pic: Gruff

[MattC9]

It looks like a BEAST. Where are yall going to compete with it, and in what competition?

[AdamHeard]

They competed at robogames 2011.

Just seeing it in a match with that tread, I knew it had to be someone FIRST related.

[SamM]

Originally Posted by slijin

Are those 4" wide wheels? And... a tank roller in the center?

Good god. How does that thing turn?

6" wide wheels...But with 1/8" effective drop on the center wheels. We had 1/16" drop for the previous competition and had problems until later in the competition when the floor was coated with a thin layer of dirt and debris.

The tread in the middle is actually just a bumper I taped on during testing to keep the lifting arm from banging up our own frame too badly when it rotates back.

Originally Posted by AdamHeard

They competed at robogames 2011.

Just seeing it in a match with that tread, I knew it had to be someone FIRST related.

I am a Team 79 alumnus and mentor. I designed and built Gruff as part of an Undergraduate Honors Thesis project at USF and now compete in competitions with the USF Robotics Interest Group.

[M. Mellott]

Originally Posted by AdamHeard

They competed at robogames 2011.

If anyone's interested, the show (Killer Robots: Robogames 2011) is airing tonight at 10pm and 1am on the Science Channel. 60 minutes of robot mayhem!

[legogeek24]

If only I got the Science Channel!

[SamM]

It's hard to estimate the number of hours that went into it, but it is no more complicated than your average FIRST robot.

I'm using a 2004 IFI control system which has held up well so far (I've heard their weak point is the DB9 cables going bad. 98% of the other teams use a 2.4Ghz RC Airplane or Car system.