Week 2 Regionals: Veterans Still Have No Advantage

[Jim Schaddelee]

Originally Posted by meatmanek

I don't think this game is 'dumbed down', as you say, and especially not because we're only allowed to handle one tube. This year's game provides quite a few different choices in effective arm and grabber design. You can use an articulated arm, a 4-bar linkage, a sliding elevator, a telescoping arm, and anything else your team can come up with. Grabber designs include pinch-type grabbers, curved pincers, two spatulas, wheel type, and grabbers that deal with the inside of the tube. Optimization and automation can be done with sensors and programming. In terms of ramps, I have seen many clever designs, including lifter types where the lifting robot does the work, cable driven ramp extensions, ramps where a robot driving up will extend the ramp, and so many others.

The focus this year is on tube handling and lifter design, rather than storing game pieces.

I agree ,You have given great example of how to do the task.(lift a tube),what I am trying to say is that
why limit someone creativity. How cool would it be if a team score a entire row in autonomous or the rules allowed for more than placing a tube, drop a ramp or climb a ramp. Just a quick example. I think it was 2002 the game had 3 large goals on casters .These goal were multipliers .Team 71 designed a robot that dropped down ,grabbed the three goals in seconds then walked them into the scoring position.
That was truly INSPIRING .First is about inspiration. If a team uses a 4link or sliding elevator is that inspiring?

Your Friend
Jim

[meatmanek]

Originally Posted by Jim Schaddelee

why limit someone creativity. How cool would it be if a team score a entire row in autonomous or the rules allowed for more than placing a tube, drop a ramp or climb a ramp.

The same thing could be argued for any rule. Isn't a weight limit stifling creativity? I could build a really awesome robot if I didn't have to worry as much about weight.
Rules don't limit creativity, they channel it in different directions. In this game, the rules reward a creatively and effectively designed mechanism, rather than a creative way around the way most people play.
Only holding one ringer is part of the game, like not using your hands in soccer, and not traveling in basketball.

Originally Posted by Jim Schaddelee

First is about inspiration. If a team uses a 4link or sliding elevator is that inspiring?

I would be inspired if a team can manage to score all of their team's ringers in one match.
This year, awe-inspiring moments like that will most likely come from the drivers and coaches. That's not to say robots can't be inspiring. I'm impressed by the lifter robots that can manage to lift 2 robots, and also by the really effective scoring robots.

[Jim Schaddelee]

Originally Posted by meatmanek

I would be inspired if a team can manage to score all of their team's ringers in one match.

I will be inspired with you ,IF or when this happen. Thanks for the intelligent debate. You seem like a very thoughtful young person. That is what is inspiring .Good luck to you and your team.

jim