Does anyone have any ideas for a climbing system that can still fit under the trench run? We want to build one but can’t figure out any workable ideas.
I would suggest looking at climbs from the 2016 game for inspiration.
You’ll need a good idea of what space you have available on your robot. We’re going small and still working on packaging a climber.
Think “folding” and “extending” for short bots with climbers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XChNv50SBEo at 2:53
We are also finding some inspiration from 971’s 2016 climbing system- its very complex but it went to worlds and I think it might be possible for our team.
Speaking from my 2016 experience… it’s a complex packaging challenge that probably isn’t worth it. Building tall and forgetting about the trench run could mean you finish the robot earlier, giving you more time for driver practice and improvements on every mechanism, which could put you further ahead in the long run.
That said, any mechanism you can build as a tall bot to reach the bar can be built as a short bot - it just gets more complicated. Elevators/telescoping poles need more stages. Arms need more joints. It really is that simple, conceptually.!
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our current plan has an arm on each side of the robot, with a hook on the end. The arms are attached at top corners of the robot. The arms start out folded down, and when it’s endgame, they are moved up by pneumatic cylinders. The hook is the tricky part…we plan to use a large coil spring as a “hinge”, which will straighten itself as the arm is raised, and the hook is freed from its storage position. That way, the arm is longer than the storage space for it allows, because it starts out bent over at one end. There will be ropes attached to the hooks, the ropes will attach to a winch, but be fed through holes near the top of the middle of each side of the robot. Release arms, drive so hooks are above bar, run winch, lift robot.
We hope to have our prototype working by the end of next month 
wish us luck.
No stop build day! Yeah, we’re doing a week 2 and a week 6 regional, so we have our space reserved for it just in case it isn’t completed and working by week 2.
Similar design idea: Pivot for climb arms at about 24" off ground at rear or robot. Arm is stored diagonally down to the front by our intake. Pivots up, extends using pneumatics to go over bar, then retracts to lift robot. Still need to figure out “locking” mechanism.
To the OP (@Tallymald), I’d suggest doing a lot of quick sketching, cutting out scale-sized pieces of paper, and physically moving things around to see if they fit. We didn’t climb in 2016 because we did a low robot and couldn’t perfect a collapsing climber. This year the robot is 50% taller, so we’re having an easier time with it.
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