After weeks of having our robot driving, we are finally ready to release our original test drive movie, which is available on YouTube and right below this. This was our first test drive ever, and our build team and program team really pulled through to meet our strict deadlines. Some technical difficulties have delayed some progress afterwards, but our robot is flying down the road to victory. This video proves several things. One, Team 41's bot is insane! From speeds greater than 12 meters per second (almost 30 mph!) to rapid acceleration and near-instant deceleration, we will literally blow by the competition this year. Second, this video shows how we might need some more friction, with our three-foot turning radius being interrupted by video game-like drifting on the dusty waxed gym floor, but for our first drive, it was pretty sweet. Lastly, this video shows our major improvements over last year's first drive, which is also available below. Check back this weekend for our lift that expands from 4 feet to over 8 feet in just seconds, capable of lifting our soon-to-be-completed gripper, and the ball, along with extra weight if necessary.
Here's the video:
2008 Test Drive Video
Our lift and claw video will be available sometime this weekend. These videos are weeks old, and we have improved on some of the issues since then. What do you think?