Okay... *phew* here we go.
My analysis of the 3 71 pictures.
Drivetrain:
4WD. 4 independant gearboxes. (Shocking.) 2 look like Drills. I'm guessing the other 2 are Chiaphuas.
Goal Capper:
No surprises here. 2 PVC arms with what looks like sorbothane on the tips for grabbing the big ball. This mechanism looks familiar.
Hanging Arm:
A long extending PVC arm with a hook on the end. Powered down by what looks like a cable running into the base. Some sort of winch?
Step Climbers:
The "Rear" wheels are pneumatically actuated up and down. Pretty slick looking.
Ball Catcher:
Note the teflon on the side of the robot facing us?
I assume that means... the robot starts sideways, with this against the wall, and drives to the center of the ball drop (sliding the side along the wall). Then, the hanging arm, and the capping arm both flip out, along with those other 2 flaps... The arms must have some netting or something which isn't on there right now. From there the balls are funnelled into a lexan tube which runs through the center of the robot. (only parts of it are visible in the picture? This one baffled me for a little while). Then, once the balls are in it, it drives back along the wall to the HP and deposits them.
JVN Stumpers:
Those 2 suspicious looking pneumatic cylinders in the center of the robot base. (On the left side of the picture). What do you suppose those do? I think they will keep me up at night. Possibly powering the winch somehow? Hmmm....
Overall, I'm very impressed. This is just my interpretation of these pictures, and I suppose we'll have to wait until tomorrow to know for sure. I will certainly be watching....
Kudos to 71... another great season in the making.
I'm Inspired,
JVN