Anti-tip or Self-Righting Mechanisms?

[Labot2001]

Has anyone come up with anti-tipping or self-righting mechanism technologies? It would be great to see to some examples. We're a small rookie team and haven't really given this aspect of the build too much thought

TIA

[EricH]

I don't think there are too many anti-tip mechanisms this year. The GDC has ruled that you can't go beyond the frame perimeter to avoid tipping, just to self-right.

[Hastypickle]

Originally Posted by EricH

I don't think there are too many anti-tip mechanisms this year. The GDC has ruled that you can't go beyond the frame perimeter to avoid tipping, just to self-right.

There is one anti-tip technique that any team can do: low center of gravity.


Our team hasn't though about any sort of righting mechanism, we are just trying to keep our CoG low and to have a short bot.

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by Hastypickle

There is one anti-tip technique that any team can do: low center of gravity.

Not a mechanism, but fair enough. "Everyone" is going for that, hopefully.

Anti-tip is the lowest priority for 2791. The simplest way to integrate a righting mechanism is to integrate it with the hanger, but the hanger isn't load bearing on our robot. There's no time or resources that wouldn't be better spent elsewhere for a self righting mechanism.

We only expect to go over the bumps maybe twice a match though, and we're not tipping without the help of the 45 degree angle.

[V_Chip]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

Not a mechanism, but fair enough. "Everyone" is going for that, hopefully.

Anti-tip is the lowest priority for 2791. The simplest way to integrate a righting mechanism is to integrate it with the hanger, but the hanger isn't load bearing on our robot. There's no time or resources that wouldn't be better spent elsewhere for a self righting mechanism.

We only expect to go over the bumps maybe twice a match though, and we're not tipping without the help of the 45 degree angle.

Agreed.

And:

Necessarily, how many times must a team cross the bump in a single match?

[hipsterjr]

If you had the weight to spare (yeah right), you could have a 5-10 LB counter-weight mounted on a slide controlled by the gyro. It is complicated and doesn't give you much advantage, but doable.

[DonRotolo]

One of the best strategies would be to avoid tipping over in the first place. Build a robot that can go over the bump without tipping, and make sure the drivers know how to do it without tipping, every time.

As a rookie team, I think you will find that driver practice is the most important thing you can give the team. So, forget a self-righting mechanism (or, build a Weeble) and put your energy into more important things.

My 2 cents.

[Wayne TenBrink]

If you have a wide-axis chassis, don't plan to go through the tunnel, and have a low enough center of gravity, you CAN be a weeble. Just put semi-circular roll bars at the end on each short side. With a low enough center of gravity, your bumpers stick out far enough to self-right the robot.

[blayde5]

115 is basically building a second structure made out of 1x1 aluminum shaped like a house (it's more of a passive structure). The idea is that because of the bumpers, the robot won't fall completely flat.

the wedge at the top of the house would provide an alliance member enough leverage to just bump into us and flip us over.

[Tony.Wu]

One team used a domed top.

[Chris is me]

Something else to consider: Design is an iterative process. Maybe you can see if you'll need one once your robot is all built together. It's trivial for my team to bolt on a roll cage on top of our frame halfway through the season if the need arises, but not having it on keeps the tunnel open as an option (albeit not one to be used much) so nothing's being designed unless we need it. If your robot is similar, you could consider an option like this.

[Jordan2389Diaz]

Yeah my team 2389 is not building anything to right ourselves which just hope in our driver's skill that we do not flip over.

[Daniel_LaFleur]

Originally Posted by Jordan2389Diaz

Yeah my team 2389 is not building anything to right ourselves which just hope in our driver's skill that we do not flip over.

While I don't believe our robot will tip over on its own, I believe there will be enough defense at the Bump to cause robots to flip.

Hence, we will have a self righting mechanism.

[Molten]

Originally Posted by Daniel_LaFleur

While I don't believe our robot will tip over on its own, I believe there will be enough defense at the Bump to cause robots to flip.

Hence, we will have a self righting mechanism.

Lots of good advice here, but this has to be the best I read. Just because you don't plan on dealing with the bump or plan to be careful around it, others might not do the same. They might take you to the bump or push you around while your on it. Self-righting devices could become key to some regionals that are known for their aggressive defense while others will rarely see a robot tip. Guess its good to know what to expect, if only we ever really could.

[Ken Leung]

Originally Posted by Molten

Lots of good advice here, but this has to be the best I read. Just because you don't plan on dealing with the bump or plan to be careful around it, others might not do the same. They might take you to the bump or push you around while your on it. Self-righting devices could become key to some regionals that are known for their aggressive defense while others will rarely see a robot tip. Guess its good to know what to expect, if only we ever really could.

Agreed 100%. All you need to do is examine the CG of your robot, and figure out how much force/displacement you need before the CG is going to right itself the rest of the way.

Couple with a cage that prevents the robot from falling on its back, a pneumatic piston at the proper height, pressure, and stroke will do wonders in self-righting mechanisms. Same with a double window motor actuated arm mounted at about bumper height.

If you fall flat on your back, well, that's a whole different story. Still manageable though.