A few more, since this thread has so many potentials. Both of my favorite linkages of 2012 happened to be on the same robot (the beautifully designed D’Penguineer robot, you
may have heard of it).
The first is a locking mechanism for deploying a bridge wedge. A single cylinder is used to first drive down the wedge, then move the pin into locking position via well placed grooves. A very clever solution to a problem that just about every team using a drop-down wedge had to face.
The next is about as simple as a linkage gets; one cylinder and one pivoting part. Great way to package the mechanism into such a small space. D'Penguineers used this to get their 2-speed 4 wheel independently steered swerve drive to transition smoothly over the barricade.
