Re: Robot+Old Skis=Legal?
 

Ski are an amazing resource to use. My team used them back in 2006 for our bumpers (And they never broken, they are rock solid) and we had no problems with inspections use older model skis, but we did make a mention on costs sheet how much these skis would cost today.

Re: Robot+Old Skis=Legal?
 

Hello all,

We are using these on a "kicking" style shooter. We are using a pair, cut to about two feet long, bolted onto each side of a shovel (a literal snow shovel- its been a heck of a winter in CT!). The shovel is formed to the tips of the skis, until the very tip of each, which too, has been sawed off. The mechanism is rotated around a shaft by pneumatics.

A word document is attached with a picture- I deleted "paint" from this computer and I have no pics (my hard drive can barely handle Labview).

-Ed
VP 2064

Re: Robot+Old Skis=Legal?
 

Just out of curiosity, what about the skis makes them desirable to your team?

Skis are able to absorb quite a bit of energy elastically, without deforming or breaking, much like a steel spring. If the rules prohibit old skis, you could probably find a thin steel strip with similar properties.

Re: Robot+Old Skis=Legal?
 

Ed,
From an inspector's standpoint, I would look at the method the ski are attached to the pivot point and to what extent the movement would cause material failure. It will also be necessary for inspectors and refs to determine the extent of movement beyond the frame perimeter. I would think with this design, it will be easier to check.
From a mentor's standpoint, I would look at replacement problems should the skis actually start to fail.

Re: Robot+Old Skis=Legal?
 

Hey all,

The reason my team used skis is because, frankly, they are pretty dang near indestructible. We are actually using some very early carbon core and fiberglass skis with steel edging. We beat our earlier prototype w/ plastic skis to death trying to find where the optimum pivot point was, and in the end, the skis weren't even the part that failed- and that was with at least 50 dry-fires. Each ski is connected to the shaft by a pipe clamp- I know this sounds really weak, but it isn't; we have placed 120 pounds of force on the tips and the joint doesn't even flex (the tips do, which is what we wanted- anything more rigid would be shredded to bits by the end of a competition with our guys driving!).

In the end, we decided that we'll contact Q & A. We are a bit to partial to our winter-weather-theme to redesign (skis & snow shovel).

Thanks for everyone's suggestions,

Ed C.
VP of 2064