pic: "Gear Head" - trophy for FIRST Finale Asphalt Challenge

[Lil' Lavery]

I have a feeling that this is going to come down to the same thing that wins real drag races, acceleration (and solid driving). I don't care what your bot is geared to run at, if mine can reach top speed faster I'll beat you there.

[Qbranch]

So, I'll take that as yes, you don't need an operator, you can run autonomous control of your robot?

-q

[jwfoss]

note to self, build fastest bot, with crazy acceleration for next year...

no seriously though, that is a really cool trophy

[Andy Baker]

Originally Posted by jwfoss

no seriously though, that is a really cool trophy

Thanks... it is fun to design really cool trophies.

The helmet idea was Steve Krawic's.

Andy B.

[colin340]

really cool idea
to bad our old driver graduation he was a dragracer!

[Andy Baker]

Originally Posted by Qbranch

So, I'll take that as yes, you don't need an operator, you can run autonomous control of your robot?

-q

I thought you were joking...

hmmmm....

I suppose it is up to you.

Andy

[ChuckDickerson]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

I have a feeling that this is going to come down to the same thing that wins real drag races, acceleration (and solid driving). I don't care what your bot is geared to run at, if mine can reach top speed faster I'll beat you there.

Actually what wins drag races is the ability to transfer the power to the track. Smoke your tires and your race is over. That is why lane choice is critical. I have a feeling that moving these bots from carpet to asphalt/concrete will create some surprising results. I think this might be part of Andy’s challenge.

[Lil' Lavery]

Originally Posted by DeepWater

Actually what wins drag races is the ability to transfer the power to the track. Smoke your tires and your race is over. That is why lane choice is critical. I have a feeling that moving these bots from carpet to asphalt/concrete will create some surprising results. I think this might be part of Andy’s challenge.

I was factoring that into acceleration, as you can't accelerate very well without traction in a wheeled vehicle.
Perhaps I should have worded that better, I didn't mean the radial acceleration of the wheels, I meant the linear acceleration of the robot/car as a whole.

[ChuckDickerson]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

I was factoring that into acceleration, as you can't accelerate very well without traction in a wheeled vehicle.
Perhaps I should have worded that better, I didn't mean the radial acceleration of the wheels, I meant the linear acceleration of the robot/car as a whole.

Sorry Sean, maybe I should have worded my post better as well. I meant to imply that robots that do well on carpet might not do quite as well on asphalt/concrete.

[Lil' Lavery]

Originally Posted by DeepWater

Sorry Sean, maybe I should have worded my post better as well. I meant to imply that robots that do well on carpet might not do quite as well on asphalt/concrete.

Oh I didn't disagree or miss that point either. I was just talking about something that would apply to either statement. The change on surface will be very interesting. Anyone know what kinds of commonly used FIRST tractions materials have high CoFs with asphalt/concrete?
Anyone's bot capable of burning out on the starting line?

[zachjo]

I wanna go fast. NASCAR fast.

[AdamHeard]

Will these drag races be filmed?

[AndyH]

Cool trophy and great idea. Sadly team 1098 did not quite make the championship. We tried to have a speed grudge match at the St Louis regional but couldn't get it together. I am glad you got this orginized.

Our bot has seen plenty of asphalt during testing. In fact the school parking lot was covered with salt from a early February ice storm, the first time we did high speed runs outside (we has to replace the drive chains because of all the salt) and it did chew up the tires pretty fast.

Have fun, wish we could attend!!!

We hope to attend IRI and will race anyone there.

Andy

[Woody1458]

Awsome trophy! Just wondering, do all the gears and hat spin as one? or indevidual?

[Andy Baker]

Originally Posted by Woody1458

Awsome trophy! Just wondering, do all the gears and hat spin as one? or indevidual?

All of the gears spin as one, as with the helmet. The gears are all 3/8" broached gears, all positioned on a hex shaft. The shaft spins on bearings located in the performance wheel.

As for filming... please bring you cameras. I don't know what to expect with regard to that.

The Gear Head is now somewhere in Kentucky... on its way to Atlanta.

Andy