PROTOTYPES. WOOOOOOO
The Student Leadership Team on Team 4329 had a meeting yesterday to plan out and organize the prototyping groups. Considering all the main leaders on our team have not played a “Pick and Place” game we got together to put out paper planned prototypes and to set up groups
From There Team 4329 started to work on visualizing and testing our main functions or prototypes
Floor Prototype.
Working around the concept of the most simple prototyping ideas we wanted to see some test for physically shaped prototypes that could simply drive over a game element to bring them in, pictured here is our wooden intake
What did we learn?
A guided floor ramp can work quite effectively this season, just moving through can bring elements easily in.
What do we need to learn?
We need to figure out how to get the cone for example out of stuck situations, for example when the cone is sideways it wont bring itself easily into the robot, here makes a major problem for grabbing cones off of the floor.
(Videos on discord since CD doesn’t like file format)
Claw Prototype.
Our CAD lead got to work in understanding the intaking claw idea. Working through fusion soon to fabricate a intake wheel system to understand how active intake claws work with the prototypes
What did we learn?
Compliant wheels can work quite effectively against a cone/cube so we can easily cross a major piece off our claw out of the way.
What do we need to learn?
How do we make a working intake design, currently most of our intakes are based off of other teams so right now we have to figure out ourselves how we can use claws and compliant wheels to grab game elements, especially with the diameter difference from one element to the other
Suction/Other
A very experimental idea and unconventional idea we had a group tackle the effects of Suction in relation to these prototypes
What did we learn?
Suction can actually work for both cones and cubes. Suction does have problems with softer surfaces such as the cube though. When the cube goes under enough force the suction cups start to lose control as it deforms the cube.
What do we need to learn?
Increased strength, Applications of multiple suckers?
(Videos on discord since CD doesn’t like file format)
SCORE
Extension
Our Extension group worked on analyzing the numbers needed before full cadding a extension prototype
What did we learn?
The needed length to score on the highest nodes is easily within the reach of a thriftybot extension, which we should be getting by tonight, a major planned piece of our extender
What do we need to learn?
How does actual extension take weight, and how to we keep consistency with an thriftybot extension
Orientation
The orientation group worked on figuring out how to pick up cone and keep it the same orientation and still being able to flip it around and over a robot.
What did we learn?
If you press into the cone you can keep its orientation the same if you balance your pressure on a swivel, considering how the forces react the gravity of the cone will keep itself pointing the same direction even as you move it up and around.
What do we need to learn?
We need to apply our knowledge to this orientation and figure out how well the cone is held, this prototype swivel requires direct connection to the cone which means no active shooter or scorer can be used. This control aspect will be tested as we progress with the orientation.
Experimental.
Those are our main 5 prototyping groups this season but we do feature another couple projects we are putting on the back burner for now.
Buddy Climb
Certainly an interesting idea but something that is not relevant currently, we would love to work on such an idea but the current needs will take a moment here now.
Turret?
Yeah I know the Karthik Quote, but still. its very possible that this year we could try and implement a turret, we know that we will be competing with the best of the best this year so planning a design that can be maximized to cycle times could be needed this year.
Extension Framing?
Once we get an Arm where do we put it? triangle assembly maybe?
Bumper math!
Can a MK2SDS still get on the charge station. We want to use swerve this year but an intesring question was how do we get onto the charge station with it? Do we need a balance bar or alignment bar? or do we need to move the swerves.
Here showing a simple comparison of lifting bumper mounts up to increase the distance from a bumper to a resting chargestaion
Team 4329 Meets tonight to bring further progress towards our prototyping but in the mean time check our Open Alliance for prototypes and prototype videos!
