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

254and968 these are in my opinion the most elegantly enginnered first robots in existence and then beast of course

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^^ 1625's robot from 2005... they were rookies with an amazing robot and stopped me from getting that elusive gold medal. However, there were a lot of robots from 2005 that I was impressed by.

71 and 111 inspire and impress me year in and year out.

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

100's '07 'bot, "Tubeasaurus Rex". Runs well, performs well, plays the game well, and it's well built. On top of that, I love how you can remove the panels to work on the 'bot's systems.

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

Well, I was impressed by everything at the 2005 IRI, because it was the first time I had ever seen FIRST robots in action. I was dumbfounded. And I loved it. The first robot to catch my attention there, would have to have been Pink's. It was fast and effective.

Now that I'm actually aware of what a build season is like, I can honestly say, every robot fascinates me to some degree. I can't explain it. I want to know how each team got their robot to work, and what made them come up with certain ideas. Everything is intriguing, and simply being a part of it inspires me. :)

This year, I was impressed with unique designs that worked...365, 126, 910, and of course 330 and 71. I also have to say I was inspired by all of the hybrids, especially the ones that could do both really well, because I could never have figured out how to accomplish ramping or both with that amount of speed and accuracy. 1501 was a strong lift, and I liked that one a lot. It was easy to get on and a fast lift.

I am greatly inspired by autonomous modes that work as well. I did programming when I was in VEX in 2006, and it was the hardest thing to try and figure out. (And that was on a lot smaller and easier scale.) I look up to all of the programmers out there, who are masters of their skills.

Really though, when looking at a robot, a six-week masterpiece of countless hours of work and sleepless nights, glowing with passion and dedication; who couldn't be inspired?

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

Which one? The one you faced in Newton or the one you were with in Curie?:rolleyes:

(Strange but true: In 2005, teams 67 and 330 faced team 910 in the Newton finals. In 2007, Curie finals, same three teams, but it's 910 and 330 versus 67... To make matters even wierder, 330's 2007 robot borrows very heavily from their 2005 robot.)

And to answer the original question...Any robot that beats us convincingly or is just plain WOW! (968 '06 comes to mind immediately, as does 60 '02.)

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254

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

I wasn't around for 2005 so unfortunately I never saw your bot from that year. But this year I absolutely loved it, especially the arm. To me the arm looked like you could have wailed on it with a sledgehammer and maybe you would have scratched it.

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

I was really inspired by 2165's robot this year. It was a rookie robot that looked and performed like a veteran.

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

do you mean 2156? patriotics?

EDIT: early morning mistake... patriotics is 2056...

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

2165 was a finalist at the Kansas City regional, and won the regional RAS award. 2156 won RAS & RI at Sacramento. 2056 is Patriotics and won 2 regionals, 2 highest rookie seeds, and a regional RAS.

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

I'll start with robots that inspired me when I was new to FIRST--

47 in 2000-Simply amazing machine. Extremely well engineered.

71 in 2001-Did everything, did it perfectly, and did it quick. Total domination isn't a strong enough descriptor. I wanted to make a robot like that.

60 in 2002-This is still one of my top two or three favorite robots ever. This
robot was so well engineered. It was incredibly simple, clean, and sleek and worked incredibly well.

71 in 2002-As they often have, Beatty came up with a strategy and robot that was as close to unbeatable as humanly possible. Their use of file cards and the walking feet was revolutionary and made them impossible to move once deployed.

Robots that have inspired me since--

111 in 2003- Stang PS, 'nuff said. Watching their robot come out, encounter an obstacle, swerve around it, and then make their way up to the top of the ramp (faster than 90% or more of all the other teams) was amazing. Being able to change autonomous modes simply by clicking anywhere on the field and adding waypoints, and integrating all the sensors and programming to do so is an amazing feat. Combine that with the fact that this robot was perfectly engineered to dominate the competition with it's swerve drive and two wings, and you get one incredible robot.

60/254 in 2004- In and prior to 2004, 60 and 254 were the two premier west coast teams. For them to get together and collaborate on the design of their robots was amazing in and of itself, and has now become commonplace. Beyond that, the robot they designed was one of the best of all time. The only thing that stopped these two teams all year was mechanical failure of their winch cable, and bad luck. These two robots were clearly head and shoulders over all others in 2004, and unless they made a mistake, your chances of winning against them were not very good.

1114 and company in 2006- Watching their robot dominate everyone, and joining the company of the only team to have ever one three regional events in one year was inspiring to me. Like all these other robots, it was very well engineered. It's drivetrain allowed it to actively resist being pushed to keep on target, and the shooter allowed it to curve it's shots, giving it greater flexibility.

233 any year. Particularly 2005-2007. The first time I see a new Pink bot, my jaw always drops. They are consistently the best engineered, sleekest, most beautifully machined robot out there. Every single component has clearly been thought out and CAD'ed from the major systems, all the way down to their battery mount (who noticed their super sweet CNC machined battery retention system this year? :p). That kind of attention to detail is simply amazing. You could spend an entire day staring at their robot, and there's no way you would find anything that looked out of place. I'm continually in awe of their craftsmanship.

All these robots, and many others that make you go "wow" have inspired me in many ways. Look at how many aspects of these robots (and many other greats that I've not listed) have been incorporated into current robots by many a team, and I think it's clear they've inspired many.

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

I don't think any "ROBOT" has inspired me. I think it has been teams that have built beautiful successful bots that have inspired me. Specifically a few teams are at the top of my list, with some of the most helpuful people and some of the most inspirational ways thinking. They would be Wildstang (111), RoboWranglers (148), and The Poofs (254) and Pink (233).

Peace.

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

Not a problem on the 2005 robot:
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/21476

2007, for reference (actually our practice robot, but very similar concept and the resemblance is clearer):
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/27675

A sledgehammer might have broken the fiberglass, but not the metal inside. If any robot had broken both the fiberglass and the steel/aluminum inside, they would probably have lost the match on a red card. Even on Curie. (Definitely on Einstein. And, if it was in finals, who cares about the timeout? Give us two minutes max and the spare is on.)

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

Gunna go for a more intelligent robot next year..

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This year's 1114 bot was RIDICULOUS. I can't imagine anything more creative or dominating. Their drivers knew how to control it as well.

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

This is my rookie year, so I'm somewhat easily impressed :p my tops would definitely be:

148 - their end effector was simply incredible. Add in a killer drive base and drivers that know how to work it well, you've got (in my opinion)the best robot of 07.

1625 - the title of the thread is "robots that inspired you." This was not only the first bot I saw with a swerve drive (very cool to someone who doesn't know what's going on), but their lifter system was awesome. I believe they were the first team at St. Louis to lift two @ 12", and their method of doing so was awesome.

2056 - their KISS system showed everybody that even the most baseline robot, paired with a good auton and drive team, can be verrryy competitive.

233 - I LOVE that arm/grabber setup. Nothing else to be said.

703 - 14 wheels!!! I'll never forget being pushed halfway around the rack by them in Detroit, haha.


Edit: this is my 148th post :p

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

Team 111 every year.

And since you never specified FIRST robotics...

Biohazard, Alos, and every creation from Team Wyachi.

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

I've said it before, I'll say it again. SPAM 2004 is the robot that got me hooked.

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

I've got to say that a few teams out there stood out not only with the talent and skill of their robot and drivers but with the team themselves, In both the Los Angles and the San Diego regionals Team 968 was all around amazing, I was impressed with their team structure and the friendliness of some of their team members alongside their impressive performances on the field.

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

I'll have to second that... Team whyachi are good people...

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Wildstang in 2006. It was my rookie year and we got selected by them for the finals. I was (and still am) amazed at how fast and accurately the turret aimed and how rapidly the balls flew into the goal. Seeing that robot inspired my and my team to strive to build a great robot every year.

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

If we were talking about the drive team, I would have to say team 45 for their awesome ability to climb on our wings, even with two robot already on their. See what I'm talking about here.

As for design, I just love to see what everyone has made, and it all inpresses me equally.

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

25, 40, and 173 were very inspirational to me... they both had very robust designs. they were the kind of robots you could repeatedly crash into the rack with and they wouldn't break.
Our robot, although it performed very well, was in fact very flimsy and a simple push in the wrong area would have put us out of competition. luckily, the only times that happened were at our scrimmage and the final match of the UTC regional.

in any case though, 25's robot was untippable and transferred its momentum very well when hit. 40 had a strong arm, a very well done autonomous, and could easily be driven around with as much recklessness as humanly possible. 173... that was one beast of an arm, and it was also extremely fast. you could RAM that arm at full speed and nothing would happen to it. It is mechanical aspects like that which i am planning to use as models in future design proposals for robots to come.

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

Team 177's robot(s) made an impression on me. Last year it was because of how well their bot worked. When we partnered with them at the UTC regional, they had engineered a robot with amazing offense. We ended up playing defense to let them score. This year, their robot left me in awe when we played against them- we had practiced resisting against defense, but in the finals on Newton they pushed us aside as if we weren't even there. Their drivetrain is incredible, and their ability to partner this with other excellent attributes in their robots each year has stood out in my mind.

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

Here are seven robots that I hold very near to my heart and have truly inspired me.

233 2005-Every time one of these threads comes up, I bring up this robot. This was the first robot that ever made me stop and say "Wow." For those who didn't see it that year, imagine their robot this year only it was better. To this day I think they were the best robot on Archimedes in 2005 (It was basically this year's Curie it had 27, 71, 179, 980, 1114 and three other robots we will get to later).

191 2005-My first competition was the inaugural 2005 Finger Lakes Regional, and one of the teams I scouted was team 191. The X-Cats put out the coolest designed robot there and finished with the second seed where they picked us. After the most exciting finish in the history of FIRST (Leaning center stack, I nearly died waiting to see how it was scored) our alliance won. They again picked us on Archimedes and we made it to the finals. This robot was probably the reason I stayed in FIRST.

217/245 2005-If 191 had the robot that helped make my first year great, then these two built the robots that made my first year a sad time. For those that don't know 245 built the most underrated robot of all time and 217 built the robot that has most influenced every team this year. These two won both Detroit (Knocking us and 1213 out) and Archimedes (knocking out us and 191). These two made me want to build better and better robots so that they wouldn't destroy us.

85 2005-If PINK built my favorite robot of all time, then 85 built my second favorite. It was the most interesting design I have ever seen. Their gripper was like a vending machine that rotates and dispenses candy bars. Plus it flipped around and they had another, it was insane.

469 2007-Their 2006 robot was their best, but this was by far their coolest and most innovative. Look at GLR and then Detroit. They completely redesigned their gripper in two weeks. They really pushed the bar of what can be done in six weeks and built a robot that I will never forget.

1114 2007-There have been many robots that are "the best ever" but this robot was something more. It pushed the game into ways no one else went. Everything down to the flag holder was intricately designed and fabricated. Top it off, they played some of the most flawless matches I have ever seen and dominated the game. They have become the 01-02 Beatty of the Serpentine draft era.

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

79 all the way baby!

WHAT TIME IS IT?
CRUNCH TIME!!!!!

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

This is a great thread. Here is my list of most inspiring robots, and how they inspired me:

1997 Wildstang - no robot ever went higher. They demonstrated that if you wanted to win over adversity, prehaps you had to be a little extreme.

1998 Juggernauts (1) - Small, simple, efficient. Give your operators something simple and easy to drive, and the results can be amazing - even against much more complicated machinces.

1999 Team Hammond (71) - I think this was my favorite of all of their robots. The design was just a little bit out of the box, and incredibly effective. They could score in every imaginable way. This robot caused me to start to explore all options of a game while thinking of a robot's capabilities.

2000 Chief Delphi (47) - in my opinion, the best FIRST robot of all time. This robot looked like an NBA all star playing in a high school basketball game. I guess this robot just inspired awe more than anything else.

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Without a doubt there isn't a robot that inspires me much at all. I'm more of a concepts kind of guy. That said, what inspires me the most is mecanum and holonomic drive, particularly teams (like 357) who go the extra lengths to manufacture everything themselves in an effort to show students what it takes to create a concept from scratch.

Ever model the continuous wheel equation from IEEE papers in Matlab? Yea, pretty pictures indeed, and if you take the concept further with a 3rd dimension to the model (undisclosed independant variable atm ;)) I do believe what I'm seeing is a singularity point signifying the a "best" solution -- but I need clarification from an old professor first. Even after college, you can still get inspired by these little robots :D

So to all teams that strive to make their robots agile enough to side-step opponents and do everything the game entails -- you are the ones who truly inspire me. I mean, the thing drives freakin sideways.

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

Team 2153's robot was inspiring. It was so simple, yet the drivers were really good with it. I couldn't help but laugh madly in the stands watching that machine...

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Just curious but do you happen to know how many teams went with a similar design to 217's 2005 robot? the only ones that i can really think of off the top of my head are:

1902
217
148

(I know there are a lot more but i don't recall any of the successful teams at nationals, besides 1902, having a similar design to 217's 2005 robot)

***Just curious i don't mean to take any respect away from the T-Chickens, but i was just curious***

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

Don't forget that it's your design as well...

Also, I saw quite a few four bars in atlanta.... don't quite remember all the team numbers.

It was one of the more common arm designs this imo (besides a single jointed arm... but thats not an inspired design mos t of the time (unless you're 330)).

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

Team 60 (2002)-Spinning goals...it's that kind of out of the box thinking that makes me strive to be a better engineer.

Team 254 (any year)-Deadly efficiency is their trade. It's easy to make a complex robot. It's hard to make a complex robot work. It's hardest still to make a robot so simple, elegant and robust that it wins at LEAST one regional a year.

Team 190 (2007)-I realize this is a robot I helped create. I am mentioning it because I am still continually inspired by it, every time I walk by (which is most days during the school year). It's what makes me understand why I enjoy engineering so much, and why I enjoy FIRST so much.

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speaking of that.... has any other team one at least a regional a year every yea? (not an individual regional, any regional)

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

This is my first year in FRC so the robots I've seen are pretty limited to this year. But one robot that I like quite a lot was the robot 1501. It was so skillful in doing what it did...it was just really great.

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

1114 is probably the closest...theyve won a regional event each year from 2004 to present, but did not win in 2003.

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

1574 is 3 for 3 in Israel. Not only that, they've been the #1 seed twice (2005, 2007), and was selected first in 2006 (they were the #3 seed). They've had success at Championship too, with a 5-2 record on Curie in 2006, and as the #2 seed and semi-finalist on Newton in 2007. Their record since 2006 (including elimination matches, was unable to find 2005 Israel data) 44-8-1. That's a 85.577 winning percentage. Meet Miscar, they're the real deal. And they inspire me.

Those kids in Cocoa Beach, Florida also turn out some of my favorite robots as well. Regardless of name ("Space Coast Team", "Roccobot", or that other color-specific one), 233 turns out some of the most beautiful, well-engineered, dynamic, dominant machines in FIRST.

"I like Cheesy Poofs, you like Cheesy Poofs, we all like Cheesy Poofs, or we'd be laaaaame...". 254 has a standard set so far above what the average other team does, it's amazing. Not only do their robots compete well, they look freaking sweet too. Their aesthetic standard is part of what sets 254 apart from many other teams in FIRST (oh yeah, and all those gold medals).

People keep mentioning that one group of Canadians. Well, their not even the best team in their High School. FVC 1114 is the most dominant team in the three branches of FIRST. In their two years, they have yet to lose a competition. I think they have something like 1 or 2 TOTAL losses (someone on 1114 correct me if I'm wrong). They won Delaware and Championship in 2006, and Toronto and Championship in 2007. They have shown me what is capable of being done with the vex robotic design system. They've taken a much more limited and bound set of materials and resources, and done things that many FRC teams couldn't. Imagine 2002 RAGE+bar hanging+the ability to accurately control a ball twice the size of your robot+an effective autonomous and you'll get what they did with their Vex bot in 2007. The Simbots are absolutely annihilating the boundaries of Vex.

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

It seems that from what I've read about these robots who inspired others and are robots from other regionals from those who were inspired were robots that made it to the Championships.

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

I'd like to add that 254 is probably the most dominate regional competitor there is.

If my memory serves me right the only times that they have lost are:

2002 Buckeye Regional while paired with us and Elite.
2007 SVR (first time they have ever lost that)

Also they are one of only 3 teams to win 3 regionals (254, 1114, 1503... If i missed anyone sorry)

But for consistent inspiration I would have to give a vote to 254, consistantly winning, always a very well engineered marvel, and a group of great guys on the team.

I remember walking over to see there robot at nationals after we uncrated and we made the comment "We wish our robot looked as professional as that one" Great job guys and keep it up.

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

Powder-coating goes a long way to making a robot look professional. Leaving everything silver makes you look like just another bot -- but adding your school colors to the mix adds flare and marketability.

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They also lost 2005 Davis Regional, but these three losses that I know of are trivial compared to the 14 regional wins that they have and their one championship semifinalist.
Not only does 254 build great robots, but I have also found their team to be very professional as they are willing to help our team out.

Travis

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

I think 330's 2005 and 2007 robots have inspired me the most.

They have proven to the entire FIRST community that a very simple design, coupled with great drivers, can be extremely effective.

I'm trying to get our team to keep going simpler and simpler so we can reach that 330 point of simplicity and excellence.

Easy to build, easy to operate, easy to maintain.

Re: A Robot That Inspires You
 

Given our past "issues" with regionals, while it wouldn't surprise me if 48 were affiliated with one of 254's only regional defeats ever, it was actually Team 47 that was paired with 229 and 254 at the 2002 Buckeye Regional. 48 was partnered with 234 and 892 (as last pick, I believe. A common spot for us), and our alliance lost in the quarterfinals.

Here be corroboration:

http://www2.usfirst.org/2002comp/eve...chResults.html

This is of course a common mistake, as at least 10,502 people confuse 47 and 48 every year. Why, I have absolutely no idea.

You may also be confusing 2002 Buckeye with the inaugural Canadian Regional, where 229 and 188 partnered with 48. We made it to the semifinals there. That was the event at which I first met and worked with some young college mentor with the initials JVN. Good times.