[DampRobot]

Originally Posted by TucoSalamanc

Not an FRC-er, but a teacher that is shadowing the team at her future place of employment

From what I have seen so far, a flywheel is a perfectly viable solution. We used a flywheel on both sides of the ball each powered by a DEWALT 20-Volt Li-Ion Cordless Brushless Compact Drill. We had each going at about 2,500 RPM, which we believe is possible in the competition, spaced apart the recorded diameter will little luck. However, when we brought each in 1/5 inch the ball squeezed right through flying at the wall (10-25 feet away) and hitting with decent speed.

We took the rig outside (in heavy winds) and got recorded distances of 75ft lateral and what we believe to be 24 upwards (again, heavy winds). However, the ball popped after four throws. If you are confident in not completing more then four cycles, and have a blatant disregard for the sanctity of field elements, go for it. Too bad full-field tosses are illegal, because this thing is beastly.

Until then, we will be refining our shooter (Arial Accelerator, as the kids dubbed it) and work on getting videos up.

Could you (or anyone else who's trying this method) upload a video? I'd be interested in seeing your results.