29-02-2004 21:07

miketwalker

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

Beautiful bot, as always.

29-02-2004 21:08

JVN

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

Dear Katsklaw,
Say, you're kinda cute! You can play on my alliance ANYTIME...

Love,
Artoo
(229 - 2004 Robot)


Uhhh...
In all seriousness... looks awesome kats! I'm really impressed. I can only imagine some of the hidden features you have in store for us this season!

Awesome job... Us 229ers are all impressed, and of course... inspired.
John

PS - Cmon Joe... Technokittens posted, let's see some of CD!

29-02-2004 21:09

Aignam

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

Awesome looking robot. Can't wait to see all of the 'intricate features'.

When the picture loaded, I had my IE window small, and the picture is rather large, so all I saw was a corner of the huge spool, and I said to myself "Oh my God, that is a big wheel."

29-02-2004 21:11

Clark Gilbert

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

Awesome robot guys! Too bad I wasn't on the team this year, because I really like this robot It looks great completely finished. (Considering the last time i saw it, it was all metal).

29-02-2004 21:12

Arefin Bari

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

awesome bot... do i have to hear from one of their engineers again this year "108... you guys are tough.."

29-02-2004 21:17

Greg Needel

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

i think what intrests me the most about your bot is the drill motor and gearbox mounted on your arm......i guess that means there is another new tecknocats drive train....great job guys i look forward to seeing what you can do this year


another thing...is that netting for catching the balls?....wow

29-02-2004 21:20

henryBsick

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

I am curious about ALL OF THE COOL TECHNOCAT FEATURES! like the awesome arm!!! and the lexan covered drive train!!!

Really, great bot, I am just curious to stuff as always.
-Henry

29-02-2004 21:24

Greg McCoy

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

Good observations...

This year we are using the CIM & Fisher Price motors for the drive train. The two drill motors are used on the arm and on another feature of the robot...

Actually, that "netting" is an umbrella to keep the robot dry in the event of a rainstorm during competition.

29-02-2004 21:27

Heretic121

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

looks awsome... by chance do you have a better pic from the face of the roller side?

*edit* are those poles for when the balls drop to catch balls and the roller to spit them out!?! or vis versa to suck them in and back out!?! =X*

29-02-2004 21:28

AmyPrib

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

Check the picture galleries section, you'll see one in there...

29-02-2004 21:33

Greg McCoy

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

Maybe

Yeah, so maybe it's not just an umbrella

29-02-2004 21:41

henryBsick

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

I thought FIRST was trying to make this years game sooo involved that one robot could not do everything, and therefore the need for specialized robots and partners arises. You 45'ers managed to do it all, really, ALL. It looks like an amazing machine. My compliments, on a job well done. Amazing me every year by "raising the bar"

29-02-2004 21:44

Austin

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

All- Thanks for your encouraging comments. I am really happy with the way that this robot turned out and I am looking forward to meeting you all in competition or as alliance partners! This is going to be a great season!

29-02-2004 21:48

Tyler Olds

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

Awesome job as always guys, can't wait to see you at MR.

How do you stretch out? And do you go all 8 feet? also how many balls do you catch? Last, how do you knock off the bonus ball.

Once again guys, great job, the arm looks sweet, and I can't wait to see you guys in action.

29-02-2004 21:53

Austin

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

1. Pneumatics
2. We go all 10 feet
3. 0-18
4. that gate in the front of the 'bot flips down...pneumatically actuated...or we could possibly use the arm

29-02-2004 22:01

Paul H

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

Amazing bot, guys. Too bad we won't be at any regionals together, I think your bot and ours on an alliance could really do some SERIOUS damage! Nationals, perhaps?

We had the same design for a claw originally, but we scrapped it because it would have put us overweight.

29-02-2004 22:06

Paul H

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

I understand he's working on a picture, but how about Wildstang?! I want to see what the reigning champs have in store for us this year!

29-02-2004 22:30

Andy Grady

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

Now here is the true question.....does the sail funnel the balls direct from the troft to the human player station?

Great looking robot guys, hope we get to face off with/against you at nationals!

-Andy Grady

29-02-2004 22:35

Andy Baker

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

Thanks, Andy. Good question, but no. We tried that, but it got too crazy. The "sail funnel" just directs the balls into our belly.

Andy B.

29-02-2004 22:42

Paul H

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

How many balls does it hold it it's belly?

29-02-2004 22:56

OneAngryDaisy

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

that is absolutely mind-boggling.. every single lousy function in this game, and you guys got them all.. I can't wait to see that arm operate, how it extends is killing me..

one question- how heavy is that arm of yours? does it affect your center of gravity at all? You've already scared me immensely, this is one robot I never want to face.. congratulations on building another incredible machine

29-02-2004 22:58

Rich Kressly

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

Awesome looking robot from 45 as usual. I'm with John though. Let's see 47

29-02-2004 23:12

Rickertsen2

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

Forget the robot, I want some of those pole pigs!!! (imagines the massive tesla coil, rail gun, can crusher, Jacob's ladder etc i could make with one of those things.) Those look to be about 40KVA mmmm.....


Anyway, very cool robot. I'm not really awake enough right now to fully try to figure out what it does from the pic, but it looks really scary as always.

29-02-2004 23:23

Andy Baker

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

Thanks, Daisy,

The arm is about 40 lbs to itself, so it does affect cg. However, it is strong enough to right the robot when tipped. Oddly enough, the robot likes to be driven with the arm up, in kind of a cocked position. The arm is mostly made of tubular aluminum, so it is pretty lightweight.

Andy B.

29-02-2004 23:23

Ricky Q.

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

Looks awesome guys, maybe this will be the year I get to play with Andy B. and the TKats as partners, it has to happen sometime.

29-02-2004 23:56

Alan Anderson

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

There wasn't a specific feature intended just to do that. In the hands of a skilled operator -- which we have -- the arm is fantastically capable, and that's what I think everyone was planning to use for bumping the bonus ball. Imagine my surprise when I stopped by the shop to find the 'bot running an autonomous program that knocks the ball quite well with a totally unrelated actuator. It's almost like it was designed to work that way, but nobody told us.

(I'm suddenly reminded of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. )


To be perfectly honest, I was mostly surprised to see the robot running autonomous programs that Andy Baker had written. I wasn't sure my software framework and brief programming instructions would be sufficient, but it was very gratifying to find that they were.

29-02-2004 23:59

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

Most people don't realize how funny that really is...

01-03-2004 07:17

Austin

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

With our 4" wheels and <.5" ground clearance, our cg is pretty low. I think that this will immensely help with the tipping problem ::Crosses Fingers::

01-03-2004 08:26

Greg Perkins

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

when i first opened my browser, i was kind of taken back and a little disheartened. i thought to myself, here is 45, one of the best teams ever to compete in FIRST, and they build a square box with an arm?? so i closed by browser, and proceeded to mutter something about it, and all of a sudden, i dropped the nalgene water bottle i had in my hand ran to my computer, reopened the pic. and voila! I WAS AMAZED AT WHAT I COULD DO! great job technokats for makeing your robot one that is very decieving, but also very very very awesome!

01-03-2004 09:10

Glenn

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

That is one cool looking robot! Can't wait to see it work. I will get a closer look at Nats.

Good job TechnoKats!

01-03-2004 09:43

Joe Matt

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

Do you know what your robot reminds me of? Those little game machines where you use the claw to get a prize. Just the arm and that box remind me of that. Oh well....

Good job guys, can't wait to see you at Nats.

01-03-2004 15:02

Mike Soukup

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

I'm not going to steal the TechnoKitties thread because I hate when people do that, but keep checking the gallery, it will be up as soon as Brandon approves it.

Andy & the rest of the Kokomo crew, you have a wonderful bot. I heard rumors from the spies we sent over that it was a killer design this year and they were right. It looks like you'll be a top contender as always. Good luck and I can't wait to see it perform at GLR.

01-03-2004 19:12

David Kelso

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

Looks like a great machine...some of us hope to see it up close in July, 2004.

02-03-2004 12:33

Clark Gilbert

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

Today I found some pictures on the Technokats webpage. They are located under the Picture Gallery.

Here is one of the better ones.

02-03-2004 13:18

JVN

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

Is everybody scared yet?

02-03-2004 13:36

Andy Baker

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

Thanks, Rickertsen...

You caught us. One secret feature of our robot is that it is an "ion lift" hovercraft. We needed about 2,000,000 volts to pull it off, so we put about 50 of those transformers together so we can now hook the bar. (we had our freshmen hook it up)

Shhhhh... don't tell anyone at IFI.

Andy B.

02-03-2004 15:43

Steven Carmain

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

Sorry, we don't do everything..., we can't grab a goal and pull it, but we can push it around.

Also, my favorite pictures are here (us with 1992 going in as a ball) and here (us with 1998(national champion) and how close they look).

02-03-2004 16:12

Ryan Dognaux

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

Simply put - Amazing.

I wouldn't expect anything less from you guys

02-03-2004 17:32

Tyler Olds

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

I would think that your operator could come up with some way to manipulate the goal if he/she really needed to (most likely with your arm).

Did you guys ever have troubles with the balls getting stuck by bridging or any other way? This happened to us before after many tweaks we were able to get the balls to come out.

02-03-2004 17:50

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

Meow.

During testing, sometimes balls would get jammed up and stuck and to an extent they still do. A lot of it was due to just because it was the operator's first real attempts in releasing balls. But after crack time with it and a few modifications it really shouldn't be much of an issue..

02-03-2004 19:24

Austin

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

Actually, we can pull a goal. With our arm. :-D Not one of our best functions though, but 100% possible... and proven. lol

03-03-2004 08:33

Kit Gerhart

It looks awsome!!!

It looks like you guys have taken all the energy that usually goes into the high tech track drive systems, and put this energy into building a true "do everything" robot. TechnoKats have done well playing the FIRST game in varying ways, including '99's very specialized near-champion defense machine, the year after the "do everything" 1998 champion. This year's machine appears the opposite of specialized, and definitely looks like a potential champion. I'm looking forward to seeing that funnel work, and hope we end up in the same division at Atlanta. Best of luck, TechnoKats.

02-04-2004 15:02

Alan Anderson

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

Maybe?

I'm still chuckling over the names Oconomowoc, Kokomo, and Mukwanago all coming together.

02-04-2004 15:45

Caleb Fulton

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

I love how the whole robot works with itself to accomplish the tasks. Most of us were silly and put our arm in the middle of our robot (thus sacrificing space to hold small balls), but this robot did it the smart way...

02-04-2004 15:51

R2K2D2

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

The Kats definitely game up with a great robot this year, as they do every year. This machine is a beast in its own regard. From the moment I saw their robot on Chief I was in awe. It performs beautifully, great job 45! Seeya guys in Atlanta!!

02-04-2004 17:02

Ryan F.

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

Whatever happened to the basket???? I was looking for it at the MWR...but it wasn't there.

02-04-2004 18:51

Alan Anderson

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

Since so few teams could reliably hit the bonus ball, we decided it was faster to do it ourselves and go suck up the 5-pointers instead of hanging around like a statue waiting for them to drop. 30 extra seconds of do-nothing time is a quarter of the match.

03-04-2004 09:04

Austin

Re: pic: TechnoKats 45

At MWR we added a goal grabber and will manufacture, assemble, and install a new design at nats which will hopefully work more effectively.