pic: TechnoKats 45

[Austin]

Originally Posted by Tyler Olds

Awesome job as always guys, can't wait to see you at MR.

How do you stretch out? And do you go all 8 feet? also how many balls do you catch? Last, how do you knock off the bonus ball.

Once again guys, great job, the arm looks sweet, and I can't wait to see you guys in action.

1. Pneumatics
2. We go all 10 feet
3. 0-18
4. that gate in the front of the 'bot flips down...pneumatically actuated...or we could possibly use the arm

[Paul H]

Amazing bot, guys. Too bad we won't be at any regionals together, I think your bot and ours on an alliance could really do some SERIOUS damage! Nationals, perhaps?

We had the same design for a claw originally, but we scrapped it because it would have put us overweight.

[Paul H]

Originally Posted by JVN

PS - Cmon Joe... Technokittens posted, let's see some of CD!

I understand he's working on a picture, but how about Wildstang?! I want to see what the reigning champs have in store for us this year!

[Andy Grady]

Now here is the true question.....does the sail funnel the balls direct from the troft to the human player station?

Great looking robot guys, hope we get to face off with/against you at nationals!

-Andy Grady

[Andy Baker]

Originally Posted by Andy Grady

Now here is the true question.....does the sail funnel the balls direct from the troft to the human player station?

Great looking robot guys, hope we get to face off with/against you at nationals!

-Andy Grady

Thanks, Andy. Good question, but no. We tried that, but it got too crazy. The "sail funnel" just directs the balls into our belly.

Andy B.

[Paul H]

How many balls does it hold it it's belly?

[OneAngryDaisy]

that is absolutely mind-boggling.. every single lousy function in this game, and you guys got them all.. I can't wait to see that arm operate, how it extends is killing me..

one question- how heavy is that arm of yours? does it affect your center of gravity at all? You've already scared me immensely, this is one robot I never want to face.. congratulations on building another incredible machine

[Rich Kressly]

Originally Posted by JVN

PS - Cmon Joe... Technokittens posted, let's see some of CD!

Awesome looking robot from 45 as usual. I'm with John though. Let's see 47

[Rickertsen2]

Forget the robot, I want some of those pole pigs!!! (imagines the massive tesla coil, rail gun, can crusher, Jacob's ladder etc i could make with one of those things.) Those look to be about 40KVA mmmm.....


Anyway, very cool robot. I'm not really awake enough right now to fully try to figure out what it does from the pic, but it looks really scary as always.

[Andy Baker]

Originally Posted by OneAngryDaisy

that is absolutely mind-boggling.. every single lousy function in this game, and you guys got them all.. I can't wait to see that arm operate, how it extends is killing me..

one question- how heavy is that arm of yours? does it affect your center of gravity at all? You've already scared me immensely, this is one robot I never want to face.. congratulations on building another incredible machine

Thanks, Daisy,

The arm is about 40 lbs to itself, so it does affect cg. However, it is strong enough to right the robot when tipped. Oddly enough, the robot likes to be driven with the arm up, in kind of a cocked position. The arm is mostly made of tubular aluminum, so it is pretty lightweight.

Andy B.

[Ricky Q.]

Looks awesome guys, maybe this will be the year I get to play with Andy B. and the TKats as partners, it has to happen sometime.

[Alan Anderson]

Originally Posted by Tyler Olds

Last, how do you knock off the bonus ball.

There wasn't a specific feature intended just to do that. In the hands of a skilled operator -- which we have -- the arm is fantastically capable, and that's what I think everyone was planning to use for bumping the bonus ball. Imagine my surprise when I stopped by the shop to find the 'bot running an autonomous program that knocks the ball quite well with a totally unrelated actuator. It's almost like it was designed to work that way, but nobody told us.

(I'm suddenly reminded of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. )


To be perfectly honest, I was mostly surprised to see the robot running autonomous programs that Andy Baker had written. I wasn't sure my software framework and brief programming instructions would be sufficient, but it was very gratifying to find that they were.

Originally Posted by Alan Anderson

To be perfectly honest, I was mostly surprised to see the robot running autonomous programs that Andy Baker had written.

Most people don't realize how funny that really is...

[Austin]

Originally Posted by OneAngryDaisy

one question- how heavy is that arm of yours? does it affect your center of gravity at all? You've already scared me immensely, this is one robot I never want to face.. congratulations on building another incredible machine

With our 4" wheels and <.5" ground clearance, our cg is pretty low. I think that this will immensely help with the tipping problem ::Crosses Fingers::

[Greg Perkins]

when i first opened my browser, i was kind of taken back and a little disheartened. i thought to myself, here is 45, one of the best teams ever to compete in FIRST, and they build a square box with an arm?? so i closed by browser, and proceeded to mutter something about it, and all of a sudden, i dropped the nalgene water bottle i had in my hand ran to my computer, reopened the pic. and voila! I WAS AMAZED AT WHAT I COULD DO! great job technokats for makeing your robot one that is very decieving, but also very very very awesome!