Does your team have a demo bot? Did you design and build it from scratch or re-purpose an older bot? MOE is applying for an outreach grant to fund, among other items, a dedicated demo bot. We are looking for ideas and photos of what other teams have done.
We want a demo bot that is smaller and easier to transport than regular FRC bots, but has the same or similar components (sensor, pneumatics, camera, etc.)
Any suggestions?
Check thread http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=122250&highlight=525from around December when 525 built and transported (via checked luggage) a compact bot for training session in China. Basic drive train you could add manipulator to perhaps?
When I was a student, another student and I made a farming robot as a demo bot. It dug a hole, deposited a seed, and covered it with dirt. We are in a very farm dense area so it was perfect for our county fair. You can maybe try to think of something that the people of Wilmington or the surrounding area could relate to.
On my team, we had the mock bot (known as the Mauck bot, because our teacher Mr. Mauck used it for programming class) to teach the programmers and freshmen. It was a couple of feet long and not too wide (I think the designers tried for the golden ratio) and only as tall as it needed to be to fit all of the components. It was made out of our more expendable electronics and our durable wheels to ensure that minimal damage was caused by the occasional fire. The crio was borrowed from our competition bot, and we switched it back and forth as needed. We had it on four wheels, with old cim motors on the back two and space for them on the front two.
In my experience, if the robot is for the benefit of the team, it is best to use components that you wouldn’t necessarily miss. If it is for public demonstrations, durability and consistency is key as opposed to a ton of action. People will be entertained by a robot that works at all, so it’s best to make sure that it works every time.
We built a tee shirt cannon with the components laid out in a fashion that is easy to explain the function. This summer’s project was to make it so it would fit in back of a SUV. We reuse past competition robots for demos with some modifications. Vex robotics make good demo bots for situations where we cannot bring a full size bot.
hi I think demo robots are good idea our team made one last year it’s on an old andy mark chassis. regular FRC styleand we mounted a compressed air t shirt cannon on it we were shooting field goal from the 30 yard line. We use it at football games basketball games and other events
Team 341 built a demo bot named Sparky that I think is the best demo bot I’ve seen as far as it being fun to drive and easy to transport. It shoots foam balls and can harvest them. Kids love that. I think it’s based on the 2006 game piece. They are also planning to build 3 more so they can have 2v2 matches with them.
Here’s a picture of it with an FRC robot of theirs.
Side note, my team is from Wilmington, NC, and we are the only team here, so I was very confused for a moment. 
Something our team is looking at doing is reassembling a robot from one of our previous seasons, then take off enough parts to be able to reassemble it in about 2 hours. That might be an interesting demo.
that also sounds like a very good way to train new kids in your robotics program
My team created a little demo bot a few years back for Da Vinci Days (A local arts and science fair) dubbed “Squirtle”. It was a short, green sea turtle equipped with several misters in its shell used for misting younger kids since it can get pretty hot around when Da Vinci Days is in full swing. I don’t know if it is still functional or if it was gutted for spare parts.
My favorite “demo” bot was a robot that played guitar hero. It was mind boggling to see high school students come together and design a robot not for a game but for something that in my opinion seemed like an every day application
We’re building two off-season bots right now, one of which is practice for a competition, the other of which is a mecanum with a recliner set on top. Should be done with both in a week or two! The chair bot is intended as our demo, as we will be giving our Principal a ride in it.
LASA - FRC 418 built a demo robot that shoots short pool noodles. I believe it was made specifically for just the purposes you are describing. Bertman is the one to contact on here about it.
We are going to repurpose last years bot. While the game might not have been my favorite (this will be my 3rd year) but for a demo bot it is great. We took it to a boy scout event where it played catch with the kids. They would roll the ball to it and it would scoop it up, then shoot it into the crowd. It even raced them. It nearly won but our control was a bit hinky at the end of the race. The driver had to run after it.