View Single Post
  #14   Spotlight this post!  
Unread 27-02-2008, 09:54
GaryVoshol's Avatar
GaryVoshol GaryVoshol is offline
Cogito ergo arbitro
no team
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Rookie Year: 2000
Location: Royal Oak, MI
Posts: 5,757
GaryVoshol has a reputation beyond reputeGaryVoshol has a reputation beyond reputeGaryVoshol has a reputation beyond reputeGaryVoshol has a reputation beyond reputeGaryVoshol has a reputation beyond reputeGaryVoshol has a reputation beyond reputeGaryVoshol has a reputation beyond reputeGaryVoshol has a reputation beyond reputeGaryVoshol has a reputation beyond reputeGaryVoshol has a reputation beyond reputeGaryVoshol has a reputation beyond repute
Re: pic: 522/Robo Wizards - 2008 Robot (3)

Quote:
Originally Posted by EricH View Post
It could be. But this many teams? I doubt it. If it were one or two plus the original, coincidence could be a good explanation. But this is a lot more than that.
I don't disagree with you often Eric, but this is one time. Saying that having a wheel to move the ball into your grasp was heavily influenced by 121 is like saying that anyone that has two forks on their lifter was heavily influenced by XXX, or that anyone using an elevator was influenced by seeing team YYY - pick your teams.

Once a team decides to use a lifter technique as opposed to shooter, there are only a few options:
Size and shape of the forks
Laterally moving or stable-width forks
Lift distance
Method of ball release
Whether or not to use an upper arm to hold the ball in

If you decide to use the upper grabber assist, you now have a few more choices, but again only a few:
Hinged clamp-type grabber
Belts
Roller of some kind - wheel or tube

The fact is that this year the size and weight of the ball is what has heavily influenced robot design constraints. I am so far pleasantly surprised to have seen such a wide variety of robots, and surprised again at the number of shooters (my guess was about 5% of teams). I suspect we will continue to see a few unique applications, but that the majority of teams will come up with solutions that are quite similar. The differences we will see will mostly be on how the similar-looking devices are actuated - pneumatics, motor choices, etc.
__________________
(since 2004)
Reply With Quote