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Originally Posted by CraigHickman
I'm going to catch flak for this. I don't care.
What a day it will be when instead of engineering and designing our robots, we'll all go out and buy our parts from our favorite manufacturer, and bolt the pieces together. If we wanted an erector set competition with everything simply to build, we'd be doing Vex. Remind me how buying a pre-designed machine will teach my students how to CAD, design around many variables, and fabricate/test a system? Oh wait, it won't.
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I actually was thinking this was the main reason there were no pre-built crab drives. And I, to a large extent, feel the same way (despite what my post above might imply, that was more of a "realization that FIRST has changed" rather than an opinion). "Crab drive" has always seemed to be one of those things every team approaches after awhile, then they make and master their own style and build of it.
Then again, we've had a similar debate before when the AM shifter came out, if my knowledge of the spotlit posts recall correctly.
This raises a question of where the line is for FRC in terms of part standardization. Surely no one wants to be able to pick a full, working, manipulator off of a shelf, plop it on their kitbot, and win Einstein. At the same time, I doubt anyone wants to get to a point where teams have to manufacture their own gears, sprockets, and wheels (talk about a high-resource advantage there, you'd need C&C or laser cutting just to get out the door).
Is a crab drive for any team too far? A snippet of old rules (though standard disclaimer that rules are always subject to change and that in 2010 we could all be allowed only LEGO):
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However, COTS items that have been specifically designed as a solution to portion of the FIRST Robotics Competition challenge may or may not fit within the FRC intent, and must be carefully considered. If the item provides general functionality that can be utilized in any of several possible configurations or applications, then it is acceptable (as the teams will still have to design their particular application of the item). However, COTS items that provide a complete solution for a major ROBOT function (e.g. a complete manipulator assembly, pre-built pneumatics circuit, or full mobility system) that require no effort other than just bolting it on to the ROBOT are against the intent of the competition, and will not be permitted.
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Full mobility system is the obvious place where "premade crab module" would hold, really. So does FIRST think this is okay? (Don't answer this)
Relevant threads:
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=77009