Question of the Week!!! (10/25/04)

45 Technokats arm in 1999. That was the coolest ever.
-Court-

[Ken Patton]

The drive system from Team 16 (Baxter Bomb Squad) in 2003. With all due respect to the awesome Wildstang drive and positioning system from 2003, I think the BBS system was the most maneuverable and agile drive system I have ever seen. Two driven wheels in the front, one steerable drive wheel in the rear, very high acceleration and top speed, ability spin in place, go into the corners and dig out bins, the most precise high speed machine I have seen.

Ken

[Wetzel]

Metal-in-Motions arm from 2001. I saw that at VCU and went ooh. Well isn't that a nice and simple way to solve that problem. They balanced both goals without putting the robot on the bridge.

After that, Beattys feet from 2002. It was so cool, they even made a rule for it.


Wetzel

[Karthik]

I'm judging this one based on the "wow factor" as I call it, thinks just made me stop and say wow. A lot of the robots that would be on my list have already been mentioned in this thread, so I'll leave them off.

1998 - Team 95
They took the big 24" balls out of the 8' high center cylinder. The only to team to even try this. It was scary.

1998 - Team 16
24" balls should not be squeezed through pipes that are only 16" wide that easily. Those Baxter people sure know what they're doing.

1999 - Team 95
Teams drove on the puck, they pulled the puck, but this team had their own approach to controlling the puck. They tilted it. Again, one of those things you see and ask yourself, "did that just happen?"

2000 - Team 308
The Mini-Me arm. The controls geniuses from Team 308, created a miniature version of their robot's arm, that was used to control the arm. It was so intuitive, and so precise. This Mini-Me arm was a definite pioneer in the realm of driver friendly controls.

2001 - Team 45
I know there were other teams who did it as well, but the Technokats autobalance routine was amazing.

2002 - Team 71
This robot deserves being mentioned over and over again. It was a sight to see. Many times no more than 10 seconds into a match, and they had it won. I'd never seen a chokehold strategy employed so well in FIRST before. Many people thought of grabbing all three goals, but most figured "it'd be too hard to do it well, and have any sort of robustness". We all obviously forgot that nothing is too hard for Beatty.

[Andy Grady]

For coolness of design, I can't believe no one mentioned the famous "Ball Drive" that the techokats had for a module in Stack Attack. Leave it to Baker and crew to come up with such a cool design!

The other one I think is worth mentioning, and this one is really obscure...team 467 from Shrewsbury High School in 2001 that had the ability to climb over the bar on either side of the ramp. Team 25 also had an excelent pole vaulter that year!

Then of course for the oldies...let us not forget Kod Red, Kodak and Eastman HS in 1997...the only team to launch tubes at the goal! Another oldie...Baxter and Johnsburg HS in 1998 who could hold I believe 6, 24" balls and deliever them to the goal! And last but by no means least, just this last year, we need to give WPI their due...the only team that was a true threat to steal a ball while hanging and score it in their own goal...cool as all heck!

Have fun,
-Andy Grady

[Alex Pelan]

The coolest thing I saw this year would definitely have to be 190's autonomous hang/ manipulate balls from bar combination. A lot of teams had great designs as well, however WPI's robot stood out the most for being the only one that could do that.

[Kyle Love]

Originally Posted by Big Mike

that was acctually in 2000
and for my vote its gotta be either

111's swerve drive
or
45's gearbox/transmission

both amazing marvels

Originally Posted by Arefin Bari

The Killer Arm by 45. Had a lots of Complexity in that machine, but technokats made it look like it was so easy... coolest arm i have seen in the past season. 1083's holomonic drive system. it was awesome. i would like to see a ball drive...

Thanks to both of you guys...and all the other people that mentioned us. Tonight (10/26/04) we had a meeting and some people were wiring up the ball drive, so it may be operable in a few weeks. It may even come to a regional with us, hopefully. Maybe we will see a ball drive drive base in the 05 game? That would be cool to see a team actually use it and compete with it.

-Kyle

[Kyle Love]

My favorite/coolest design I saw was 111's drive base. I think it was great how the pneumatics were and how it could go literally any direction. My other favorite design was the Killerbees gearbox. That thing just looked awesome and they proved it performed well too. What's next?

-Kyle

[Alex Cormier]

OMNI WHEELS!

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by Andy Grady

For coolness of design, I can't believe no one mentioned the famous "Ball Drive" that the techokats had for a module in Stack Attack. Leave it to Baker and crew to come up with such a cool design!

I'd have to go for the ball drive as well. Man , that was funky!

[Matt Leese]

While I don't know how successful it was, I was most impressed by team 857's drive train in 2002. It's been done again since, but it allowed them to move in any direction without the turning of the robot or the pivoting of any wheels. A picture of it is here: http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/pi...&quiet=Verbose

Matt

[Andy Grady]

Originally Posted by Matt Leese

While I don't know how successful it was, I was most impressed by team 857's drive train in 2002. It's been done again since, but it allowed them to move in any direction without the turning of the robot or the pivoting of any wheels. A picture of it is here: http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/pi...&quiet=Verbose

Matt

Actually, not to downplay the awsomeness of 857's drive train, it was extremely effective and I think the only 3 wheel omni directional drive, but the very first omni-drive goes to those innovators from team 95, I believe it was in 1999 when they first unvieled the omniwheel! Of course, the first multi directional drive goes to Delphi and Pontiac Central.

Speaking of Chief Delphi, I'd like to nominate their whole 2000 robot for coolness in design. It could do just about everything and it looked sleek while doing so. I still hold firm that the CD Robot that year was probably the most beautifuly designed robot I have ever seen in FIRST...not to mention extremely dominating in match play!

[VGMasterShadow]

501's 2003 arm of most things. That allowed them to win in 2003's regionals by hanging on the bar most of the time.

[Chris Hibner]

Originally Posted by Andy Grady

Actually, not to downplay the awsomeness of 857's drive train, it was extremely effective and I think the only 3 wheel omni directional drive, but the very first omni-drive goes to those innovators from team 95, I believe it was in 1999 when they first unvieled the omniwheel! Of course, the first multi directional drive goes to Delphi and Pontiac Central.

Sorry to do this Andy...

The HOT Team (Team 67 GM Proving Grounds and Huron Valley Schools, Milford, MI) had omni wheels on their 1998 robot. That is the first robot that I have seen them on.

[JVN]

Originally Posted by Chris Hibner

Sorry to do this Andy...

The HOT Team (Team 67 GM Proving Grounds and Huron Valley Schools, Milford, MI) had omni wheels on their 1998 robot. That is the first robot that I have seen them on.

Technokats (45) also had omnis on their Champion 1998 robot.