pic: Team 148 Robowranglers: TUMBLEWEED

[Brandon Holley]

Originally Posted by InfernoX14

It seems odd to me that a team that was so good at scoring last year would stick to a driving chassis this year. It does have a complex drive system and may still be very good at scoring, though.

Interesting.

I think you are going to be very surprised by how well these little lap runner bots are going to do. Especially motoring around the track at the speed they are. They are more or less guaranteed points, no dealing with the ball, no dealing with the overpass...just speed and points.

[AdamHeard]

Originally Posted by Brandon Holley

I think you are going to be very surprised by how well these little lap runner bots are going to do. Especially motoring around the track at the speed they are. They are more or less guaranteed points, no dealing with the ball, no dealing with the overpass...just speed and points.

Yeah...

Also, in the Elims two good hurdlers and a lap bot may dominate. I've heard discussion of three hurdlers sharing balls, but I think two and a lap bot will dominate three hurdlers any day. And, this is certainly the lap bot to do it with.

[Dan Petrovic]

Originally Posted by Brandon Holley

I think you are going to be very surprised by how well these little lap runner bots are going to do. Especially motoring around the track at the speed they are. They are more or less guaranteed points, no dealing with the ball, no dealing with the overpass...just speed and points.

I have a feeling that lap runners will win matches in the Qualification rounds, but when it comes to the elimination rounds, they are going to need hurdlers on their alliance.

[Karthik]

Another elegant and well designed creation from Team 148. Looking at these pictures you can tell that every single piece of that robot was designed with a purpose, nothing was slapped on. This is one of the most professional looking robots I've seen in a while.

When it comes to game play, I expect this robot to do very well. A small swerve like this should be able to navigate this year's traffic headaches very well. For those of you who think hurdles alone are going to dominate the game, don't be surprised to see a couple pure lap runners like this guy on Einstein. I'm not predicting that this game will play out as dramatically as Stack Attack, but I do think many hurdlers will abandon the hurdle for laps as the season goes on. If this does happen, teams like 148 will be well ahead of the game.

[Swampdude]

Originally Posted by InfernoX14

I have a feeling that lap runners will win matches in the Qualification rounds, but when it comes to the elimination rounds, they are going to need hurdlers on their alliance.

So far from the scrims, it looks like laps are all thats happening

After watching all of those and some others, plus reading reports from the scrims, hurdling doesn't happen enough (so far) to beat something like this if it keeps moving.

[M. Mellott]

Beautiful execution inside and out--really unique!! I can't wait to see it in action!!

[Qbranch]

Awesome! Must be hella tough to drive... unless you've got some creative gyro action going there.

Is there any way to make actual round bumpers instead of having little segments? If you could actually make your bumpers a circle, you'd be able to squeeze through/past any traffic jam even with decent low gearing (all vectors push away from you at any angle other than at a perfect perpendicular).

-q

[Protronie]

LOVE IT!

If for no other reason than its so different !

Good luck, I'll be keeping an eye out for your bot.

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by Brandon Holley

I think you are going to be very surprised by how well these little lap runner bots are going to do. Especially motoring around the track at the speed they are. They are more or less guaranteed points, no dealing with the ball, no dealing with the overpass...just speed and points.

Not to mention that runners will be the ones charged to defend the supposedly unstoppable shooters. One way to stop them is to knock away the ball and make them waste time having to go re-acquire it.

[dlavery]

To repeat my comments to JVN when he showed me the pictures last night - this thing is absolutely beautiful. Team 148 did not just set the bar higher, they have completely redefined the region of sky where the bar is located. I was impressed, excited, and jealous all at once. I want to see this thing run, and watch it play the game. But I really, really want to have two hours alone in a small room with it, to poke and prod and learn everything I can about what they did, and how they did it (if you think it is nice on the outside, just wait until you see how it looks on the inside!). Tumbleweed is a great example to show that robots can be functional, well designed, and artistic all at the same time.

Ten years ago omnidirectional drive systems were virtually unheard of within the FIRST competitions. But after a few excellent initial examples, many teams got inspired and said "I want to do that too!" But today, omnidirectional drives appear at virtually every competition. Today, there are a very small number of FRC teams that consistently turn out work of this quality. But I truly hope that all teams can look at the work of the Robowranglers and get inspired - and that this becomes the next standard that most of us try to achieve.

Excellent job Robowranglers - you have shown that robots and art DO go together!

-dave


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[thefro526]

I'm was opposed to the idea of just a lap runner bot but now that I've seen this, I have decided that they can be made to be competitive. Lol if I were in a regional I'd pick you guys just so we could be "the alliance with the bada$$ swerve" Best of luck to you and your team.

[s_forbes]

I have to admit, that is probably the most professionally done FIRST robot I've ever seen. It's an interesting approach... you may not win all of your matches pitted against good hurdlers, but you are guarenteed a spot in the eliminations. The perfect bot to complement two good hurdlers.

By the way, your sheet metal skills are amazing. Is all of the sheet metal work done through a sponsor?

[Cory]

My hat is off to 148. John wouldn't reveal what they were doing all season, and I've got to say that when he finally sent me the pictures of this bad boy my jaw was on the floor. It was nothing like what I was expecting.

This robot screams quality. Everything on it is impeccable. Nothing is out of place. It has taken a complex drive system and made it look very simple and neatly packaged.

For those thinking they won't be able to score many points, my guess is Tumbleweed could win 70-80% of the qualification matches at most regionals, simply by itself. I could see this bot scoring 30-50 pts solo, which would take 4-6 hurdles to beat (plus whatever points their partners score). When it comes to the eliminations, they'll be an invaluable third partner.

I was expecting 148 to raise the bar this season, and though it was in a much different manner than I envisioned, as Dave has said, the bar is now sky high. I can't wait to see them compete, and hope we have a chance to play with them in Atlanta or at IRI

[lukevanoort]

I have very few "OMG this is amazing!" moments when seeing robots. Most of the time its more along the lines of "pretty neat" or something. 469 in 06, 64 in '05 (<- favorite robot of all time), and 254/968 in 07 are some of the few robots that have reduced me to a babbling fanboy. With that said, OMG this is amazing! I don't know whether to envy your driver for getting to control such an awesome drivesystem or feel sorry for him/her because he/she has to keep control of it. Very nice looking too, kind of like a landmine of pure speed.

[Travis Covington]

I have to agree with what everyone has said so far...

This thing is simply amazing. When John told me what they were doing, I did a double take and immediately asked him if he was joking. I seriously thought he was kidding and was being the typical protective designer stretching the truth while waiting to reveal the real thing when the first competition rolled around. I have to be honest and say that up until last night, there was still a significant part of me that didn't believe him.

Seeing it put a huge smile on my face though... He WAS serious... that smile is something that will probably only be beat by seeing this thing drive in person or via webcast. It really is one of a kind.

The 148 folks should be really proud of this robot. Its a bold strategy with an appropriately bold robot. You guys should do great this season, without a doubt!