As of Saturday afternoon the robot is 90%. The wiring pictured is half temporary half official, we still have work to do on our box stacking device, and plenty of armor plating to add.
Semi-official weight as pictured is about 75 pounds. There are about 20 more pounds of robot components to be added, the rest after that is for pretty stuff.
Specs:
2 wheel swerve
3 d.o.f. arm
box indexing device that creates stacks of 4 boxes
the robot has a ground speed of about 5.5 fps, fits nicely under the bar in about 1.5 to 2 seconds(total fold time), and has really surprising traction(mostly because the arm allows us to distribute the cg directly over our front wheels), the final development of this system should allow us to create stacks of 4 and then place them of stacks of up to 3.
Very very cool. Wish i’d thought of laying the boxes down backwards on our arm. i’ll see if i can convince my team to alter the arm to do that… just might work :). Nice vector drive and omniwheels also. Reminds me of what our robot should look like, instead of being pieces. Sweet robot and good luck at the competitions.
we are a college team run by college students. we have roughly 10 or 12 college mentors, about 15 high school students and one high school teacher, although his time is tight and he is unable to be really involved.
the team was officially started in 2000 by myself and three other friends of mine from high school. i was a member of team 221 as a senior in high school, the other guys were from team 27, we started the team as freshman here at tech.
the chain on the arm when finished has chain hooks which lift the boxes along the rails…
some of this assembly is pictured, but not all of it. the arm can pick up boxes in any position, including parallel to the ground or completely perpendicular to it.
Quite impressive. I really need to see it in action to ever hope to comprehend what in the world it’s doing. I assume you’re going to at least one of the michigan regionals, so mabye i can see it there.
Very impressive.
My only dislike is the 2wd and crab+omni wheels. I would think you might have some problems going up the ramp, and will not be able to compete on the top of it…
Besides that it’s great for it’s intended purpose.
My only dislike is the 2wd and crab+omni wheels. I would think you might have some problems going up the ramp, and will not be able to compete on the top of it…
Besides that it’s great for it’s intended purpose.
Greg **
My guess would be that they aren’t going to try for the ramp. I don’t know if you were around for 2000s game but Chiefdelphi had a similar strategy. While everyone was fighting over the bar they continued to manipulate the balls uninterrupted. It proved to be a good strategy, and that years robot is still a favorite of many, including myself. Based on 857s drive, limbo capabilities and large stacking arm, my guess would be they are going to try a similar strategy by manipulating the bins/stacks while the other bots are fighting over the ramp.
*Originally posted by foursixnine *
**My guess would be that they aren’t going to try for the ramp. I don’t know if you were around for 2000s game but Chiefdelphi had a similar strategy. While everyone was fighting over the bar they continued to manipulate the balls uninterrupted. It proved to be a good strategy, and that years robot is still a favorite of many, including myself. Based on 857s drive, limbo capabilities and large stacking arm, my guess would be they are going to try a similar strategy by manipulating the bins/stacks while the other bots are fighting over the ramp.
Nice looking robot guys. **
It looks like a thief bot to me, and a thief bot would work best over the ramp.
Greg
it looks a little tipsy… did you do any tests pushing against the top of it? or put it up against your old bot, see if you get pushed over
we have done a little testing…
because of the 3 d.o.f. of the arm assembly, radical changes in cg position can be made. The enitire assembly when folded down is just over 14 inches and we can navigate the ramp in that form, so we can be very tippy, or very not tippy when we want to be.
*Originally posted by Joe Johnson *
**What to folks think about the bolts attaching the tread?
I think literal interpretation of the rules would not allow them.
Other thoughts?
Joe J. **
It is my opinion that the judges/refs/inspectors at each of the competition sites will interpret this rule differently. If the intention of the fastening device is to gain traction (say by backing the screws up a little so they stick out beyond the tread, or if washers or wire ties are perpendicular to the forward motion of the robot in order to ‘dig-in’ to the carpet), then they would make you change it… without a doubt. But if you just need something that will fasten the tread to wheels, I think it will be okay as long as an effort is made to preserve the carpet.
*Originally posted by Joe Johnson *
**What to folks think about the bolts attaching the tread?
I think literal interpretation of the rules would not allow them.
Other thoughts?
Joe J. **
The “bolts” are actually smooth-faced dome-style pop (blind) rivets. Their function is solely to fasten the ‘traction device’ belt to the wheels. They are not traction devices and do not protrude through the belt to ever make contact with the carpet.
Rule M17 Robot wheels, tracks and other parts intended to provide traction on the playing field (“traction devices”) may be purchased or fabricated. In no case, will traction devices that damage the carpet or other playing surfaces be permitted. Traction devices may not have surface features such as metal or hard plastic studs, cleats or other attachments.
Whether you want to use the literal meaning of the rule (no metal surface features) or the spirit of the rule (no carpet damage), we believe our fasteners are completely legal. They are below the surface of the traction device itself, so they do not give the traction device metal surface features; nor do they cause any carpet damage, as they do not even come in contact with the carpet. This may be up for interpretation when it comes time for inspection, so we are prepared to make alterations if necessary to comply with an inspector’s decision.
*Originally posted by MikeDubreuil *
**FIRST has declared in Team Update #10 that metal fasteners used to attach tread to wheels are permissible. **
I just looked through update #10 and couldn’t find anything related to legalizing the use of metal fasteners to attatch traction materials to wheels. What page is it on? Maybe I’m just blind.