Quote:
Originally Posted by llama
the problem with using an arm also is the cantilever effect that is generated by extending the arm so far away from the bot (at best you'd have the arm one foot horizontally and 6ft vertically from the base of your bot and that adds up to be some intense weight pulling you into the bars)
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This was marginally successful during testing...
http://www.delphielite.com/~team48/Media/IMG_2067_2.jpg
The base of the ball is about 5.5' off the ground in this photo. We ran several full speed trial runs at this height - the robot was stable upon sudden stopping about half the time. Under more manageable forward speeds - those at which you'd be moving to position your arm to cap/hurdle the trackball - it behaved well.
This arm's tilt feature lets you reposition the ball over the bot's pivot point quite nicely for transport. The extension stage was designed to lift the entire weight of the robot off the ground, and therefore, it easily and quickly handled the lifting of the ball. Even the lil' ol Globe motor-driven hook stage had enough oomph to elevate the ball further....at a snail's pace.
This little test gave us a decent idea of what will be needed to manipulate this 40" beast.