[FVC]: I challenge you to post your Atlanta Vex robot pics

[Eragnok]

Im assuming 3391 since they are from the same school you are and are the only team going to Atanta

[sovierr]

Originally Posted by Domino

The team we joined was kind of a hostile takeover (they didn't care) and we just made a new robot.

What are you going to do about the engineering notebook then? It will show a total transformation in the 10 members of the team.

[Domino]

Originally Posted by sovierr

What are you going to do about the engineering notebook then? It will show a total transformation in the 10 members of the team.

the notebook will probably be extremely long because it will tell the tales of three different teams and what they have learned and gone through and what they finally came to a conclusion about

[pwny_express]

Originally Posted by ManicMechanic

A low goal robot isn't necessarily "crappy" -- it differs from a high goal bot the way a guard differs from a center in basketball. True, we can't score over 100 points, but neither can our opponents when we swipe over half the balls from their side. Our bot is a true point guard -- fast, good ball handler, and when we control the softballs, we control the game. Wouldn't necessarily want 2 of us on the same alliance, but to a high goal team that doesn't move very fast, we're a better complement than another slow high-goal bot. For some shameless boasting, I might also add that the #1 pick (a high-goal bot, whom the team agreed was the 2nd best bot) lost as our opponent but won as our alliance partner.

just a quick fact: the maximum number of points that a team with two low goal scorers can score is 54 points.
-22 balls in low goal (which is a little above its max.)
-posession of the atlas ball
- both robots park on the platform

despite this fact, a low goal scorer's speed and agility could compliment a high goal scorer.

[gblake]

Originally Posted by pwny_express

just a quick fact: the maximum number of points that a team with two low goal scorers can score is 54 points.
-22 balls in low goal (which is a little above its max.)
-posession of the atlas ball
- both robots park on the platform

despite this fact, a low goal scorer's speed and agility could compliment a high goal scorer.

What do you mean "despite this fact"??? Two low goal bots is a completly different kettle of fish than one low and one high.

I suggest that little info in your description of the max score of two low-goalers has any bearing on the subject of an alliance of a low bot and a high bot.

Plus, why don't you entertain the thought that low-goal bots can also hang from the top or side of the bar?

I don't have a dog in this fight; but I also don't want to see low-goal teams dis'ed because of a misconception that they can contribute little to an alliance's score....

Blake
PS: It's a quibble, but it is possible to stack balls in the low goals.

[pwny_express]

Originally Posted by 1885.Blake

What do you mean "despite this fact"??? Two low goal bots is a completly different kettle of fish than one low and one high.

I suggest that little info in your description of the max score of two low-goalers has any bearing on the subject of an alliance of a low bot and a high bot.

Plus, why don't you entertain the thought that low-goal bots can also hang from the top or side of the bar?

I don't have a dog in this fight; but I also don't want to see low-goal teams dis'ed because of a misconception that they can contribute little to an alliance's score....

Blake
PS: It's a quibble, but it is possible to stack balls in the low goals.

i wasnt dissing low goal scoring robots. i was merely stating something that i discovered and found interesting. Low goal scoring robots are very competetive when paired with a high goal scorer. two low goal scorers are not very competetive together. and in regards to hanging, i havent seen a low goal scorer try to hang but it would be very interesting to see one try to hang from the side.

[gblake]

Originally Posted by pwny_express

i havent seen a low goal scorer try to hang but it would be very interesting to see one try to hang from the side.

OK - So let's add in the possiblity of taking the autonomous bonus and hanging instead of platform'ing. That adds 30 points (more than 50%) to your previous high score estimate....

[fredliu168]

Ya, but you have to keep in mind, in Atlanta there will be at least 15% of the teams that can score in the high goal as fast or faster than in the low goal in terms of balls. If pressed, I can personally probably list around 10 robots that can average around 17-20 high goal balls per game.

I'm gonna put myself out on a limb here, and say that there will probably only be 2-4 out of 24 teams in the elimination matches that can ONLY score low goals without hybriding with hanging/high goaling, and they will all be second picked.

[gblake]

Originally Posted by fredliu168

Ya, but you have to keep in mind, in Atlanta there will be at least 15% of the teams that can score in the high goal as fast or faster than in the low goal in terms of balls. If pressed, I can personally probably list around 10 robots that can average around 17-20 high goal balls per game.

I'm gonna put myself out on a limb here, and say that there will probably only be 2-4 out of 24 teams in the elimination matches that can ONLY score low goals without hybriding with hanging/high goaling, and they will all be second picked.

How many balls do you think those high goal bots can score if they have a high capacity low-goal bot hauling the balls to them, instead of having to go fetch them on their own? Hmmm, that might work well.

How many balls do you think those high goal bots will be able to put in the hole if they have a low goal bot constantly between them and those goals or between them and any balls they want to harvest off the floor? Hmmm, that might cause some lowered scores.

How many of those high goal bots will be delighted to have a low goal bot use much of its 18x18x18 for components that are very good at getting and keeping the Atlas Ball, even if an opponent wants to toss it out of the arena. Hmmm, doubled softball scores might be nice to have.

I'm not saying I would build a low goal bot if I were going. I'm not saying I wouldn't. I'm just suggesting that there are non-trivial advantages to devoting machinery (volume, weight, motors, ...) to parts of the game other than high-goal scoring.

Non-trivial doesn't mean better than any other strategy, but it does mean that if I had a high-goal bot, I would think carefully about whether I wanted an ally that had the same weaknesses and strengths as me, or if I maybe wanted an ally that could complement my weaknesses and strengths with a different set of capabilties...

Blake

[fredliu168]

Well said.

We'll see how Atlanta plays out.

[GUI]

Here is 3495's robot, though it is still being tweaked. We can score 3 balls at a time in the high goal, and have 10 wheel drive(the end wheels are raised) powered with six motors. We don't hang, but we can get on the platform and keep others from hanging.

[nonother]

Our team (3053) modified our robot after the PA tournament; it's been done for a few weeks now but I hadn't gotten around to posting any pictures of it.

What's obscured by the arm is that the drive train is powered by 6 motors. Each motor is on a 60 tooth gear, and each wheel is on an 84 tooth gear. The robot is moderate to high speed (relative to other robots we've seen), and has quite a bit of torque. Because the front and rear wheels are linked by gearing, if one wheel gets lifted off of the ground (when driving onto the platform, or sometimes when in a war over the Atlas Ball), all of the torque gets transferred to the other wheel instead of being lost.

Pictures below:

[MrForbes]

Kevin is doing a little bit of testing, juggling balls to figure out the nuances of programming the robot to do it in autonomous mode.

[gblake]

Originally Posted by GUI

Here is 3495's robot, though it is still being tweaked. We can score 3 balls at a time in the high goal, and have 10 wheel drive(the end wheels are raised) powered with six motors. We don't hang, but we can get on the platform and keep others from hanging.

I like it.

Think about adding some dead weight (bolt on some more metal pieces) just to give it more friction (friction force = coefficient of friction of the surface(s) multiplied by the normal force (the amount of the weight that is pressing on the surfaces that are in contact)).

Losing a little acceleration and a bit of top speed might be worth it in order to keep those six motors producing as much friction as possible when you need it. You want that investment (six motors) in your drive train to pay off.

Plus more weght down low will make you that much less top heavy when lifting balls.

Blake