pic: Newest addition to the 2008 KOP
 

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Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag...er... bin now.

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Hmmmm......

Kitty Of Parts.
:)

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Is that legal? ... By US law that would be animal cruelty wouldn't it? ... I don't think Dean, Dave, or Woodie would do something like that.... On top of that we'd have PETA on our backs at every competition and possibly even the FBI/Local Police raid some of our "shops".... On top of that, I doubt a cat or "kitty" contains many good "parts" to build a bot out of....

BUT .. I know you didn't mean it like that Mr. Wong. ;)

Re: pic: Newest addition to the 2008 KOP
 

A potential power source, if you can solve the age-old problem of controlling cats. That one is beyond my engineering ability.

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We're going to play with hairballs? :ahh:

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YAY!!! Its always good to see FIRST give teams things they need.... like the pictured hammer:). eventually they might even start giving out other tools :ahh:

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OMG its Toonces the driving cat.
Warning: although Toonces can drive . . hes not very good at it.

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Gerbils have long been featured as illegal energy sources in the parts use flowchart--apparently, the specificity was intentional.

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PETA? People Eating Tasty Animals? ;)

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OMG! We're all getting a Technokitten in our kits! Awesome, my team could do with a more ballsy drive system.

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I've seen this delivish kitten in person and I must say that most people may not want to find one in their KOP come January!! :p

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What about mice?
Anyone recall this from Team 114 Eagle Strike's 2006 AVA Entry?

Sure it was just an, "idea," but that shows people were thinking about it...
It is only a matter of time.

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The purrfect response = eek! (I know, I know - cheesy)

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I like this concept, but you should lose the cheese, put the mouse where the cheese used to be, put the cat where the mouse used to be, and enlarge the cage-wheel. Cat-power beats mouse-power.

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Will they all be standard issue gray or can we get another color? :D

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Perfect! Our mentors are already very experienced at herding cats :)

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the word catastrophe comes to mind ( no further explanation there)

stick to inflatable clowns...

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LMAO!!! I has a bin!!!! :p

Finally something on these forums truely worth Awwwing at...

So....


Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!
HOW CUTE!!!!!!! :D


Will there be tech support in case this sucker starts acting up?
How about a free replacement warranty (valid only 9 times)? LOL


And in typical FIRST teaser fashion, only half of the item in question is shown so FIRSTers can speculate whether or not their is more than appears in the bin itself. Will we get a whole cat? Just a cute furry head? Will we be getting a cat-dog hybrid in the kit? What kid of upgrades will be available? Will Andy-Mark sell an alternative??? Will it be included in the final weight during inspection?? What if it eats a lot before competition and raises up our weight class? - Is that just another one of FIRSTs "real world challenges" with the KOP to deal with this year??? The questions go on and on!!! :eek:

What about that pesky rule 8.5.3?

Will that be rewriten to include "Cat" as an alternative power source, or is it just for decoration???


Now I understand why FIRST banned laser pointers a few years back. IN anticipation for this new addition. I know laser pointers make my cats freak out. lol
And no more CMU cam folks, just some good ol' fashioned Cat Vision!
Dark fields will not be a problem when you have this addition on your bot!

And... you know someone had to say it, but I think this is a sure sign there isn't going to be a water game.

You thought Water & Electronics didn't mix?
Try putting the cat in some water, and you'll see the true definition of an operator error!! :p

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! Too much thinking about this!!!
Must learn secret of teaser!!!


Hmm... must find audio clip of Kitty Cats now to play at the start of a match this year, or a dog barking. lol

Maybe even something by Cat Stevens? :rolleyes:

Re: pic: Newest addition to the 2008 KOP
 

From a technical aspect, won't you have corrosion problems if you try welding felines to aluminum? :eek:

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I think that'd be the least of your worries.

I think that zip ties, in combination with pool noodles, would allow for better wear characteristics.

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That shouldn't be a problem. As long as the cat is keeping it's mechanical energy as mechanical energy it will be legal.

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Animals store energy chemically, in the form of phosphate bonds. So FIRST will need to re-write the rule if cat-power is going to be allowed.

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Is a CATS item considered a COTS item?

What if I wish to employ more CATS items on my robot?

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The chemical and muscle power of cats is nothing compared to this:
http://uberbots.org/thecat%20copy.jpg

OK... i guess you will have to click it. I edited this post and the image disappeared )=

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This picture is begging to be made into a LOLcat. So naturally, I had to make a few using this photo. :p

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LOL. I was waiting for someone to do that.

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Well, there goes any notion of having a NEMO workshop once those bins are opened.... :ahh:

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hmmm..... could the cats come in colors that match our teams? ....it would be a problem considering our maskot is a dog... i don't know how that would work out.

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awww...too cute! but really- cats and robots, awesome. :yikes:

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No, No, It's a Kit of Pussycats

Re: pic: Newest addition to the 2008 KOP
 

Here is a LOLcat

Re: pic: Newest addition to the 2008 KOP
 

This will prove to be yet another hardship on the robot inspection crews. Not only will they have to inspect the robots for the usual height, weight, etc. restrictions, but now they'll have to check it for worms and fleas.

On the other hand, the autonomous period should prove to be interesting.

Where will we place the bicycle flag?

I can already imagine the pit announcements, "Team 3157 is in need of 1/4-20 bolts and some Meow Mix"

...Circle, Triangle, Circle, Circle, Mammal...Banana...Square...Triangle...Jello...

Retractable manipulators are the wave of the future.

Overheard conversation between two FIRST moms in Feb 2008: "Timmy brought the robot home again to work on it. Last year he broke a lamp testing it; this year our uphostery and curtains are ruined."

Since cats always land on their feet, the tipping rule has been rendered obsolete.

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Strangely enough, after a late night at the shop I was marveling at my cat's ability to track my hand as I waved it in front of his face...I wondered how long it would be before someone else noticed this.

JBot

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Hey, if they come with the kit of parts, how can Eric say no to a third cat? And how do I order a personal KOP?

Cats and robots are a natural mix, just ask my two:





Heidi

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Non-functional decoration?:D

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Rub a bar of amber over its fur and collect the static electricity.


Maybe this'll finally ban "Who Let the Dogs Out".

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I see a whole slew of rules changes...
Energy used in First robots may come from the KOP supplied kitty.
KOP parts may not be modified in any way except the supplied kitty may be groomed and must have appropriate flea control.
Kittie spares may be brought to competition but must be corralled in the teams pit area. Spares may be purchased locally but must maintain the same weight and size as the KOP kitty. No kitty claws may contact or damage FIRST carpet or inspection devices.
ASPCA safety advisors will be working the pit area to insure that teams use the KOP kitty as intended and will issue kitty koins to teams who demonstrate purfect kitty practices.
As suggested by a certain Virginia mentor the KOP kitty will now be refered to as KK.

Re: pic: Newest addition to the 2008 KOP
 

Geez... whats all this talk about power sources and inspections? Its the game object folks! :rolleyes:

Same general rules apply ... only posession of one... herding... deflated game object is still a game object...etc :eek:

Re: pic: Newest addition to the 2008 KOP
 

My thoughts exactly!! I picture 4 giant scratching posts with green lights arranged in a square, a litter box suspended from chains supported by the 4 posts......the object is to clean the litter box while several robotics mice run around the field distracting the KK that provides the ONLY power source to the robot.:ahh:

Re: pic: Newest addition to the 2008 KOP
 

This just in. FIRST partners with Nestle' so no copyright issues will arise in 2008.

Presenting the latest in Robotic technology:



New pictures of Kit-Kat just leaked today.
Autonomous mode is gonna be sooooooo sweet this year with the addition of Kit-Kat! :D



A picture of some general accesories was also leaked from a well known but undisclosed supplier today as well. *cough*Andy-Mark*cough* :p

Re: pic: Newest addition to the 2008 KOP
 

he's gonna arrive pretty wet to Israel :D

are you sure it's a cat, and not that short team member that didn't shave during build season?
it could be very misleading..

Cats&Bots rule!

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just spray paint it.

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Ok, so the game is called:
- Scratch 'n' Snatch
- Claw the Wall
- Herdless Horrors
- Catch the Kitty If You Can

--
ok, ok - Herdless Horrors - is not that good, I admit.

Re: pic: Newest addition to the 2008 KOP
 

(Possible)

Q&A submitted to FIRST:

Does the kitty kat become a member of the team or is it still consider a KOP?

I just need to know so I came order a pair of safety glasses and xxxxxxxxs T-shirt.
:yikes:

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I forsee a lot of problems if the cat isn't declawed. From volunteers: "Ouch! Ouch!" as they herd the cats. Plus the problem of keeping them clean. (Is there anything madder than a cat who's being bathed?)

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This is why teams have freshmen.

(Alternatively: This is why I, as a mentor, prefer for kids to do the work when it's possible.)

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OK, I have some Questions:
1) Is it 12 volt?
2) can we use it as a power amplifier for the mouse drive?
3) will this tear up carpet if used as direct drive?
4) other than teeth and claws are there any attachment point?
5) will we get DQ'd if it malls the ref?
6) after checking out some units we had on a shelf, where's the off switch?

Have Fun
Geo.

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you can't expect us to answer these Qs
read the datasheet or consult it's mommy.:p

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Our unit ate the data sheet andwe have not been able to find mommy for weeks, (remeber the off switch question?)

Still Fun!
Geo.

Ps MEOW!!!!!

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Team mate of mine made this. She requested I post this.

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Water game speculaton will end, and milk game speculation will begin

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Alright! A camera that I can finally get to work more than 30% of the time! Built in rangefinding as well! Complete with audio sensors too, for that second level of robot situational awareness! Did I mention it can function where even human eyes don't cut it, without needing any sort of IR illumination? And on top of that, fellow teammates will handle it better and more carefully, and in the unlikely event that it is dropped, it has built in shock absorbers that function automatically!

Oh wait. I'm allergic to cats.

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Oh, boy... we get a perpetual motion machine in the KoP! All we need to do is add buttered toast.

Andy B.

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Not if you've got some poof balls!

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The toaster, bread, and butter is inside the RED bin.
:)