Designs over the years.

[slijin]

Originally Posted by JVN

2011 - Most robots were very similar this year (imho) there were variances in execution, but most robots consisted of some twist on "tube grabber + elevation mechanism + minibot deployment." I think the most out of the box design was team 118 -- their system was unique compared to everyone else.

To add to this, 190 was one of the first teams to use a ramp that lined up with the pole to deploy their minibot, which allowed the minibot to start going up the pole with an initial velocity, as opposed to most other teams which plopped theirs onto the pole.

A number of teams, among them 148 and 772, also independently pioneered the "magnet" minibot that would become dominant by CMP; whereas most minibots would physically clamp onto the pole and then climb, theirs used magnets to stick to it, and thin rubber-lined axles to drive them up.

The idea to strip the TETRIX motors of their gearbox just grew on CD as people discussed it; I don't recall any single person/team that was singlehandedly responsible for popularizing the idea.