With less than 1 month left in the build season and competition season right around the corner, I want to go through the past 30 seasons! I want you all to pick 1 or 2 of your favorite/best bots of the season and explain why. If you can, provide a video of the bot!
You don’t have to do all 30 seasons, you can do as many as you want. You can also showcase your own bot if would like!
This can show new teams and/or new people in FRC what previous seasons and robots were like!
I do have a similar thread made but it’s about the best plays/bloopers of the season if you would like to part take in that as well!
2020/2021: 1690 had insane inner port accuracy. Their low velo shots and a very sitff inner arm allowed them to reach about 50% inner port accuracy.
2019: I have no clear favorite this year but 2046 and 1114 had sub 2s hab3 clims
Here’s some that really impressed me when I was in high school.
469 in 2010: “Gamebreaking” strategy of recycling the gamepieces was genius. Had their partner not got stuck in the goal, I truly think they would have won worlds.
1717 in 2012: Thought to be one of if not the best robot that year. They had a great high goal shooting speed and their accuracy was unreal given the inconsistencies of the game pieces. Here’s a great analysis.
There are two examples that stand-out among the rest.
FRC 71 in 2002. 20 years later and this robot is still an example dropped in strategy presentations and discussions of “chokehold strategies.” It forever changed both how the GDC had to approach game design.
For me personally, the best robot I’ve seen is 469 in 2010. Whenever their robot was on the field, Breakaway was a different game entirely. While the rest of us were trying to kick soccer balls toward the goals, they were cycling balls directly from the ball return with ruthless efficiency. While they didn’t end up with a perfect record like 254 in 2018, this was by far the best execution of an “out of the box” design idea.
Looking at alliance match scores that year, their robot featured in 4 out of the top 4, 8 out of the top 10, and about half of all scores of 20 or more. They truly brought the game to another level. And most of these matches were done without 6v0:
1114 in 2008. Their OPR was approximately 40% higher then second best robot that year.
71 in 2001. They fairly consistently hit their max possible score, something that only a few robots were capable of matching and only did a few times throughout the season.
My answer to this question is a bit unorthodox. While team 71 in 2002 and team 469 in 2010 were super impressive, robots that have really unique mechanisms or really clever whole robot systems have always had a special place in my heart.
Here are some of my favorites:
1114 in 2015 - Watching the Simbots put up stacks with seemingly no effort at Waterloo was a sight to behold. I still don’t really understand how that can flipper worked…
971 in 2016 - It seemed like this robot could do almost everything and do it extremely well. That shooter motion control was inspired.
2767 in 2017 - Arguably the best combined cycle robot in the world, that gear intake combined with the swerve drive was super cool to witness.
1323 in 2019 - Crazy effective design where all the parts worked together like a symphony.
However, my overall favorite team for design is 2056 - no one builds more robust, uncomplicated, and devastatingly effective robots every year consistently. Almost every year I would kick myself and wonder why we didn’t build at least one part of our robot like they did.
This seems a little strange to me. 71 in 2002 and 469 in 2010 were so impressive and successful because of really unique mechanisms and clever whole robot systems. They were two robots that broke the mold of what to expect in their respective games. The clever engineering they put into what they did was impressive. They weren’t the only teams to identify these potential strategies, but they were the only teams to execute these strategies at such a high level that it actually broke the game.
71 in 2002 was so successful because of their ability to drag goals via the use of a “shuffling” walker utilizing file cards for traction. Once their goal grabbers extended (and there’s plenty to admire about the speed and efficacy of their goal grabbers extending to the width of the field) and they locked onto all three goals, the shuffling system would engage. The file cards would essentially interlock with the carpet, and once combined with the additional weight of the goals, they were all but impossible to dislodge. They weren’t the only team that attempted to grab all three goals (384 was another, off the top of my head), but they were the only one to effectively turn it into a chokehold strategy, thanks to their unique and well executed shuffler.
Similarly, there were several teams that attempted the re-direction strategy in 2010. 2337 and 2992 both had ball deflectors. 125 even had a version that could be even more “unmovable” (they hung) and direct balls at the goals. But 469’s had several esoteric wrinkles that made it far more effective than the others. There were limits about being unable to apply energy to balls above the bumper zone, so coming up with a way of selecting which goal to aim the balls at while redirecting was far from trivial, and they came up with a novel system to selecting which ball path to employ without violating these rules. Additionally, the fact that they determined the geometry to essentially interlock with the tunnel structure gave them a huge advantage, as they were near impossible to dislodged once they started their cycle. Being able to slide into the tunnel like this required their superstructure to unfold at the start of tele-op, which they not only managed, but did so while keeping that super structure lightweight. Not to mention, unlike most of the other redirecting teams, they did this with enough weight left over to still have a more-than-capable “normal” scoring mechanism, which they used to start their cycling system by regularly scoring 2 balls in autonomous. Heck, they could still beat a majority of teams out there with their normal scoring system.
Thanks for the response. From my experience being in FRC for only the last 6-7 years, 469’s and 71’s robots have often been described to me more as being triumphs of clever strategic analysis than feats of mechanical design. Additionally, as someone who hasn’t witnessed those seasons of FRC, I don’t have the best understanding of what the expectations were for your average level of gameplay and how these robots totally blew other teams out of the water.
I’d argue we’re currently in an era of FRC where the most capable, over-the-top robots ever are being built, simply due to all of the resources teams have now that they didn’t have in the past. When I watch teams like 971, 2767, or 1323 today, I’m super blown away at what they’re able to achieve design-wise, and I imagine watching 71 in 2002 or 469 in 2010 with the context of those seasons evoked those same feelings. In short, the robots I’ve listed above have been my personal 71s and 469s for the period I’ve been in FRC, and that’s why they’ve stuck with me.
971’s 2019 robot. Their super compact size for evading defense and getting double climbs is brilliant, not to mention their beautiful elevator arm suction combination. The climbing mechanism is amazing as well.
This is going to be a long list. Dropdowns incoming. I named more teams based on how familiar I was with that year. Also if anyone knows how to hyperlink within a details or summary tag please let me know, I was hoping to have a link to each robot.
2004: 1114
Swerve with drop-down modules to lift the robot onto a step.
2011: 1503
A single-jointed arm with a claw to pick up tubes and score. A simple robot that was driven well which went all the way to Einstein.
2012: 1717
Exceptionally well executed swerve drive with a highly accurate shooter on a turret with vision tracking capabilities. The robot had an intake on each side to pick up balls and could maneuver over the bump with no issues. Force to be reckoned with on the field.
2013: 1114, 1538
There were a number of unique archetypes that year (goal cleanup with floor pickup, full court shooter, pure cycler, pyramid climb and dump). 1114's 50 point climb is one of the most astonishing feats in FRC history to me. 1538 was another relatively simple robot that stood out to me. Floor pickup allowed a 7-disc auto, hooks were on the arm for their climb and they could lift the arm all the way up to block a full court shooter.
2014: 254, 1114
This was a very gameplay focused game. Because the game was played by interacting with other teams it is more difficult than previous years to say how well a robot is going to play the game based on just the design; driver performance had a lot to do with it. 254 had a simple double intake system that allowed them to reliably hit their 3 ball auto. Their ability to shoot from the low goal and over a defender pressed up against the low goal made this a difficult robot to beat. 1114's large claw and the goalie blocker also made them very competitive.
2015: 1114, 148
What a standout year in terms of creativity in design. 1114 was exceptionally fast on clearing out the landfill with their aggressively driven kiwi drive. It could acquire and stack totes very well. They also had a pair of fast can grabbers. 148's robot(s) was inspired that year: one robot would spend the whole match at the loading station stacking totes from the human player, and the other one would drive around getting a can so they could add a noodle, pick up the stack, and go score. Crazy to think both of them got together at Worlds that year!
2016: 254, 2056, 987, 971, 148, 5172, 1241, 2481
The beginning of our current 4RP model. Because robots could only control one ball at a time, there were two main designs: flywheel shooters and catapults. Robots were built robust that year to handle the defenses. 254 had a wicked turret with vision tracking that allowed them to be lightning quick under the low bar. 2056 had a simple floating bar intake and utility arm in one, with an adjustable hood that would stow away when going under the low bar and allow them to hit the outerworks shot. Both 987 and 971 had incredibly unique shooters that are to date some of my favorite mechanisms. It allowed them to both be one of the few teams to hit the 2 boulder auto. 148 could pop up shots very quickly with their catapult, and would regularly fly over defenses when there weren't any more boulders in their courtyard. This year has a number of case studies in robots that excelled at doing a few of things instead of doing everything. 5172 and 1241 are the best examples of this: neither robot could go under the low bar but they sure made up for it by shooting. World champions 2481 had another ridiculously simple but effective robot. Their intake that would pick up the ball when extended, and when retracted would feed right into the shooter.
2017: 2767, 125, 1986, 1114, 610, 5687, 1073
Oh the allure of fuel. 2767 had it all that year: fast swerve drive that maneuvered across the field, floor gear pickup that seemed like magic, and a fast climb. 125 had a ludicrously fast hopper inspired by a paintball's dye rotor that I've heard had a throughput of 18 fuel cells a second at full speed. Because of how the field was set up that year, you could get a ranking point by yourself if you pulled off the hopper auto in time. 1986 and 1114 were two different designs that were made with this in mind. 1986 had a mecanum drivetrain and a beefy shooter that allowed them to be one of the most precise robots in the world with their shooter. 1114 on the other hand chose the tall configuration that year and forewent a floor pickup for fuel. A tall robot makes the shot easier to pull off, and if you got the 40kPa in auto, you didn't really need to keep scoring. If you really needed to, you could get fuel from the human player station or the overflow station. You especially didn't need to shoot if you were ahead on rotors. 610, 5687, and 1073 were robots that focused on just scoring gears and were very fast at it.
2018: 254, 1323, 2910, 1678, 195, 118, 5406, 2056
A year dominated by autonomous. 254's 4 cube scale auto made them impossible to beat. 1323 and 2910 had well-driven swerve drives that made them very impressive. Teams like 1678, 195, 118, 5406 all had the ability to score from both the front and the back of their robot which made scoring on the scale very quick. Buddy climbs like 2056's were simple and effective in helping you score the RP that year.
2019: 1323, 1325, 1690, 254, 3476, 987, 2056, 179, 1114, 971, 2910, 1619, 1678
One of the best years for design diversity at the elite level IMO. So many unique and effective designs. 1323's swerve drive coupled with their pass-through cargo system and 2-in-1 compliant wheel mechanism made them fast at both cargo and hatch panels. Them, 1325, and 1690 had effective ground pickups for hatch panels that made them fast scorers. On the flipside, other groups of teams pulled off a turret on a tank drive that allowed them to score at the various locations on the field. 254 and 3476 were both technical marvels with their turreting mechanisms that leveraged vision tracking to score over defenders. 987 had a unique end effector that made extremely effective at scoring hatch panels, amplified by their impressive driving under defense. Teams like 2056 and 179 combined their intake and scoring mechanisms into one that rode up and down on their elevator. They also used simple stilts to climb.
1114 was monstrous when it came to scoring, and their hab 3 chain bar mechanism was inspired. A 2-second climb that allowed them to fit onto the hab with another robot already on it. 971 was a very minimal design that could complete a rocket using their unique suction cup system and climb up to hab 3 while leaving space for another robot to fit on. Another small robot was 2910, a team that showed that you didn’t need to go high that year to be effective. They had a low swerve robot that was lights-out when it came to scoring game pieces, with another quick climb. Of course I would be remiss if I did not mention the suction cup climbers that teams like 1619 had that allowed them to fit onto hab 3 with another robot. 1678’s buddy climbers that allowed for a triple hab 3 is up there with 2013’s level 3 climb and dump as the hardest endgame challenges for me.
2020/2021 (No IR@H): 1690, 2910, 4414, 973, 2471, 3339, 2056, 179, 2481
1690 was the team to beat in Infinite Recharge. Their shooter allowed them to get almost every shot into the inner port from the protected zone, and coupled with their well-driven swerve drive and fast power cell pickup they were extremely effective scorers. 2910 and 4414 were both small robots that were nimble across the field and very fast at shooting power cells. 973 was ridiculously simple and effective, ripping across the field and getting as many power cells into the goal as possible. Teams like 2471 and 3339 were able to travel across the bar to balance it. Unfortunately there were teams that never saw the field but from what they revealed seemed to be very promising. 2056 showed off their moving shot that let them rack up points in autonomous. 179's flip out tower with shooter was another impressive feat. They had a high throughput and their height allowed them to shoot from the wheel of fortune. And if anyone asks me what inertia is, I am showing them 2481's IR robot.
71 in 2002 took place in an era where FRC was much less online, and secrecy between teams was a bigger deal. I don’t know how much this strategic insight was discussed out in the open that year.
However, for a fascinating read, here’s a thread where a minor variant on the 469 strategy was openly discussed at length starting a few days after kickoff. It gives a lot of insight into the nature of skepticism surrounding this design, how this bot rode the legal edge, all the ways it could have been made illegally, the cleverness of their solutions, and the general air of skepticism that it would really be a game breaker. A few other teams fully committed to this design, 51 and 125 are the two that come to mind, and a handful of others had passive deflectors which got the balls onto the near side of the field but didn’t target the goals. 469 was the only team to achieve significant competitive success, let alone domination.
Here are some of the older ones that I always use as examples
2004: 45 I wish there was better video of what this robot could do, because in that era doing it all with the weight and component rules was much harder, but they did everything.
2006: 25 Their shooter mechanism was the standard in the first year we could throw scoring objects. 1114 / Niagra Triplets They were a more complete package than 25 because they didn’t require human loading but they had every aspect of the robot right.
2007: 148 Best execution of tube scoring, 1114 best overall robot that could score tubes and get the bonus ramp to lift partners. most teams compromised one or the other.
2009: 67 HOT owned this game all season their traction control and fluid scoring was so much better than anyone we all knew who would win the championship that year. this was a game all about driving skill and they were the best.
I agree that Nick’s driving that year was amazing to watch. We knew we had something great on our hands when we won IRI 2008 with a brand new driver.
By some cruel twist of fate, 67’s all-time most dominant robot was built for a game that everyone hated, and Lunacy is not brought up on these forums very often. I think the same is true for 2015 Recycle Rush, even though I actually liked that game. So in order to correct an injustice, I’d like to spotlight that year.
My favorite robot might be 2826 because they were able to consistently pull off a very difficult task: the 28-point autonomous mode.
They were only finalists, though. Objectively the best robots from that year were probably on the other side of the glass.
2015 was 118’s most dominant year ever. Their robot was a beast in the landfill and their autonomous was consistent and reliable.
However, the most important thing for high-level play was the can race. 1678’s can grabbers were basically unparalleled, although we didn’t get to see how they performed against all competition. In order to really show how blazing fast their grabbers were, I’ll link to a compilation of all can races on Einstein.
Both 118 and 1678 won all of their events that year. Talk about domination.
This was one of my favorite 45 robots back in high school. When I went back home one summer I was able to get it operational again (I’ll have to see if I got any footage).
Notable Features
Shifting Gearboxes
Roller Claw
Worm driven shoulder (but the worm wheel is fixed and the worm rotates around)
Turret
Our champs alliance was the top 3 seeded teams at Sacramento Regional, I was in the pit during selection and when I heard that we had 1671 I was dumfounded. 7 other alliances passed on picking 1671, the second seed at an event with 1678 and 118.
Actually, early in the '09 season HOT was so frustrated with their robot that they tore it apart and rebuilt it. It was the first time I’d seen that done. Their “V2” was amazingly good.
I will always remember when Gary gave the speech on April fools at States saying that 469’s robot had been evaluated and was outside the spirit of the game and they were going to be disqualified. There was cheering from some of the crowd (and booing). No one realized it was a joke at first. Not a pretty moment, but understandable.
