Hover Craft or floating device as robot

[GVDrummer]

Has anyone thought about a hover craft? I don't know how hard it would be to design an effective one. It's supposed not to be a "pushing match" and you could move around nice and easy. Probably couldn't hurdle but the robot could possibly herd.

Is this just an outrageous idea or could this be pretty sweet and get some major awards.

[Jagdrive]

i actually have given a bit of thought to that idea, but i found that your speed is both hard to achieve, and even herding would be a difficult task. Not to mention the fact of the constant power drain and weight limitations.

Overall, it can be done in the sense of just building it, but the effectiveness and limitations are proving it not to be "cost effective" and not worthwhile.

Neat idea though.

[thefro526]

I think back in the day like 96,97,98,99ish the was a hovercraft owned by first that just floated around and shot confetti or something i may be wrong though

http://wiki.chiefdelphi.com/index.php/Placebo

^thats where i heard it

[Mr.Rush]

you might find it hard to keep your skirt inflated with 5 other robots zipping around you and bumping into you, and then you'd be stuck until said skirt re-inflates.

[GVDrummer]

i think that should be an event in the next few years, where robots have to be hover crafts.

[Justin M.]

You'd need to build your own blower with kit motors. It could be done, but like other people said, you're at the mercy of other robots. A hoverbot couldn't make it this year. If all the robots were hovercrafts then it would be different.

[jakflyer]

I think that would not be any bit practical because 1) if you want to go fast around the track, you need some friction to keep you on track in the turns, and 2) you would get pushed all around the place because of the lack of friction.

It would be amazing if if worked, though

[Los Frijoles]

It would be possible to use one or both of those smaller R/C style motors they gave us attached to a blower fan, but making a robot light enough to lift like that would be a challenge.