Minibot Falling Solutions

[ttldomination]

Try putting memory foam at the bottom of your bot. A nice soft landing.

[Kevin Sevcik]

Originally Posted by ttldomination

Try putting memory foam at the bottom of your bot. A nice soft landing.

Memory foam isn't on the approved materials list. Your only potential options would be rubber bands, surgical tubing, non-slip pad, or hook and loop fastener.

[Kevin Sevcik]

Double posting so I don't have to edit a post...

Are these minibots falling/dropping just from the weight of the minibot backdriving the motors? I'll admit I haven't looked to see how fast they backdrive, but falling like a stone doesn't seem likely... If this is the case, however, I vote rigging up a light switch to switch the positive lead on one or both motors from the positive battery lead to the motor's negative lead. Instant regen braking and all that.

[jhellr13]

Originally Posted by Kevin Sevcik

Double posting so I don't have to edit a post...

Are these minibots falling/dropping just from the weight of the minibot backdriving the motors? I'll admit I haven't looked to see how fast they backdrive, but falling like a stone doesn't seem likely... If this is the case, however, I vote rigging up a light switch to switch the positive lead on one or both motors from the positive battery lead to the motor's negative lead. Instant regen braking and all that.

We are planning on using a switch to start the climb, and a switch to make the minibot stop at the top, and then move down slowly. I'm sorry "dropping like a stone" is somewhat an exaggeration, but it just doesn't slide down at a slow, safe pace.
What do you think now that memory foam is not allowed?

[EricH]

Originally Posted by jhellr13

What do you think now that memory foam is not allowed?

Memory foam was never on the allowed materials list for the Minibot. However, it's not on the disallowed materials list for the Hostbot.

I had an idea: If the robot's arm just so happened to be up at the end of the match, just so happened to be about 10' tall, and just so happened to have a device at a shoulder joint that would allow any claws to be operated by hand without robot power being turned on, I don't think the refs can use the "special equipment" rule to disallow that being used to bring the Minibot down. It's part of the Robot, after all...

[avanboekel]

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...inibot+warning

It explains a solution for prototyping, but not for the real bot. Surgical tubing or something on the bottom might help.

[jhellr13]

Originally Posted by EricH

Memory foam was never on the allowed materials list for the Minibot. However, it's not on the disallowed materials list for the Hostbot.

I had an idea: If the robot's arm just so happened to be up at the end of the match, just so happened to be about 10' tall, and just so happened to have a device at a shoulder joint that would allow any claws to be operated by hand without robot power being turned on, I don't think the refs can use the "special equipment" rule to disallow that being used to bring the Minibot down. It's part of the Robot, after all...

I know it was never allowed. And your idea sounds very possible and smart. Our team is deploying our minibot by using drawer glides attached to a scissor type of device. I thought with your idea, if it would a good idea to put the memory foam on the end of the scissor where the minibot would deploy onto the pole. Now my concern is the hostbot is allowed to have a part of itself on the pole platforms when the minibot is deployed onto the pole

[klmx30302]

c/p from team update #6

<G59> TEAMS must retrieve MINIBOTS from the TOWER quickly and safely without special equipment and while standing on the floor after each MATCH. Violation: The FIELD crew will retrieve the MINIBOT if the TEAM does not. A second violation may result in a YELLOW CARD.

so you kind of need the minibot to come back down now or you need some really tall team members.

[nitneylion452]

What if we buy a really long overcoat and have 3 people stand on each other's shoulders, then they wear the coat. It would appear that it is one person, but it's not.

[jhellr13]

Originally Posted by nitneylion452

What if we buy a really long overcoat and have 3 people stand on each other's shoulders, then they wear the coat. It would appear that it is one person, but it's not.

Wrap the coat in tin foil to give that metallic look too

[kromero18]

Originally Posted by nitneylion452

What if we buy a really long overcoat and have 3 people stand on each other's shoulders, then they wear the coat. It would appear that it is one person, but it's not.

love this idea! it should work

[jhellr13]

Originally Posted by klmx30302

c/p from team update #6

<G59> TEAMS must retrieve MINIBOTS from the TOWER quickly and safely without special equipment and while standing on the floor after each MATCH. Violation: The FIELD crew will retrieve the MINIBOT if the TEAM does not. A second violation may result in a YELLOW CARD.

so you kind of need the minibot to come back down now or you need some really tall team members.

Yes, but does the hostbot need to be completely off the pole tower before deploying the minibot?

[GaryVoshol]

Originally Posted by jhellr13

Yes, but does the hostbot need to be completely off the pole tower before deploying the minibot?

<G43> allows the HOSTBOT to grab the TOWER during DEPLOYMENT.

[jhellr13]

Originally Posted by GaryVoshol

<G43> allows the HOSTBOT to grab the TOWER during DEPLOYMENT.

Thanks for the reply. Idk if you read the previous posts, but our team is using a deployment system containing drawer glides and a scissor to guide the minibot to the pole/tower. Someone before said that putting memory foam on the hostbot is not prohibited. If my team were to put memory foam on the end of the deployment system such that when the minibot falls(let's hope not), it will hit the memory foam, would this be allowed?

[GaryVoshol]

If the MINIBOT is allowed to contact the HOSTBOT again after the TOWER is TRIGGERED, then using the memory foam as a soft landing pad would be a valid idea. But I don't know how <G22> is going to be interpreted.