Team Update #1

[rutzman]

http://www.usfirst.org/uploadedFiles...0Update_01.pdf

A synopsis:
No minibot launching.
One minibot per robot.
We get an 84" diameter cylinder instead of a 60" diameter cylinder.
We can use NXT sensors and cables on the minibot.
Andymark addressed some KoP errors.

[thefro526]

Thank the robot gods for an 84" cylinder.

[1086VEX]

Originally Posted by thefro526

Thank the robot gods for an 84" cylinder.

agreed!!!

[Stephen of REX]

Awwww, the minibot rules just got stricter. Goodbye surgical tubing powered jumping minibot.

[davidalln]

The OP does not state this but, in addition to no launching, MINIBOTS cannot hold stored energy. All movement must come from the motors.

[Joe Ross]

And this is why we don't do design until after Team Update #1 (and usually Team Update #2).

[Cory]

minibots will now be completely and totally boring.

What's more inspiring, a 1 second minibot or waiting to see who reaches the pole first to deploy their minibot that takes 7 seconds to reach the top?

[SteveGPage]

Originally Posted by Cory

minibots will now be completely and totally boring.

What's more inspiring, a 1 second minibot or waiting to see who reaches the pole first to deploy their minibot that takes 7 seconds to reach the top?

This is much more exciting! Instead of 1 second rocket launches, think of the suspense, the drama - oh, the humanity. It is like going to the county fair and watching the duck races. Will they make it or not?



Steve

[Mr_I]

Originally Posted by SteveGPage

It is like going to the county fair and watching the duck races. Will they make it or not?



Steve

Wait ... those duck races are THAT exciting??

[Vikesrock]

Originally Posted by Cory

minibots will now be completely and totally boring.

What's more inspiring, a 1 second minibot or waiting to see who reaches the pole first to deploy their minibot that takes 7 seconds to reach the top?

Agreed. They should be relabeled to deployment races. It's now really whoever can jam their minibot into the pole fastest without destroying it.

[AdamHeard]

FIRST. You made a horrible call, you took what was potentially a good engineering design challenge, and turned it into a last ditch effort to save their inferior (to vex) FTC design competition.

It's now a challenge of who can make the SAME minibot lighter. Yay.

[XaulZan11]

I also think it would have been really exciting to see a mini-bot launch to the top in 1 second. I also think this will lead to many teams copying (or getting inspired by)* sucessful mini-bot designs. It will be alot easier to change a mini-bot than change the mini-bot and the robot that launches it. This game is quickly losing the ways to differentiate the great and elite teams.


*Note: I have no problems with teams doing this, just that is leads to alot of similar robots and thus less exciting matches with diverse robots.

[Michael Corsetto]

I know everyone is rejoicing about the 84" cylinder, but I personally loved the 60" as an actual engineering challenge. What about this game is different than 2007 again? Minibots? OK, cool.

[Nemisis]

I'm very excited about the 84'!! however i'm not as joyful bout the minibot ideas... this is going to hinder design work just a bit... should still be interesting thou!

[DonRotolo]

Originally Posted by JesseK

The only thing that really NEEDS to be TETRIX on the minibot are the battery, motors and wheels.

(emphasis mine) I'm not so sure that <R92> states that I cannot fabricate my own wheels from aluminum sheet and tube (for example). Just sayin'

Originally Posted by SteveGPage

Getting frustrated, he yelled, <snip>

It may have helped that the entire contraption was built by the lowest bidder...

Originally Posted by sanddrag

With a solid understanding of the physics and engineering principals associated with the MINIBOT challenge, the possible design solutions converge to one winning concept.

Exactly. So which team will be able to wring the most from their pinewood derby car minibot? The team that understands the design constraints best. Maybe it IS a competition to see who sucks least, but I for one welcome the opportunity to blow your doors off.

Bring it on.


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