Climbing Mechanism Ideas

[=Martin=Taylor=]

Originally Posted by RRLedford

We will be able to grasp next higher level BEFORE releasing from one below. We will not tip or swivel around laterally, because our grasp mechanism will bridge across the two intersecting horizontal tubes, yet avoid contacting the slope tube.
....
The robot will be kind of vertically notched so it can straddle the corner edge tube at match start, allowing center of mass to be starting nearer to the initial gripping points.

-Dick Ledford

Now add to that a wheel which extends underneath the robot to prop it against the bar while reaching for the next level and we are considering the same design. We've even prototyped a mechanism which successfully climbed the pyramid unweighted. Trying to fit it into the cylinder is proving to be very difficult. If used, the enormity of the mechanism will force us to sacrifice a lot of our disc-shooter-goal scoring ability, which some of our team is strongly against.

When you start to CAD these designs one thing becomes apparent: either you focus on the climb, or you focus on the discs. Doing both well: nearly impossible.

Personally, I really like the 50 pt climb and dump strategy.

The advantage in my mind is that it allows you to score all of your points really fast and lets your team focus on perfecting a repeatable task.

If you're robot is only designed to climb and dump, you can spend the rest of the match playing defense. Essentially, you are forcing the other alliance to score 50+ pts under heavy D.... or.... beat you up the pyramid (which is unlikely if you have optimized your robot for this strategy).

If you focus on scoring discs. You need to be better at scoring discs than anyone else to win. There will be lots of bots scoring discs and you will need to outscore them. Very few will attempt the 50 pt strategy.

[enigmatic]

If used, the enormity of the mechanism will force us to sacrifice a lot of our disc-shooter-goal scoring ability, which some of our team is strongly against.

When you start to CAD these designs one thing becomes apparent: either you focus on the climb, or you focus on the discs. Doing both well: nearly impossible.

Personally, I really like the 50 pt climb and dump strategy.

The advantage in my mind is that it allows you to score all of your points really fast and lets your team focus on perfecting a repeatable task.

If you're robot is only designed to climb and dump, you can spend the rest of the match playing defense. Essentially, you are forcing the other alliance to score 50+ pts under heavy D.... or.... beat you up the pyramid (which is unlikely if you have optimized your robot for this strategy).

If you focus on scoring discs. You need to be better at scoring discs than anyone else to win. There will be lots of bots scoring discs and you will need to outscore them. Very few will attempt the 50 pt strategy.[/quote]

My thoughts exactly. We have others on our team who do not like the idea though.

[dellagd]

Originally Posted by =Martin=Taylor=

Now add to that a wheel which extends underneath the robot to prop it against the bar while reaching for the next level and we are considering the same design. We've even prototyped a mechanism which successfully climbed the pyramid unweighted. Trying to fit it into the cylinder is proving to be very difficult. If used, the enormity of the mechanism will force us to sacrifice a lot of our disc-shooter-goal scoring ability, which some of our team is strongly against.

When you start to CAD these designs one thing becomes apparent: either you focus on the climb, or you focus on the discs. Doing both well: nearly impossible.

Personally, I really like the 50 pt climb and dump strategy.

~snip~

Very few will attempt the 50 pt strategy.

What makes you say that?

[JOClarke]

I know this thread has been dormant for a while, but Sparky is trying to lighten our bot with switching our super shifter climbing mechanism to a tough box 3 stage. Does anybody have experience with this transmission? We are at a fork in the road try this and find the bugs or lighten the super shifter. Video of us climbing at the shop: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8iIy...ature=youtu.be