1529 - Lollipop in Action!

[Taylor]

Several people have PMed me asking for video of our manipulator - today at our presentation at the Indiana Statehouse, we were able to capture the prototype in action. Keep in mind this is a bit more rugged than the real deal, but hopefully you get the idea.
We'll have a working model in our pits at BMR and IRI (and, if the robotics gods smile upon us, Atlanta).

[KyleGilbert45]

That thing is pretty cool. Hopefully I can see it during the BMR.

[Taylor]

That's exactly it - you're very quick.
Hopefully it will be working in a couple minutes. Thanks for your concern.
EDIT: It's up and running now.
To clarify how the lolly works: The manipulator is statically mounted on top of an arm. The arm is at the front of our robot and can pivot so it is horizontal. The lolly engages, securing the tube, and when the arm pivots upright, it will hold the tube in place. We can then either drive directly to the rack or use the forklift to elevate the arm to the correct height for the 2nd or 3rd row spiders. To remove the ringer, we simply rotate the manipulator counterclockwise and the tube falls on the foot.
We can remove & place spoilers using the same system.

[LightWaves1636]

That's an awesome manipulator, extremely clever. I wish I could see in real life but I hope you guys do well at your regional.

[Billfred]

If this thing doesn't bring home some technical award somewhere along the line, I'll be shocked.

[Andy Baker]

There is no way to sugar coat this... the lollipop may lick the competition. I saw a backup version of this ingenious mechanism, and it is definitely a front runner for a technical award at the Boilermaker Regional.

Talk about eye-candy!

Andy B.

[JaneYoung]

Thank you for posting this.
It is so fun to watch (over and over and over)
This will be a wonderful demo for young people - between the name and the action - they will 'get it'.

I think my favorite part is how you incorporated your team number into it.
- sweet -

Jane