Best looking robot ever?

[jajabinx124]

I'm going to echo that 696 and 1538 build really great looking robots. I've really liked 3476's robots as well as of recent. 1241's black mamba during 2016 was one good looking machine. 148 builds bost every year that look beautifully crafted to me, I'll never get tired of seeing their reveals.

In Minnesota, 5172 built a sweet looking machine in 2016. I got a close look at it during the 2016 MN state championship and it looked like a beautifully designed bot.

[kellaur18]

Two robots that spring to mind are Team 4481's 2016 robot and Team 40's 2011 robot! Both were beautiful robots!

[saikiranra]

Originally Posted by jajabinx124

I've really liked 3476's robots as well as of recent.

You might need to re-calibrate your eyes


I'm surprised that no one has mentioned 1983, Skunkworks. Their 2014 robot was beautiful, and their other robots are all very aesthetically pleasing as well.



In terms of best looking robot, I would say 1538 from 2013 takes the cake.



Minimal, elegant, and super effective.

[waialua359]

Since we are talking about 254 robots........I like 2007 THE best.

The only reason we ever bought our own powder coating oven is because of 254/60 back in the day.

[Michael Blake]

Wow... scrolling this thread I cannot believe that nobody's showed admiration for 148 Robowranglers' 2011 Raptor which _has to be_ one of the all-time great looking and functioning bots in FIRST FRC.

Look at the workmanship on that machine... I think it should be on a rotating display somewhere with a spotlight on it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XECmOwmYiu8

The bot _still_ gives me goosebumps...

--Michael Blake

[jwfoss]

Here's a collection of some of my favorite looking robots over the years.

[prozack19]

in 2015 team 869 had a flawless electrical board and for 2016 i really liked there robot as a whole along with 5895 who were rookies last year. both had really amazing robots. i wish i had pictures.

[Chris is me]

Poofs 2014 for me. Not a part out of place on that robot. Still pretty after a season of being beat up and abused by other robots. Simple and elegant.

I generally appreciate robots without lightening patterns in their tubing; they look more elegant to me. So that puts a lot of Poof robots above a lot of 233 robots just based on that preference. But both teams routinely produce the best looking robots in FRC.

[BrendanB]

233 from 2011 & 968's 2006 & 2007 machines come to mind. I liked the red.

1114 in 2007 had the cool "transformer" look to from an operational standpoint.

[Kevin Leonard]

67 from 2012. It was gorgeous and elegant and one of the things that inspired me to really get into FIRST.

[OccamzRazor]

Some honorable mentions have to be the robots below. You can take one look at the paint and know which team you are looking at because these teams have built that brand that most people recognize.

148 Raptor in 2011
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XECmOwmYiu8

I think I saw someone mention this already and I agree. Their mastery of sheet metal components and the fact that it can be any color as long as it is black make all of their machines simply awesome to look at. This robot stuck out to me as way above the bar for sheet metal robots.

254 Barrage in 2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFZy8iibMD0

What I love about the 254 machines is that they are not the most complicated or crazy looking. Their machines are simple, clever, and elegant with not a single motion or pound wasted. From an engineering standpoint, the quality and performance of their robots stand above the rest. Simple lines and popping blue paint let you know which team is on the field before the robot even moves. As soon as their robots move on the field your eye is drawn to them and you have no doubt 254 is on the field.

Cool robots are not the most complicated or best looking, cool robots are the ones that win. This is why this robot ranks one of the coolest on my list of favorites even if it is not eye candy for everyone else.

[Nathan Streeter]

Of course many extremely clean (mostly powder-coated) robots come to mind when I saw this thread... Particularly ones made by 254, 233, 148, 118, 33, etc. I definitely think there is a lot of "taste" involved in this too, as 148 robots tend to look cool in a "transformers" sort of way with tons of edges and complexity. 254 robots tend to look more elegant and simple... even though they're really anything but simple. I love both those styles quite a bit, but I think I most love the robots that look like they have personality... that look like some little creature going about its business.

The one that stands out for me is 33's 2013 robot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cgP2FJC7Hw It had all the elegance and polished aesthetics that 33's robots have had for quite a few years, but it also looked like a studious, efficient little creature in the way that Wally does, in my mind. https://www.flickr.com/photos/danielernst/8586567293/

I think 1114's 2015 robot has to be the best-looking 2015 robot (in a year where most robots looked more like scaffolding or fork lifts than anything else)... The thing really looked like a weight-lifting crab (or something).

[Conor Ryan]

Any robot in 973's Super Pit gets a 2x multiplier in terms of looks.

[araniaraniratul]

Originally Posted by Conor Ryan

Any robot in 973's Super Pit gets a 2x multiplier in terms of looks.

Usually an optical illusion, haha

[Whatever]

Back in 2002 my dad, my brother, and I volunteered to do a demo combat robot at the MN State Fair. My brother gets the idea of motorizing a full sized refrigerator and driving it around. Basically the refrigerator would lurch around borderline unstable using the door to hit things while empty pizza boxes and water bottles fall out of it. It was really funny.

Fast forward to this years championship, I was walking around the pits and team 5084 goes by. I see their shirts and just see "Team FridgeBot". So I follow them back to their pits and ask about the team name. Turns out they thought their 2014 robot looked like a refrigerator so that's how they got their team name. I got a bunch of magnets for my brother (he has them proudly displayed on his refrigerator).

Anyway, my vote goes to team 5084's rookie effort in 2014 because fridgebots rule.