[Greg Marra]

Is there a particular reason you are building a full size robot instead of a VEX one? VEX components are cheaper and easier to work with, and won't require lots of complicated machining. The amount of work that goes into building a single FRC robot is immense, but building a VEX robot on your own is easily manageable.

The smaller size and reduced complexity would also give you more time to work on the programming aspect, as the goal you have presented is a surprisingly daunting one.

Remember, keep it simple.