Parking space

[Andrew1742]

Specifically your robot..
How much parking space will be needed by your robot to safely park on the ramp platform?
What is the wheel base? How far are your wheels from the edge of your bumper?
Also, where is your robot's center of gravity?

[MrForbes]

28" by 38" plus standard bumpers, minus a little bit (because most teams don't build to the full allowed size, to prevent inspection problems). The robot rules (section 8 of the manual) describes the bumpers.

Majority of them will probably be driving in the direction of the 38" dimension, some will drive the direction of the 28" dimension, and others will be able to drive either way.

[Taylor]

Some robots may have a smaller "parking space" than that. Assuming a 4-wheeled drive system, if three wheels are "parked" then the robot would likely be stable. Also, the wheels will probably not be at the outer corners; 26X34 may be a more accurate representation for a kitbot frame and 6-inch wheels.

[Nuttyman54]

Originally Posted by boiler

Some robots may have a smaller "parking space" than that. Assuming a 4-wheeled drive system, if three wheels are "parked" then the robot would likely be stable. Also, the wheels will probably not be at the outer corners; 26X34 may be a more accurate representation for a kitbot frame and 6-inch wheels.

I'd be careful with the width there. Even though most teams do allow for some clearance on the dimensions, teams with cantilevered wheels will have them on the outermost part of their robot (excluding any bumpers). Therefore you can probably only get away with a MINIMUM area of 28"x38" if you intend to be able to lift all robots.

Since the vast majority of robots will be driving in the long direction, however, you can simplify your platform by accomodating only those robots, and allowing for 28" wide and 34" long (since 4" wheels at the corners are a reasonable estimate for the smallest wheels any team will be using). Keep in mind that a platform exactly this size will be nearly impossible for most teams to manuver on to.

[MrForbes]

Originally Posted by Nuttyman54

Therefore you can probably only get away with a MINIMUM area of 28"x38" if you intend to be able to lift all robots. ..........Keep in mind that a platform exactly this size will be nearly impossible for most teams to manuver on to.

There are ways to help robots get on a relatively narrow ramp....cut out some paper doll ramps, play with them, see how they could be manipulated to make them do what you want.

[Nuttyman54]

Originally Posted by squirrel

There are ways to help robots get on a relatively narrow ramp....cut out some paper doll ramps, play with them, see how they could be manipulated to make them do what you want.

my intent (though I didn't make it as clear as I should) was that if you had a plain ramp exactly that size, with no extra assistance devices (such as a funnel shape to help guide robots in) it would be extremely hard, especially in the heat of battle

[MrForbes]

Yes, I understood your intent, you made a very good point....I was trying to help others who might be reading this to find ways to deal with the problem you brought up.