[EricH]

Originally Posted by Drivencrazy

Don't forget about accessibility. During the competition you need to be able to work on every component of your robot. Keeping this in mind during design is extremely helpful.

This. The one pre-2004 BeachBot that wasn't picked apart completely was the 2002 one--a 2-deck, limited-access metal monster. The 2001 unit, with less space but better accessibility, was picked clean except for the drivetrain until that wore out.

It's a lot easier to work on the robot if you can get in there, preferably with multiple hands.