Thread: Propulsion that does not involve driving wheels
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Unread 06-01-2009, 16:58
Jared Russell's Avatar
Jared Russell Jared Russell is offline
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FRC #0254 (The Cheesy Poofs), FRC #0341 (Miss Daisy)
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Re: Propulsion that does not involve driving wheels
To those that think that vertically-oriented fans for downforce are illegal because they alter the maximum tractive force your robot can achieve:

Say you have a robot with a heavy weight on a vertically moving elevator. The weight starts low and can be lifted by a motor. As I lift the weight, my downforce is temporarily increased. If I had a 120 lb robot to start, my weight exceeds 120 lbs when I am in the act of lifting. In fact, any time I change the robot CoG, I alter my apparent weight on the playing surface. If I then lower the mass, my apparent weight decreases. Try it for yourself - stand on a bathroom scale holding a textbook, and watch your weight TEMPORARILY change as you lift it up and down.

Changing the altitude of my robot's center of gravity is something that is allowed. Are we to believe that if your robot will be lifting anything this year, you must account for it in your weight?

-Jared