Quote:
Originally Posted by XaulZan11
I would agree that 48 was an awesome defender in 2007. Them and 703 that year were the two best defensive robots I've seen. I could be wrong, but I think that 48 planned to have a tube manipulator but didn't get it done due to weight. I do know that was the case for 703 (I think there is a picture of them on CD with the beginning of their tube manipulator). I also think that 2007 was a little different as teams could earn points being ramps without touching any tube.
My point is that you rarely see a team that just planned to be a box bot be an amazing defender as its usally a traditionally good team that stuggles with their manipulator. 171 at Wisconsin was a perfect example of this last year. Although they planned to be a scorer, their kicker and lifter weren't quite perfected so they were smart enough to adapt and play to their strength, which was defense. Their strong 6 wheel drive shut down Wildstang in the semifinals. They did drastically improve their scoring, but they won a regional because their smart drivers and strong drivetrain allowed them to play fantastic defense.
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In 2007, Team 48 never intended to have an arm/manipulator, just a purely defensive robot with a very strong drivetrain and ramps to hold two robots. It was definitely one of my favorite years, so I'm looking forward to this season.
I agree with the idea of a strong drivetrain coupled with a decent hanger may be the way to go. I also think speed, whether used for offense or defense, is going to be important this year.