[Rick Wagner]

Every winning alliance will need at least one robot that's good at running empty cells from the outpost to the airlock. You'll need a rotating hook to reliably pick up and drop off the empty cells, preferably one on each side of your robot. That's something a rookie team should be able to do in a week. Don't think you can just push empty cells on the floor--opposing robots will take them away from you. Add weight to your robot so you are just a half pound or so under the legal weight. That way you won't get pushed around by the opposition and can keep on track in your empty cell deliveries. Practice driving so you can deliver four empty cells in 100 seconds. You may get picked for the winning alliance that way.