Feeder Bot

[BIGWILLI2081]

our team has decided to go against throwing pieces onto the field at anytime based on the fact the piece becomes available to the opposing teams when put past the lane.

[Tetraman]

Very interesting idea. Would make for a very unique and sought after robot, so long as the robot is able to get those tubes to fly far enough to your side of the field with 100% success. Maybe it wouldn't sit there, it might drive out to the edge of the blue feeder zone and shoot them off there...or it just hands pieces to allied robots.

If I had an entire robotics team for myself, I'd actually do that.

[Chris is me]

We tried throwing tubes and couldn't get them to track very straight.

[GaryVoshol]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

We tried throwing tubes and couldn't get them to track very straight.

I recall this problem from 2007. There weren't too many rings that scored directly on the rack. Whether thrown frisbee style or vertically "rolling" in the air, they usually swerved.

It would only seem to be compounded when throwing the triangle and square.

[Taylor]

Keep in mind that the tubes would pretty much have to be launched with some sort of spin about the vertical axis to have a controllable flight. The arc that is created could be repeatable in a mechanical launching device. If done well, this idea certainly has potential, but keep in mind it would require at least one of your alliance partners to be able to floor-load the game pieces (or catch them in midair).

[Tetraman]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

We tried throwing tubes and couldn't get them to track very straight.

I would think it's not an issue of getting them to go where you want it, but about getting the most tubes over to your side of the field as fast as possible.

Say you were able to only catapult the Circle tubes. Well, just catapult a Circle and then grab yourself a triangle or square with an arm. Score with the arm and if everyone was too busy to take care of the circle, which I think will occur more often then not, score the circle. You'd get points and Logos much faster that way. Sure you'd need to pick up from the floor, but even if you had your human player throw them, you'd have to pick them up from the floor on your opponent's side anyway.

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by Tetraman

I would think it's not an issue of getting them to go where you want it, but about getting the most tubes over to your side of the field as fast as possible.

We also could never, ever, ever get a tube 45 feet.

That being said... if someone were to pull it off...

[Karibou]

Originally Posted by Tetraman

Maybe it wouldn't sit there, it might drive out to the edge of the blue feeder zone and shoot them off there...or it just hands pieces to allied robots.

As of right now, we can't just hand pieces to allied robots (the rule doesn't make an exception for allies as written). Dropping them in front of other robots is an option, as is what you also suggested - shooting them off.

[spiffyspleen]

As far as imparting spin goes couldn't you just have a simple design, like two parrallel sets of wheels to accelerate the tubes. If you ran one set of wheels faster than the other, it should give it some spin. I was thinking if you got it optimized enough you could even curve it around the pole by the safe zone and try to get it to land in the middle of the safe zone in front of your pegs.