Re: pic: Team 148 Robowranglers: TUMBLEWEED
 

Of course! An obvious a solution to this conundrum.

My next question is: it appears that TUMBLEWEED makes no pretenses of herding nor hurdling, so is it a rabbit or is it a jackalope?

Re: pic: Team 148 Robowranglers: TUMBLEWEED
 

I'm guessing you guys will have a sweet autonomous? (>2 laps?)

Re: pic: Team 148 Robowranglers: TUMBLEWEED
 

Neither. It's a tumbleweed.:yikes:

By the way, this may be the first time ever that someone has done a 9-sided FRC robot...(Yes, I counted on another picture...twice. I couldn't believe it either.)

Re: pic: Team 148 Robowranglers: TUMBLEWEED
 

I think the name, Tumbleweed, and the design are a nice match.
Having seen tumbleweeds in action moving across the landscape, it is mesmerizing. They are fast, very fast - and beautiful to watch.

Re: pic: Team 148 Robowranglers: TUMBLEWEED
 

The robot is in the shape of a nine-sided polygon - a nonagon.

Even though our team really digs the Tumbleweed name, the kids normally refer to the robot as the 'Neun-agon'.

Re: pic: Team 148 Robowranglers: TUMBLEWEED
 

Something different, for sure. It's a gutsy call on strategy to say the least. On top of that, the robot is positively a work of art. Probably the simplest design, yet most elaborately engineered robot I've ever seen. I'm excited to see it in action!

Re: pic: Team 148 Robowranglers: TUMBLEWEED
 

What kind of drive is that A omni? Swerve?

I hit a tumble weed when driving earlier this year. It came from nowhere.

Re: pic: Team 148 Robowranglers: TUMBLEWEED
 

It seems odd to me that a team that was so good at scoring last year would stick to a driving chassis this year. It does have a complex drive system and may still be very good at scoring, though.

Interesting.

Re: pic: Team 148 Robowranglers: TUMBLEWEED
 

I think you are going to be very surprised by how well these little lap runner bots are going to do. Especially motoring around the track at the speed they are. They are more or less guaranteed points, no dealing with the ball, no dealing with the overpass...just speed and points.

Re: pic: Team 148 Robowranglers: TUMBLEWEED
 

Yeah...

Also, in the Elims two good hurdlers and a lap bot may dominate. I've heard discussion of three hurdlers sharing balls, but I think two and a lap bot will dominate three hurdlers any day. And, this is certainly the lap bot to do it with.

Re: pic: Team 148 Robowranglers: TUMBLEWEED
 

I have a feeling that lap runners will win matches in the Qualification rounds, but when it comes to the elimination rounds, they are going to need hurdlers on their alliance.

Re: pic: Team 148 Robowranglers: TUMBLEWEED
 

Another elegant and well designed creation from Team 148. Looking at these pictures you can tell that every single piece of that robot was designed with a purpose, nothing was slapped on. This is one of the most professional looking robots I've seen in a while.

When it comes to game play, I expect this robot to do very well. A small swerve like this should be able to navigate this year's traffic headaches very well. For those of you who think hurdles alone are going to dominate the game, don't be surprised to see a couple pure lap runners like this guy on Einstein. I'm not predicting that this game will play out as dramatically as Stack Attack, but I do think many hurdlers will abandon the hurdle for laps as the season goes on. If this does happen, teams like 148 will be well ahead of the game.

Re: pic: Team 148 Robowranglers: TUMBLEWEED
 

So far from the scrims, it looks like laps are all thats happening

After watching all of those and some others, plus reading reports from the scrims, hurdling doesn't happen enough (so far) to beat something like this if it keeps moving.

Re: pic: Team 148 Robowranglers: TUMBLEWEED
 

Beautiful execution inside and out--really unique!! I can't wait to see it in action!!

Re: pic: Team 148 Robowranglers: TUMBLEWEED
 

Awesome! Must be hella tough to drive... unless you've got some creative gyro action going there.

Is there any way to make actual round bumpers instead of having little segments? If you could actually make your bumpers a circle, you'd be able to squeeze through/past any traffic jam even with decent low gearing (all vectors push away from you at any angle other than at a perfect perpendicular).

-q