[RogerR]

Originally Posted by Andrew Schreiber

Thank you.

Originally Posted by Andrew Schreiber

Why is it I just find these older robots so well designed and engineered? What were those arms made of? Looks like 2x1.

Sorry for all the questions but this is a very slick looking robot and it looks like something I can learn a lot from.

Looking at some other picture (there are a few more on here if you search through CD-Media), it looks like 2x1.

As for why the older bots look so well put together, I can't really speak too much to that; while there were a few box bots that I recall from my early years, there doesn't seem to be as many as in recent times. I'm sure there were a variety of factors that could contribute; maybe the lack of autonomous allowed for more time and energy to be focused on hardware. The lack of a kit chassis could also have forced teams to approach the robot design with a bit more planning and forethought. Maybe it comes back to the "quantity vs. quality" debate that seems to spring up ever summer. Heavy mentor involvement didn't seem to be as frowned upon as it is now, so there may have been more professional involvement. The list could go on...

I love looking at the older machines from time to time; many of the current crop of FIRSTers weren’t around pre-2005, and so haven’t seen some of the mind-blowing creations that blossomed without the presence of the in-match volume constraints and bumper rules.