[Solace]

Originally Posted by oreocookeee

i am surprised at how many teams are choosing a fast robot (11 ft/sec is reletively fast). first allow me to say that i am assuming for the sake of this argument that teams who are choosing fast robots are therefore sacrificing torqe. although my team doesn't agree with me, i think that a slow, powerful, and controllable robot would be advantagous for the specialized tasks this year.

being able to position your robot to either knock down the bonus ball, cap a goal with the 2x ball, or grab onto the bar would require very carefull driving, which is harder for a fast robot (though it can be slowed through programming or using a tranny).

i also dont forsee many robots having to sprint across the field and back. most of the tasks of the competition are located on your side of the field, save for the bar and moving goals that are in the middle. a robot could score highly without ever crossing the field or traveling long distances.

any robot that can climb up the six inch step will need sufficient power to do it. even if you are both fast and powerfull, running full speed into the step isnt the best thing for the robot. once on top of the platform a fast robot would have trouble maneuvering on the HDPE (fast robots consequently have less traction).

lastly, i think being able to push other robots around would be usefull in a defensive strategy. it would be easy to block another robot from crossing the field just by positioning you robot in the same alley.

i know my argument seems very strong for a slow bot, but this is just once side of the debate. i look foward too seeing what other people think of the game.

a fast robot is not necessarily difficult to control. the problem is achieving just the right amount of traction so that the robot can turn easily yet slowly enough so that it doesn't spin out of control.