Are any teams planning on shooting the ball?

[Ross340]

And by shooting I mean launching/ catapulting/ flinging/ popping/ flipping etc...

please share!!! I'm sure this has come across every FIRSTers mind at least once when brainstorming!

[Molten]

I hope someone is, that would be really cool to see.

[Brandon Holley]

yup.

[AdamC]

We've been developing a primitive gas-spring powered catapult, and so far....it's smashed into the floor and broken, catapulting the ball about 4-feet vertically and 12 feet horizontally. The main issue is the momentum a catapult generates. It's enough to flip the robot forward unless you have some sort of wheelie bar.
The second issue is loading. We're thinking of a crude gripper to load the main launcher, and then a complicated lever system will amplify the force of a 250 ft-lbs. gas spring to launch the thing.

[ScottieDo555]

Originally Posted by AdamC

We've been developing a primitive gas-spring powered catapult, and so far....it's smashed into the floor and broken, catapulting the ball about 4-feet vertically and 12 feet horizontally. The main issue is the momentum a catapult generates. It's enough to flip the robot forward unless you have some sort of wheelie bar.
The second issue is loading. We're thinking of a crude gripper to load the main launcher, and then a complicated lever system will amplify the force of a 250 ft-lbs. gas spring to launch the thing.

good luck to you!

[Drwurm]

I have sufficient doubts that a team will find a safe, reliable way to hurdle the ball, but if a team does, they will probably be a strong contender.

[Paul Copioli]

I have sufficient doubts that a team will find a safe, reliable way to hurdle the ball,

I'll take that bet ....

BTW, the amount of torque that is needed for a 1 meter arm to catapult the ball over the overpass with sufficient margin is 330 Newton-meters ... incase you were wondering.

[Padre_Vez]

Can you put that in simple terms for we the stupid people?

[Ross340]

can we get a video of this thing?

[Mrtrom]

i don't want to say too much, but pnumaticly speaking, it is possible to launch the ball, i am not sayingmy team is using a device like that, but i put in some sceintific formulas and found out that it is possible to do this challenge

[Zyik]

We're going to hurdle, but we're not launching.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Zyik

impossible

Possible. Maybe not practical, but impossible and impractical are two different things.

Oh, and the classic means of getting something "impossible" to work is now in effect. You say, impossible. The engineers say, how do we make it possible. Then they go put that plan into action. You eventually wind up agreeing that is totally possible--because they did it.

That said, my team is not attempting a launch. We are attempting a hurdle.

[65_Xero_Huskie]

Originally Posted by Paul Copioli

I'll take that bet ....

BTW, the amount of torque that is needed for a 1 meter arm to catapult the ball over the overpass with sufficient margin is 330 Newton-meters ... incase you were wondering.

Hehe, Copioli is my hero (Next to Ken ofcourse)
Im sure team will start posting videos and pictures of their robots in a few wwek, everyone should be patient and wait to see the balls fly..or thrown or pushed..etc.

[Lions for First]

330 Newton-meters thats 243.39551793777 foot-LBS how is it possible to do that with FIRST parts

[MrForbes]

what are these newton meters that you speak of?

how about 200 ft lbs on a 2 foot arm?