[Bob Steele]

I wish good luck to 221 in their endeavor. Engineering business is something we all need experience in along with design. If they can make these and people want and can afford them and they are within the rules... more power to them...

I know that when our team decided to design its own swerve drive this year that it was one of the best things we could have done. (We made that decision after the Kickoff)

Our team was very proud of its design and its particular way of controlling our Skunk Swerve. Everyone on the team participated in the design, fabrication and assembly of the modules. It was very much a team design.

I watched the pride our team members showed in the design and the interest they all took in the problems we encountered and how we overcame those problems in design and control.

After all, it is the process that is important....the working with mentors and looking at designs and doing the systems work to decide what approach to implement.

To me, teams do this in different ways. Teams can be very successful in using off the shelf solutions.... but how does that hurt the design? If those solutions are within the rules.... use them....

We don't have to design everything...I can also remember having to cut gears and design transmissions.... things used to be different.

Teams can be successful in many ways....
For those teams that think that this is not fair...to just purchase components and put them together.... I say, why is this unfair?

It is the way of real life. When we design machines we don't design every single bolt or gear.... or even transmission....Does anyone design their own motors? Some do.... but many rely on industries that specialize in those designs.... we check specs ... pick a motor.... and design around it.

i don't see this as unfair or unjust in any way...

Having a shifting transmission or a swerve drive or any other component does not guarantee success. It still has to be incorporated into the larger design strategy for the game...The longer you are around FIRST (or anything else for that matter... ) the simpler a design is the better... the better you know it the easier it is to repair and maintain...

Good for you 221 (and 111) see if you can be successful making and selling these items.... more teams could experience a robot with this fun type of drive...

i am just wondering when teams or individuals will start trying to market software or programs that are designed to control different aspects of the game robot.... we constantly trade them.... but why not sell these control algorithms....??? I can tell you from experience that CONTROL of a swerve drive is much more difficult than designing one...

We had fun with our drive.... we plan on continuing to refine it and use it again if the game is such that it would be a viable drive system.

Good luck to everyone
Have a great summer!!