[TheOtherTaylor]

If you seriously want to have control over the ramp(s) you're lowering you can always go with the drawbridge-style lowering using cables and a winch to lower the ramp(s).

I think that'd be a huge waste of weight and space on your bot though, not to mention using up motors to power the ramps.

Using a latch to hold ramps up and a spring to make sure they go down (just because I don't trust gravity to do things when I want it to) seems like the best way to go about it. The ramps are probably only going to be useful at the end of the match anyhow unless you're trying to block the ringers along your alliance wall in which case you might do best building a bot whose entire purpose is throwing out those ramps at the beginning of the match and extending as far out as possible in your home zone.


(And semi-on-topic)
Or there's always the design that I dubbed "The Seagull" with two stage deployable wings on both sides and a forklift/clawlift ("Beak") on the front to capture low row spider legs. I pitched the idea to my former team (1351) but they didn't want it, so if anyone else is interested I can send you idea-sketches. (though you're all almost a week in and I'd hope you already had your own ideas worked out)