How to Built A Robot that Doesn't tip (FIRST History)

[Joe Ross]

Originally Posted by KenWittlief

I defy anyone to build a bot that can lift the 2X ball up into the air and cap the stationary goal that is not vunerable to being knocked over, seriously - it cant be done

This quote started me thinking (not always a good thing), and I realized that it's been quite a while since FIRST has had a game that required teams to go up high. Last year, there were a few stackers who used the whole 5 feet limit, and a few people with arms, but for the most part, everyone was low to the ground. In 2002, the goals were fairly small, and people didn't really need to get tall. 2001, there was no contact. So, I'd say that 2000 was the last time a robot really needed to get tall to score. Any students then would have graduated by now. Before then, robots had to expand every single year, so there was some knowledge that could be passed on and evolve, which may not have happened this year.

So, I thought this might be a good place for FIRST vetrans to post how robots in the past expanded and kept from tipping, even when hit. Specific robots would be great. Please include robots that used things that were made illegal in previous years, because that might start someone thinking.

Here are a few I can think of:

67 - 2004. http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/pi...gle&picid=7782
Wedge shaped base so that any robots hitting them would ride up instead of hitting them dead on. Very low and long base.

25 - 2000. http://firstrobotics.net/00gallery/pages/025-1_jpg.htm
The epitome of a long arm. They were very prone to tipping when used in the open field, but in the finals, they would latch securely onto the bar before deploying the arm.

330 - 1999. http://www.frazmtn.com/~rsteele/beachbot99/beachbot.jpg
Before lifting their basket, they always raised their wheels off the ground, so their entire base was resting on the puck. Also, a very low base.

67 - 1998.
Their controls had a number of preset positions, for collecting the balls, for moving with the balls, and then for scoring the balls. They only were extended with the balls for a few seconds, if that.