Archimedes, here we come!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vkuBrd_X0s
**Drive:
**8 wheels comprised of 4 corner assemblies with 1 motor and 2 wheels each. Extensive traction/friction testing showed a clear advantage to having more wheels. We can push almost anyone , even laterally.
Independent anti-spin acceleration and anti-skid braking control for each of the 4 drive assemblies.
Swerve style front wheel steering allows:
Cornering with zero wheel-slip.
Operation with the stickier static friction virtually all of the time.
Effective maneuvering and pushing out of pins.
Sharp turning, pirouette etc without the traction robbing effects of wheel
spin that a skid steered robot has.
Stability controlled steering to minimize possibility of under-steer…
Top speed is over 11 fps.
Several driver controlled manual overrides for exception conditions… etc.
The drive system was developed entirely within the 40 lb holdback rules and was refined and driven continuously up to the day before the AZ regional.
Ball Handler:
Pneumatic catapult assisted dumper can dump 1 to 10 balls in ½ sec with excellent accuracy. This minimizes the time that we have to loiter on target and as such we are less of a target. Notice our near empty trailer in most matches. Up to 6 additional balls can be stored in the conveyor system.
Field Team:
A super experienced driver with championship RC car and 3D flying experience.
A ball handler operator than knows the guts of the software programs.
A skilled human player.