Tank Track

[Rick TYler]

Originally Posted by EricH

Cubes aren't cylindrical or spherical.

Consider this: if you look at pickup mechanisms for FRC for 2006 (or 2004, or 2002, or any other FRC or FTC or VRC game involving balls), they were developed for spherical objects, which a flat plate works for. However, VRC's Elevation uses cubes, which aren't spherical, though they could become that way after going through a flat-plate pickup system!

We used tank-treads-and-a-plate to pick up softballs in the 2006 VRC game, too. Cubes and foam balls were a lot easier.

Our team 575 uses rollers to pinch cubes against a flat plate for lifting. It makes use of a Top Sekrit feature which makes it possible for the cubes to ride smoothly up without getting stuck diagonally. I'll post a picture when I download our pics from the Vancouver tournament. Dromedary (the 575 robot) was 4th after qualifying and lost in the semifinals. This is the robot that won the "Amaze" award.