Quote:
Originally Posted by AllenGregoryIV
Also in the past the determination between using an old design and redesigning something based on an unpublished design was so vague it barely mattered.
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This is something I've never understood. I've seen tons of teams use the same drive base year after year after year. Sure, they may have changed the overall dimensions, or adjusted the gear ratio, or changed the diameter of the wheels, but it's obvious that the design was based off of last year's design.
I do think it's fine to learn from previous years. We had success with a roller claw in 2007, so we didn't bother prototyping another type of grabber in 2011. My question is, where do we draw the line? If I make a WCD in the offseason, can I make the robot 1" wider, use different wheels, and change the gears in my gearbox and use this during build season without posting the design?