Re: 2008 FIRST game
 

Been there, done that... ;)


(and you DON'T want to know what I have in my carry-on suitcase right now, while I am sitting in the Cleveland Airport) (trust me)

-dave

Re: 2008 FIRST game
 

...and we're off.

(Maybe I'm a bit jumpy after my laptop set off the bomb-sniffing machine at JFK four times last night. I know it's dirty, but sheesh.)

Re: 2008 FIRST game
 

Could it be the complete manual for the 2008 game? Oh boy! Oh boy!
Or maybe it's a Popular Mechanics magazine, a Robots magazine, or a Servo magazine.
Or the remote control for your "Other car"
Or it may just be an empty carry-on suitcase to put stuff in later.

Just kidding... I can wait another month for the new game (I hope). I'm pumped and ready to start. I'm getting more sleep and doing my homework whenever I can in preparation for the new season.

Re: 2008 FIRST game
 

doesnt say hamster hmmm...

Re: 2008 FIRST game
 

pre-build season giddyness... I love it!

Re: 2008 FIRST game
 

So, just for fun I built one, using 3" schedule 40 PVC (non-pressure rated) and standard caps. Overall assembled length is 10" and it weighs ~1.5 lb. Inside I placed a 2.188" diameter steel ball, taken from one of the largest ball bearings that Emerson uses. The ball also weighs ~1.5 lb. (Don't expect to get them cheap -- motors that use that size ball are rated for 4000 horsepower and stand about fifteen feet tall. Production quantities are small relative to most FRC components.) So the total weight is about 3 lb. and the center of gravity shifts about six inches when the ball rolls from one end to the other.

As you can easily imagine, the weighted capsule is unwieldy! Grab it in the middle, tilt it slightly, and it will torque your wrist. Holding it level is a challenge.

A diabolical gamepiece if ever there was one. :cool:

Re: 2008 FIRST game
 

@ Richard

can you say scooper bots?

-vivek

Re: 2008 FIRST game
 

Yeah, but wait until the robot stops short and inertia keeps all the balls moving...

There go the game pieces! :)

Re: 2008 FIRST game
 

Of course, if the ball were made of tungsten, it would weigh about 3.809 pounds - about 2.5 times as much as the container itself. The dynamic properties of such an object would be .... interesting.

-dave

Re: 2008 FIRST game
 

First team to put all the mini Dean Kamen statues on the mini Segways wins!

Re: 2008 FIRST game
 

Interesting indeed. Such an object would stand nearly upright with the ball in the rounded PVC endcap. It might even walk a little ways, end-over-end, when pushed. Like a large "Mexican Jumping Bean," to recall a popular toy from decades ago.

However, FIRST is unlikely to build such objects in quantity. Ingots of tungsten are going for about $13/lb these days. Worked into balls, the cost per pound would go a bit higher.

Hmm. Highly unstable, heavy objects being manipulated by FRC robots? Autonomously? :eek:

Re: 2008 FIRST game
 

We've been doing that with Freshmen for years.

Re: 2008 FIRST game
 

... and so it begins.

Re: 2008 FIRST game
 

That would be a lot fun!!!!
But how would FIRST make them is the question....

a robot has to build a cube shape with 'breakable' poles (like what you use to put up a tent) but the claws are limited to only 3 'fingers'. The alliances can work together.... but only in autonomous. and of course, the human player can hand the robot the poles but that's it....

i like my idea.....
yeah.....
lol

sorry but, magnet showcase last night until 9 o'clock and pre-season jitters are NOT good when combined together:eek:

Re: 2008 FIRST game
 

I like the football idea but 6 aside robot and human player(with alot of padding) football