[Wayne TenBrink]

We field tested the "Octobase" at the WMRI. Overall, the event went very well for us. We seeded #1 and went on to win the event with the help of 2054 "Tech Vikes" and 2405 "Divided by Zero". The modified chassis didn't have any mechanical/reliability problems. We forgot to bring our team camera, so the only video we have is some brief snippets taken on phones - nothing that really shows off the strengths and weaknesses of the curved sides.

We really didn't get into any extended T-Bone situations - just a lot of brief contacts. The curved sides seemed to do alright for open field engagements, but I think straight sides would have been just fine in those cases.

Our driver did NOT like the curved sides. His biggest complaint was the way they made the robot turn toward the wall (or another robot) whenever we made passing contact. He said it was like the wall just sucked the robot into it. We normally shoot from the corner, so this was a big annoyance. It required deliberate, careful action to avoid. Also, our driver also noted that he had to turn the opposite direction than before in order to get out of a T-Bone. He thought that this might not be a big problem for a new driver, but it really bugged him.

We are inclined to go back to a straight sided chassis next year. We are very glad that we tried this as a fall project. If we hadn't done it now, we probably would have rationalized a reason to do it for the 2015 game.