Re: pic: Team 148 - Robowranglers 2010 - Armadillo
 

Great work Robowranglers. The DiscoBots are looking forward to playing 148 in Lone Star !

I'm still a bit confused as what drops down and how. Do you only raise the strafe wheel when going up the ramp ? How do the traction wheels move up and down ?

Re: pic: Team 148 - Robowranglers 2010 - Armadillo
 

If you pause the video, there seems to be a pivot in the center. I'm guessing it all actuates on one joint.

Re: pic: Team 148 - Robowranglers 2010 - Armadillo
 

You need keen eyes to watch a Robowranglers video.

It looks more like each of four wheel pods are actuated individually by a pneumatic cylinder. See this picture, which I assume to be a Nonadrive practice chassis that was figured out sometime before build season.



Also, I scanned this years video for small hidden photos of 1114 or 217 to no avail. The build pictures do show how many crazy prototypes went into this design.

Re: pic: Team 148 - Robowranglers 2010 - Armadillo
 

Thanks Travis. Sometimes I, and I'm sure many others, need reminders like this to keep our heads on straight.

148 and the rest of team IFI and their success has driven our collaborative partners in EWCP to reach a higher level to compete against formidable teams. EWCP wants to be these teams (and later on, beat them :rolleyes: :p if possible).

Its very cliche, but you guys really don't know how much you inspire me to better every team I come in contact with, including my own. This is my heartfelt thank you, for just being you and doing the things you do.

Re: pic: Team 148 - Robowranglers 2010 - Armadillo
 

pssst week 5 = Lone Star, Paul, Lone Star. On your way back from New Zealand, stop by Austin and we'll point you in the right direction. :)

Travel safe. It's wonderful to have you here in Texas!

Jane

Re: pic: Team 148 - Robowranglers 2010 - Armadillo
 

I hope we see you guys in Atlanta :D

Re: pic: Team 148 - Robowranglers 2010 - Armadillo
 

Numbering the bottom was a nice touch.

Re: pic: Team 148 - Robowranglers 2010 - Armadillo
 

The girl in the back is not wearing safety goggles. not only is this a detriment to her own health but this sets a bad example to the many visitors to chiefdelphi.

Remember, Safety is for squares. Squares made up of the 4 equally important virtues of safety which include: Proper training, PROTECTION, proper attire, and common sense.
Please, nbext time you create a video such as this, please remember to wear your safety goggles. as a mentor of my own team, i often try and make a big deal of this because i have seen the horrors of machine shop accidents gone bad.
Sorry for the rant and good luck the rest of the season!

Re: pic: Team 148 - Robowranglers 2010 - Armadillo
 

What is the mechanism that is locking onto the bar? How does it work?

Re: pic: Team 148 - Robowranglers 2010 - Armadillo
 

It is called a gate latch and we took the idea from the 217 1999 robot. Yes, we actually used something from our rookie year.

Re: pic: Team 148 - Robowranglers 2010 - Armadillo
 

Thats interesting. So the weight of the robot is holding the whole system in place. Awesome design 217 and 148. Hope we can compete with both of the teams at the championships!

Re: pic: Team 148 - Robowranglers 2010 - Armadillo
 

Now that I've watched this video five or more times, I feel like I can make an educated comment on "Armadillo" and the Team 148/217 (And whatever other teams are in this whole team IFI) Collaboration.

As I saw robots being posted up on CD this year, I kept thinking to myself "None of these robots have the capability to dominate a match". I began to think to myself that there would be no way any single machine could dominate a match this year, similar to lunacy.

Then I saw this video. I realized that Breakaway could be dominated. I also realized a lot of other things, things that I thought I already knew. I noticed that Team 148 (and presumably 217) do substantial amount of prototyping before they even start to design robots. This is where we've failed every year. We look at the game a design a machine from day one and we always are trying to finish as early as possible. I never thought to slow things down and prototype and research and just play around with some concepts. Maybe next year we'll have to take this new approach.

Regardless, Armadillo is surely one hell of a machine.

Re: pic: Team 148 - Robowranglers 2010 - Armadillo
 

Just wanted to say that I saw your video, and your robot looks awesome. I love the kicking and hanging mechanism. Great job!

Re: pic: Team 148 - Robowranglers 2010 - Armadillo
 

Team 148 has clearly spent a lot of time tailoring and streamlining their engineering process which enables them to spend more time in the early design steps. My occupational experience (and research in defect analysis) tells me that dedicating more time up front provides the biggest return on their labor investment. In order to generate this time, they have become extremely efficient in modeling, production, integration, and to some extent testing.

The beauty of teams like 148 is that they tell you exactly how they achieve their success (see JVN's engineering design whitepaper, full CAD models of 2008/2009 robots, and the "How it is Made" video among other resources they have produced). I think the trouble many teams have (mine included) is that the engineering process is applied ad hoc and even if following a proven process there is no analysis of the process itself for where to eliminate waste and optimize the implementation of each step. For example, if it takes to long to integrate subcomponents try modeling more. If it takes to long to model, train more students in the off season and become really proficient. I think without an efficient engineering process, the only hope teams have of being reliably competitive is to (1) out work the competition (probably not practical and it is a hard way to go even if it was) or (2) out think the competition (unreliable). Team 148 is demonstrating what engineering should be all about and is showing that it works!

Re: pic: Team 148 - Robowranglers 2010 - Armadillo
 

BINGO... ie DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!!! If any regular team spent 3 weeks prototyping, they would be in a world of hurt because their parts would never get finished in time to even build a robot. I know this because in 2006 1511 spent that 3 weeks prototyping, and finally abandoned all prototypes and went with a concept we figured would work, no design, we just built it... fortunately we survived, but we most certainly did NOT come out with an elegant machine, and did not have enough test or programming time. Dmentor hit it on the head, its that they have trained their students and team so well on design, and have great manufacturing support and capability, and THAT allows them to prototype for that long to come up with the best solutions. Until you get to that level of engineering process, in my mind you CANNOT spend 3 weeks prototyping or you will shoot yourself in the foot.

I would still suggesting picking 1 design right up front and racing to finish it as fast as you can so you have debug and programming time at the end, unless you have an insanely well trained and well oiled team (hint use preseason wisely). My bet is that once they pick their designs, teams like 148 & 217 can crank out full designs in 4-5 days, manufacture in 3-4 days, and then still have time to test. 1511's best robot design was probably 2008, and that took us 4 weeks of CAD design, because we are NOT proficient enough. It worked for us because we picked the design by day 2, designed for 4 weeks, had parts built along the way and were left with about a week to debug & program, but there is no way we had time for 3 weeks of prototyping.

Maybe John or Paul could post a sample schedule that they follow... :)