Best Robot Ever 92-07 edition

[GMAdan]

i have to say 25's 2006 robot a record of up to 36-0 is amazing

[Rich Ross]

i wasn't around before 2003, so i cant really testify about any of the early games, but

The year was 2003, the robot was tie dye. WILDSTANG! I am willing to suggest that that robot was the best one ever.

[Guy Davidson]

I can only personally speak about 2006 and 2007, but in 2006 I nominate 25 and the alliance of 254/968 as the two most dominant design I've seen. The 25 design was almost flawless, with it's huge hopper, great turret, and outstanding driving. 254 and 968 had an even bigger hopper, also featured ground loading, and were absolutley amazing once they positioned (and later proved they can score even without their position).
For 2007, I say that 1114 and 330 had the best hybrids out there, followed by the 254/968 tandem. All four had the ability to put up massive scores by themselves, with or without defense, and all could also lift. As for ramp orientd bots, the machine out of 190 had the best engineered ramps I've seen. In fact, from my limited FIRST expeienced, those are probably the best engineerd FIRST components I have seen.

[AcesPease]

Originally Posted by Tim Delles

71 in 2002 hands down. the only reason they lost a match on einstien is because they broke.

For the record they also lost a match in the quarter finals that year.

[Karthik]

If this question was on a test, it would be the easiest by far.

71 in 2001.

See these threads for my rationale.

[Rafi Ahmed]

60 in '02. I was amazed when i saw that robot.
71 in '02 for obvious reasons
254/968 06' just the effectiveness and the elegance of them is amazing

[Richard Wallace]

Here's my algorithm for answering:
1) Go to IRI 2007, and watch all the matches.
2) Look at the field at the end of the last match.
3) The best FIRST robot ever so far will be there, and you won't need to ask which one it is.

[Herodotus]

Originally Posted by Karthik

If this question was on a test, it would be the easiest by far.

71 in 2001.

See these threads for my rationale.

I don't think it is such an easy question. Certainly, 71 is probably the most SUCCESSFUL robot in the history of FIRST, but that doesn't necessarily mean it is the "best." I wasn't around in 2001 but you mention that because of the way the game was set up if 71 got going you couldn't defend it, or maybe I misunderstand what you meant. But that would seem to me to imply that 71 did as well as it did atleast partially because of that particular game setup. When you look at a game like the past two years a good defensive robot, or even a decent one, could take what everyone previously considered the "best" bot at a regional and take them from scoring hundreds of points to only scoring one or two. So it would stand to reason that any robot that can score a couple hundred while being heavily defended must be absolutely amazing.

I've only been around two years but only a few robots seem to meet this criteria. The Feds last year almost never missed the target, even when being defended.(atleast at WMR and GLR) And this year both 1114 and 330 could score 5+ tubes even while being heavily defended. That definitely pushes those three teams up there on my list. But the thing is these teams might not all win every single one of their matches because of the aforementioned heavy defense.

Not to say 71 didn't have an amazing bot in 2001, I really wouldn't know since I wasn't around, I'm just saying you have to think about more then just how many awards a bot has won when considering which is the best.

[Dan Petrovic]

Not everyone here knows what's so special about Beatty's 2002 robot. I'll do a quick explaination of it right now.

Basically, it was a flop-bot. It had a very quick drive system that was driven by two skyway wheels in the back. It had two arms that unfolded to grab onto the two goals on the sides of the field, and one grabber in the front to grab onto the middle goal. So, already, we know that this BEAST can grab all three goals. Not a common thing this year.

When it grabs onto these goals, it pulls the two side ones closer to avoid breaking those PVC arms, and the front of the robot drops down onto it's "crawling" mechanism. The robot then slowly, but quite surely, moved it's way to the zone with all three goals. The robot almost guaranteed that alliance 30 points while the other alliance could only get 20 points by having both robots in their endzone.

You can watch one of their matches right here.

It's pretty much impossible to stop the BEAST once it started crawling across the field.

You can also watch one of the only ways Beatty could be defeated here..

[Karthik]

Originally Posted by Herodotus

Not to say 71 didn't have an amazing bot in 2001, I really wouldn't know since I wasn't around, I'm just saying you have to think about more then just how many awards a bot has won when considering which is the best.

Very true. Let me expand on my reasoning. Yes, Beatty brought home all the trophies in 2001, but this isn't why I consider them the best of all time.

Team 71 was utterly dominant in 2001. There was no way anyone could beat them, unless 71 were to make a mistake. In the elimination rounds, they never did. Now, in the 2001 game, you didn't have to deal with defense. The only way to beat a team was to form a better alliance than them. No one was able to do this. At no point during the 2001 season, did I ever feel Beatty was close to being challenged.

The 2001 game was a pure engineering design challenge. Beatty simply out smarted and out engineered every one. Just thinking about that robot and it's dominance makes my spine tingle.

[Koko Ed]

In my six years of FIRST the one bot that made me just shake my hed in amazement was the 2004 robot from HOT. That thing was an offensive monster.

[Lil' Lavery]

Originally Posted by Herodotus

I don't think it is such an easy question. Certainly, 71 is probably the most SUCCESSFUL robot in the history of FIRST, but that doesn't necessarily mean it is the "best." I wasn't around in 2001 but you mention that because of the way the game was set up if 71 got going you couldn't defend it, or maybe I misunderstand what you meant. But that would seem to me to imply that 71 did as well as it did atleast partially because of that particular game setup. When you look at a game like the past two years a good defensive robot, or even a decent one, could take what everyone previously considered the "best" bot at a regional and take them from scoring hundreds of points to only scoring one or two. So it would stand to reason that any robot that can score a couple hundred while being heavily defended must be absolutely amazing.

I've only been around two years but only a few robots seem to meet this criteria. The Feds last year almost never missed the target, even when being defended.(atleast at WMR and GLR) And this year both 1114 and 330 could score 5+ tubes even while being heavily defended. That definitely pushes those three teams up there on my list. But the thing is these teams might not all win every single one of their matches because of the aforementioned heavy defense.

Not to say 71 didn't have an amazing bot in 2001, I really wouldn't know since I wasn't around, I'm just saying you have to think about more then just how many awards a bot has won when considering which is the best.

Part of what made the 2001 Beatty 'bot so special was the fact that there was no opposition. It was your average score that mattered. And Team Hammond was at least 30% higher than everyone else at every single event they went to. In essence that means, they were 130% better than the second best bot that year. Very few teams in FIRST history, if any other, can say that with definitive proof. 71 out-engineered everyone.
But....I ranked their 2002 bot ahead of their 2001 bot. Why? Because of what you said, it did have to interact against incredibly well engineered machines....and it still DOMINATED.

[Rob]

My favorite ever was Tigerbolt in 1996.

[BBnum3]

My first choice is Beatty from 2002, but enough people have commented on that one, so I'll choose some other robots, too.

I think WildStang from last year may have been the best robot of all time, certainly of last year. I know 25 went 36-0, but you know who gave 25 its first defeat? WildStang. This robot could do everything better than any other robot. It had arguably the best autonomous mode last year. It could pick up off the ground like a champ. It could get on the ramp (and ramp shoot!). It could play defense. But the most impressive feature was the turret. The robot could be moving horizontally across the field and and the turret would stay constantly pointed at the goal, balls always pouring in. 25 may have beaten 111 in the Newton Finals last year, but WildStang put up an amazing fight.

[AdamHeard]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

Part of what made the 2001 Beatty 'bot so special was the fact that there was no opposition. It was your average score that mattered. And Team Hammond was at least 30% higher than everyone else at every single event they went to. In essence that means, they were 130% better than the second best bot that year. Very few teams in FIRST history, if any other, can say that with definitive proof. 71 out-engineered everyone.
But....I ranked their 2002 bot ahead of their 2001 bot. Why? Because of what you said, it did have to interact against incredibly well engineered machines....and it still DOMINATED.

FIRST could really throw a kink in the whole "Drive Train Arms Race" by switching back to 4v0 for a year.