[Qbot2640]

I'm not sure I really understand the focus of this thread. There has been so much talk lately about COTS parts, and I really can't see how these parts are making that significant of a difference. The real difference, from my perspective, is something like a "virtual prototyping" that is being done through videos...and whether the source of those videos is the Robot in Three Days project, other teams showing their accomplishments early in the build season, or just similar systems that clever teams find doing searches - the information is going to be out there.

Unless I missed the Andymark item "Frisbee Shooter Assembly" or the Vex "Pyramid Climber Mechanism" it still looks to me like teams have to cut and shape and drill and screw - there's no COTS short cut for that.