bumpers, a problem?

[SenseiSkins]

I like bumpers

[Eria4044]

If you had a hovercraft, could you fly above 5 feet?

[pez1959]

Originally Posted by Eria4044

If you had a hovercraft, could you fly above 5 feet?

Ok I'll bite, <R08> states "The robot may not exceed the 60-inch height restriction at any time during the match."


And on a non-rule point, getting a hovercraft more than a few inches off the ground is hard...5 feet is nearly impossible.

[Nuttyman54]

Originally Posted by pez1959

And on a non-rule point, getting a hovercraft more than a few inches off the ground is hard...5 feet is nearly impossible.

I think he's asking (jokingly of course) if you could make a 60" robot and then raise it a few inches with the hover-drive, thus breaking the limit...and the answer would be no, you can't

[robotoby35138]

about the hover craft it would be almost impossible to steer. and when you are even bumped by another robot you would just start bouncing around the arena. you would not have the acceleration to stop you from bouncing around the arena

[Nuttyman54]

Originally Posted by robotoby35138

about the hover craft it would be almost impossible to steer. and when you are even bumped by another robot you would just start bouncing around the arena. you would not have the acceleration to stop you from bouncing around the arena

not very competitive, but REALLY REALLY FUN!!!

[Arkorobotics]

Call me dumb but what is the bumper "zone"?

[cleonavicius]

I'm kind of curious, if bumpers are 2.5" off the ground, will they clear when the bot is going up the ramp? (assuming standard 4 wheels)

[pez1959]

Originally Posted by cleonavicius

I'm kind of curious, if bumpers are 2.5" off the ground, will they clear when the bot is going up the ramp? (assuming standard 4 wheels)

Well that's something to take into account when designing your bot...think trig. :-)

[Doug G]

For those who think that if your bumpers are at 2.5" off the ground and come in contact with a ball, they ball won't go under them - YOU'RE WRONG!!

We have already tested this with our practice robot and the balls go under the robot a lot, luckily we have enough driving wheels still on the ground for it not to be a big deal, but I guarantee there will be plenty of balls ran over this year and FIRST will be prepared for it. In 2004, they stocked 3x as many balls as needed for any one competition. That year we had a robot with about 3-4 inches of clearance, and we ran over dozens of 13" balls and sadly popped a fair share of them. Luckily this year they don't pop, but I suspect they'll be fairly chewed up after a day of matches.

[pez1959]

Question, when you were testing this, was the robot weighted a full 120 pounds or was it a light frame. If it was a light frame it would make a little more sense.

[Evilfrog87]

I was under the impression that bumpers had to start 2.5 inches above the ground. No more, no less.

As to the problem with running over the balls, the Manual says:
“Bumper height has been specified so that robots will make contact bumper-to-bumper and so that the balls will be pushed rather than pulled under the robots.”

The biggest problem I see with the bumpers is going up the ramp. If you use 6” wheels, and have the bumper placed an inch behind them, you cannot make it up the ramp without bottoming out. (that is of course if the bottom of the bumper cannot be higher than 2.5” off the ground)

[pez1959]

R35 is the bumper rule. It basically says the bumpers must stay between 2.5 and 8.5 inches. But if you use two pool "noodles" as suggested, that only gives you an inch or so of leeway. So 2.5 to about 3.5 inches from the ground. The mounting your bumpers so that you can go up the ramp is obviously something that needs to be kept in mind during your design and build stage. I won't give away our robot, but perhaps you could mount the bumpers on the sides perpedicular to the ramp instead of parrallel?

Another option, if you have drive wheels in the back and you hit the ramp, even if you're front wheels dont make the ground, the back wheels could push you up?


Just some things to think about