This is our first time having the robot fully done in CAD before we start building. This is our basically finished CAD model. There are a few details to work out and features to implement, but this is roughly what we expect our robot to look like come competition time.
I hope you will never put significant force on those omniwheels at the end, or the shaft might bend. Are you sure that it will be absolutely impossible for something to hit the omniwheels on the outside? Other robots crashing into it comes to mind.
How are you going to get the battery out? It seems to be trapped by the electronics and that motor.
We were only planning on extending the omni wheel bar while we were in the protected zone of the outer works, but we will definitely consider reinforcing the shaft.
The second level of the electronics panel slides toward the front of the robot to let the battery in. This wasn’t included in the CAD model for simplicity’s sake.
Instead of having one arm in the middle, try using two arms to support the shaft on both ends. This might be a bit more weight, but adds more structural support to the omni shaft. It may also move the motor gearbox out of the way of the battery
Yes, please reinforce it. The rules may be in place, but they can be broken. The only thing to protect your design is the design itself. No penalty in any way shape or form for any game will guarantee protection to your mechanisms. Only your design does.
Other than that, your robot seems like it could be a valuable asset to any alliance. I was just talking to some students about strategies today and one of the designs we mentioned that we would want on an alliance looks very much like yours. 
What is that omni assembly doing anyway?
Are you able to shoot in the high goal? Can you travel
through all the obstacles?
The omni bar is for lowering the cheval de frise and raising the portcullis. The arm it’s attached to is also meant to open the sally port and get the drawbridge down to the floor after we get it most of the way down with another as yet unfinished mechanism.
We designed to be a ferry bot / low goal scorer. It is intended to cross the category A and C defenses in addition to the low bar. It has the potential to cross some of the others if the omni bar is used, but that is not something we specifically designed for. It should be able to score into the low goal on its own or deliver boulders to a high goal shooter if the strategy necessitates that.
What CAD software does your team use? That render looks absolutely fantastic.
Yes, please reinforce your omni-wheel arm. No rule will prevent your driver from accidentally banging this into field structures and the guardrails. You won’t even get the “satisfaction” of being granted penalty points if this happens.
Please reconsider this strategy for installing your battery behind a moving panel. Based on my experience from my day job, moving panels should only be a last resort. Doing something like turning your battery 90 degrees and moving it up against one side (taking the place of two of your motor controllers) will offset your CG a bit but it should not affect the performance of your robot to a significant degree. You could also mount pairs of the motor controllers on (new) vertical panels roughly above the motors and move the battery “forward”, out from under the motor for the omni-wheel bar.
Where will your PDP, VRM and router be installed? It is easier to pass inspection if those are visible without a lot of moving panels around. Troubleshooting will also be much easier. My guess is that you should have two more motor controllers than what are visible (for your omin-wheel arm actuator and one for your intake rollers).
Don’t insist on the layout of the components being symmetrical. The electrons won’t care in this type of application.
Best of luck in Lubbock. Hope you make it to Lone Star some time.
How about what do you have securing that battery besides the sliding electrical panel? Remember that this is likely to be violent game this year with lots of heavy defense. If your battery isn’t well secured, it’s going to start wandering around inside your robot running into things, which is never good. Also, remember there may be significant vertical forces as well as horizontal forces acting on the battery.
Your battery weighs about 13 lb. Think of an unsecured battery as a 12 lb. sledgehammer bouncing around inside your robot.
Thanks! We’re using Inventor 2016.
We will definitely fix this soon.
The PDP, VRM, and 4 more Jaguars are located on a second panel underneath this one. They are all visible through the top panel for diagnostic purposes. We will try to rearrange to better fit the battery.
The battery was going to be secured by wrapping two industrial strength velcro straps around it in a cross formation and through slots in the plywood panel at the bottom.
Thank you all for the feedback! We greatly appreciate it!
I think you guys did a terrific job for your first CAD robot …
Keep up the great work…
Now you just have to fabricate it!!
hope to see you on the field!!!