Sustainability - 2014 - COTS parts

[Alan Anderson]

Originally Posted by Qbot2640

I'm not sure I really understand the focus of this thread. There has been so much talk lately about COTS parts, and I really can't see how these parts are making that significant of a difference.

How long have you been with FRC? Ten years ago, the list of off-the-shelf gearboxes was essentially DeWalt drills. Omniwheels were totally custom components. If you've only seen the program in action for a few years, you don't have a long enough view to understand how significant the existence of robotics-focused suppliers is for most teams.

Being a part of the team which was essentially the launching pad for AndyMark gives me a different perspective on things, to be sure.