[M. Mellott]

Team 3193 has driven their robot in the Forth of July parade every year for the last 5 years, which is a little more than 2 miles in length. A couple of pointers:

• We typically use treaded wheels on our robots. Since the asphalt will chew them up, we change out the treads with some old ones used during the season, and then replace them again after the parade. Colsons seem to wear very well, but I have no experience with them on asphalt.
• You may want to remove one of the motors from each of the drive transmissions and just run 2 per side--I know our 3-CIM gearboxes really suck the juice out of the batteries fast, and you really don't need the power for just driving down the street.
• Our robots vary as to how many batteries are needed...our 2012 robot ran the whole thing with only one battery change, while others have needed 2 or 3. Your mileage will vary, so be prepared.
• If your bellypan has a lot of holes like ours, zip-tie a piece of tarp covering the bottom--it will keep much of the road debris out of the internals.
• Finally, a trailer on the back of a team vehicle is great for a robot that needs a new battery (and for carrying extras). Typically, a parade has to keep moving--it can't stop while you power down the robot, change the battery, and wait for it to power up and reconnect to your laptop. A trailer is also a good place for the drive station, as it can be plugged into an inverter powered by the towing vehicle via an extension cord out the back window. Finally, if your robot should suddenly stop functioning for any reason, you have a stable place to check things out--you don't want to be carrying it down the parade route.