Strategies for Obtaining Containers from the Center?

[totesmagotes]

Just wondering if there were any strategies bouncing around out there already about how to get the recycling containers that are in the middle of the playing field surrounded by totes. Getting these quickly could help just to stop the other alliance from scoring with them even if your alliance cannot. Some ideas our team has had was using a (safe) grappling hook that the robot would launch into the container, but that would require high accuracy and a way to detach the hook easily? So, any ideas??

[M.Kong-Sivert]

I've been trying to steer my team away from devices that need a high degree of precision. I'd try for something more large, solid, and brute-force, like a giant sort of claw. I've been trying to avoid mechanisms that will only work if aimed at a few specific parts of the tote.

[IronicDeadBird]

The question I ask when the team goes to design a mechanism is what the pace of the action they are trying to accomplish is. That in itself weeds out a lot of mechanisms.

[Anthony Galea]

A thought I had was to have a simple arm setup connected to either a pneumatic piston or a motor that starts up at the beginning of the match in order to stay out of the landfill zone, that would be long enough to reach over the totes and knock over all of the containers onto their own side in auton, while fitting in the transport configuration.

Here is a text based thought of it when the appendage is deployed.

-------- ____________________
|       |                   O|
|       |                    |
|       |
--------                    O (Another container)

If executed properly and consistently, I could see a team who simply does this be picked at ~85 of regionals and close to ~95% of all districts, for both denying the opponent the containers right away in auton, but bringing them into their own zone.

[Ginger Power]

Remember that in quals, denying your opponents from getting points isn't all that beneficial for seeding. You're only slowing down three teams as opposed to spending that time gaining points for your team. If you utilize the RC's to gain points for your alliance that is a different story.

With that said we have done testing on the difficulty of getting the RC off of the step in a controlled manner (so you don't risk giving your oponents a freebie). We came to the same conclusion that Build Blitz came to with the idea of a hook. Knocking the RC's with a blunt force didn't work very well at all. Grabbing onto them with a hook (under the lip of the lid or handles, doesn't matter) was suprisingly easy.

[AllenGregoryIV]

Tape measures may be useful. We don't have a working version yet but the idea makes sense.

[asid61]

I was thinkng of something that just spanned the length of the field an dknocked down all 4 cans at once. Then it would fold up the arms and move totes from the feeder station to the center of the field.
That would be an extremely valuable robot IMO.

[g_sawchuk]

Our team had a robot design that could have gotten all of the RC. Afterwards, it would fold in and bring RC to the HP station for noodles, and then stack em. Sadly, we did not go with this design. Would've been fun.

[RunawayEngineer]

Originally Posted by totesmagotes

Just wondering if there were any strategies bouncing around out there already about how to get the recycling containers that are in the middle of the playing field surrounded by totes. Getting these quickly could help just to stop the other alliance from scoring with them even if your alliance cannot. Some ideas our team has had was using a (safe) grappling hook that the robot would launch into the container, but that would require high accuracy and a way to detach the hook easily? So, any ideas??

A grappling hook is an extremely risky design. If you accidentally: hit anything on the other side of the Step, hit the top surface of the Step, hook onto a tote, lodge into another robot, out of the field, etc you are in big trouble.
It's also a lot of precision required for low reward. Even if you managed to get a hook that got one RC every time - how often will that equate into points? It gives 0 direct points (though I guess it could contribute to a Container Set), and only adds points if your alliance is able to use it during the course of a match. An RC that has been dragged across the field is probably on its side and many teams won't be able to score it, anyway.

I think that the best design will be one that has a long sweeper arm on the side at a forward-facing angle so that the RCs are knocked towards your side as the robot drives by. 1 additional mechanism; all the bins possessed; doesn't get much better. I haven't tested this approach, but it would be something that could be designed (or at least dismissed) through trial and error.
There will probably be a team or 2 that can effectively snag all 4 RCs simultaneously, but I think that a majority of teams should avoid any enormous contraptions on the KISS principle alone.

[mitchklong]

One thought is just to add an upside down rake kind of attachment to your existing solution on the side. Then move the creates out of the way like this:

Position robot in the gap in the landfill
Rotate. That should knock out some totes.
Re position and repeat.

You should be able to hook a tote:
- The handles face out
- They are at a predictable distance from the step


If you are operating on the left side, this might know some totes onto the platform.

[IronicDeadBird]

I was really sad when they made the landfill zone a volume not an area cause it meant our team couldn't start attached to the totes. I have been debating single use mechanisms in robotics. It kinda goes against a lot of the efficiency talks I've been having. Any teams using "disposable" mechanisms for this game.