2009 Team 1676 Robot

[rdlevy1215]

Here it is: The 2009 Team 1676 Robot: Apollo!



To see more, including one with it's faternal twin, click HERE.

[Akash Rastogi]

Another great robot from our sister team in Pascack Valley!!!

Just curious, will there be another Pascack Pandamonium this year?

MORT + Pioneers = <3 ^_^

[rdlevy1215]

Originally Posted by Akash Rastogi

Another great robot from our sister team in Pascack Valley!!!

Just curious, will there be another Pascack Pandamonium this year?

MORT + Pioneers = <3 ^_^

Pascack Pandamonium is right now in a TBD state .... we do not know if it will happen again this season.....

[SuperBK]

Its beautiful, but I would like to pose the question to CD'ers: Does doubling up the wheels help traction? I'm don't think it does because each wheel has half the weight and the force available is the weight times the coefficient of friction.
Brian

[coldfusion1279]

Did I get this right: do you just store a few balls down low when you collect them with that roller, spit them out to Human Player, and they load the top of your bot? Interesting strategy, haven't really seen this yet. Good Luck, always expect a contender from 1676.

[Enigma's puzzle]

Adding wheels does not change traction. It just lowers force Normal, and just gives each wheel less traction.

(Static) Friction = coefficient Friction * Force normal

[BGiraud]

True. In theory the traction should not change. In practice, more contact patch wil make a small difference. We staged a tug of war between our twins. Both at 120 lbs. One had 12 wheels and the other had 6. It was a tie. Theory wins!!! But, when we drove them there was a noticable difference. The one with 12 wheels was more controllable. You could see it and the drivers could feel it. Both of our drivers requested the 12 wheel configuration for competition, but the 6 wheels for fun. The six wheel set-up turned faster and a bit more uncontrolably. Other tests proved that acceleration and turning were simillar, but stopping (sideways slide) was much better with 12 wheels.
Since we came in under weight we decided to keep the 12 wheels. In the end we all agreed that they look cooler than six. If weight was an issue then we would have dropped it to six wheels.
Verdict - There is definately something to be gained by increasing your contact patch. It might give you a slight edge, but it isn't a game breaker. I have found that this holds true for rubber on carpet in previous years as well, but that is another story. One that many theorists would like to argue I am sure.

[Lil' Lavery]

Originally Posted by BGiraud

True. In theory the traction should not change. In practice, more contact patch wil make a small difference. We staged a tug of war between our twins. Both at 120 lbs. One had 12 wheels and the other had 6. It was a tie. Theory wins!!! But, when we drove them there was a noticable difference. The one with 12 wheels was more controllable. You could see it and the drivers could feel it. Both of our drivers requested the 12 wheel configuration for competition, but the 6 wheels for fun. The six wheel set-up turned faster and a bit more uncontrolably. Other tests proved that acceleration and turning were simillar, but stopping (sideways slide) was much better with 12 wheels.
Since we came in under weight we decided to keep the 12 wheels. In the end we all agreed that they look cooler than six. If weight was an issue then we would have dropped it to six wheels.
Verdict - There is definately something to be gained by increasing your contact patch. It might give you a slight edge, but it isn't a game breaker. I have found that this holds true for rubber on carpet in previous years as well, but that is another story. One that many theorists would like to argue I am sure.

I believe that may be a result of where you're making contact, rather than the size of the contact patch. The second set of wheels, which I'm presuming are the inside set, is closer to the center of mass of the robot.
Any force transmitted via the inside set of wheels will have less torque on the bot as a whole. As such, the bot will have less turning power, and thus easier to control.

[BGiraud]

Actually, the second set is the outside set. Your point is well received though. I need to think about the implications of contact location. As an aditional note. The middle wheels are rockered down 1/16". Tests with no rocker yielded poor results. Too much friction during turning.