Small robots in 2008
 

How many teams have toyed around with the idea of making the smallest robot you can with the required components?

These can be advantagous as far as just running laps if you don't want to hurdle balls.

I'm predicting we will see some 1' x 1' robots who's mission is to just to race around the track doing laps and gaining those points as fast as they can.

Hopefully designers of these robots will at the very least take the time to protect themselves from a 10lb ball dropping on them from 7+ feet. :ahh:

Re: Small robots in 2008
 

We discussed it in our strategy meetings. We're not going to do it, but we definitely brought it up as an idea.

Any team planning on hurdling will probably want to have a robot with a large base (for stability), and herding on the floor might also require a larger base. If you're planning on just driving around, though, I could see a definite advantage to having a small frame, to make it easier to slip through small gaps.

Re: Small robots in 2008
 

So as long as there is enough room on the robot for such necessities like a battery and control system! ;)

Re: Small robots in 2008
 

I think a 1'x1' robot might be at a disadvantage due to the flag holder rule (can't recall which number right now). A 1'x1' robot that has a roughly 5' pole on it to support the flag would be a good candidate to flip as the much larger robots and balls are flying around.

Re: Small robots in 2008
 

I had fun with the idea in my head. The team agrees some team is going to make a dedicated lap running robot, and personally, if there is a team gutsy enough to do it, I would LOVE to see it happen.

Re: Small robots in 2008
 

For fun I designed a 10"x16" bot with all necessary legal components out of kop stuff. I think we will build it just for kicks.



That big battery is a great counter weight. Even with a flag pole made out of steel I don’t think it would be a problem

Re: Small robots in 2008
 

We have tinkered with the idea of using a similar design to our "mini-me" robot from last year. If you were at the CO regional we were the little bot that looked similar to your kitchen sink. Very fast and maneuverable

Re: Small robots in 2008
 

The required bumper rule kinda puts a twist on the concept too. A 1'x1' chassis almost becomes a 2'x2' because of the required bumpers.

Re: Small robots in 2008
 

One lap only gets you 2 points. So, other than a rookie team, this seems like a fruitless strategy.

Re: Small robots in 2008
 

The flag pole would be a bigger worry in that it would provide a great lever for a trackball or other robot to tip your robot over with.

Re: Small robots in 2008
 

ok, im weird i gues, i think it would be kinda cute to see a little robot zipping around the track as fast as possible.

Re: Small robots in 2008
 

1 lap =
2pts in Teleoperated mode.
But...
in just 1 lap of Hybrid mode, a small, very manuverable, quick robot can go wayyyy past 2 points a lap. :D Just how many?
We'll see... depending on how the rules are clarified in the next few weeks will determine that.

Re: Small robots in 2008
 

I'm willing to bet anyone who takes this strategy will end up in the middle of the pack. Why? Becuase they can outscore the teams who bite off more than they can chew (and by and large these "bite off more than they can chew teams" are veterans). I envision a lot of hurdling robots who won't be able to grab a ball well, and won't be able to guarantee a hurdle with any degree of certainty. While they will probably end up racing around the track for points, they won't be as well suited as these mini bots.

Additionally, this year assuming you get 2 hurdlers, or even a good hurdler and a good herder, I seriously the doubt the alliance selection field would be deep enough at any event save the championship to field another good ball handling robot on your alliance. Thus, a super fast controllable mini racer is looking like a pretty darn good choice for that 3rd robot. :cool:

Re: Small robots in 2008
 

Isn't there a rule saying that the longest dimension of the robot needs to be vertical when starting the game? Let me see...

So I guess that means you can't have a small, flat robot this year... Unless the flags add to that maximum dimension.

Re: Small robots in 2008
 

the rule states that hour longest (maximum) dimension must be vertical. I interpreted this to mean that your foot print at the start of the match can not be greater than 28x38, but there is no limit to how small it can be as long as you don't start the robot to have the 5' dimension horizontal.