Attention all:
I need input to a general question presented by my instructor.
Please post weather or not you agree or disagree with my problem.
Is there a problem transporting heavy First Robotics robots?
I need to make this problem pertain to Health and Safety reasons, does anybody have any suggestions on said topic?
FIRST provides detailed instructions and requirements for shipping your robot. Last year’s document is at http://www.usfirst.org/uploadedFiles/Community/FRC/FRC_Documents_and_Updates/2007_assets/Manual/4%20-%20Robot_Transportation_RevC.pdf and answers most questions. There is more pertinent information at http://www.usfirst.org/community/frc/content.aspx?id=3570 which is also an authoritative resource.
The short answer to your question is no, there is no “problem” with shipping a robot, so long as a team follows the official instructions.
~Phil
I think you are asking an ergonomics health question, not a shipping question.
I suggest you go find a weight trainer, like in your school athletics program.
Learn how to properly place a 60 to 70 lb dumbbell in front of you on the floor, then squat, grasp the dumbbell, and perform a vertical lift, with your open palms facing forward when grabbing the bar.
Your trainer can teach you the proper way to use your legs, arms, and back, so that you will not incur injury.
Visit this link and look at the fifth picture at the two people wearing the helmets.
http://www.kellrobotics.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=68&Itemid=1
Note that they are primarily using their legs to do the vertical lifting, with their backs arched slightly back. Your weight trainer can tell you more about how that stance will improve stability and prevent back injury.
Just as a simple exercise, just drop a quarter on the floor and pick it up. You will most likely just bend over and grab it. Wrong method.
Use your legs to squat, reach straight down to grab the coin, and then push up with your legs.
Picking up the robot is easier than the barbells because there are 4 legs on the ground making a square, instead of two legs in a line.
The biggest safety hazard I see in the lifting of robots at FIRST Robotics competitions is when more than two people are lifting a robot. I once witnessed 5 people lifting a single robot. It is just too uncoordinated, and results in a dangerous situation. I recommend two people with a one of them saying “got it?” the other replies “yes” and then the first one says “1…2…3…lift” The two people need to work together well. Have designated lifting points on the robot, so people know where to place their hands. In my mind, half a robot isn’t too much for an average high school student to lift, provided it isn’t being lifted onto a really high surface or abnormal position.
The short answer to your question is no, there is no “problem” with shipping a robot, so long as a team follows the official instructions.
~Phil
~Phil thank you for your response but I guess I did not make my problem clear enough. I am on a quest to engineer something for my Pre-Engineering class that will help to move the Robot “as not in shipping” around the competition arena being that we are not allowed to drive them to and from the pit area.
I am just looking for some justification for my problem, in order to properly document my work.
~Phil thank you for your response but I guess I did not make my problem clear enough. I am on a quest to engineer something for my Pre-Engineering class that will help to move the Robot “as not in shipping” around the competition arena being that we are not allowed to drive them to and from the pit area.
I am just looking for some justification for my problem, in order to properly document my work.
675’s tool-cart was specifically designed so we could put our 'bot up on top of it and wheel her around (and this even lets us take our 'bot to staging while fixing it.)
I also know that 254’s bot this year could disengage the transmissions so that they could just push it around.
But most teams I’ve seen use carts.
2 kids lifting a 50 Kg robot? Eh, not the easiest if we’re from the programming team, if you know what I mean. 
But siriously, I think there should be atleast 3 kids to pick up the robot when it comes to long transfering. If it’s just in order to lift it on the troley that carries the robot, I say no problem.
But I was very interested to hear about the way to squat with your back to lift the robot. What if you have minimal space to insert your hands underneath the robot in order to pick it up? You’ll need to lower your back a bit. Any sugestions about that kind of stuff?
Mentally the density of an object fools your brain. 2 people picking up a 140 lb robot feels like one thing. A single person picking up the same weight in a barbell seems more difficult and heavier even though the weight is the same. You just don’t have the 4 point stance (as in a two man lift)
This year we got lucky. the lift points were ideally located for when you did the squat/lift. If you did the lift on barbells, the squat is much deeper when lifting straight from the floor.
I made these last two observations while we were doing weight training the other day.
you could try to install lift point handles in ideal spots if it doesn’t otherwise interfere wit the robot.
also you might include the hazards associated with moving/handling a machine. Electrical hazard - how is this mitigated? Physical hazards of potentially sharp metal that a person could be cut on. Visibility issues.
Getting your toe smashed by setting it on it - fingers smashing.
Use that thing stuck between your ears and think about alll of the potential hazards.
Ken
Use only two people (in good physical shape) to lift the robot; the 28"x38" footprint of the robot is not big enough to safely accommodate a third person. Any more, and they just become a “fifth wheel” to the process.
At most, a fully loaded robot with battery and bumpers can weigh in around 140 lbs, which is 70 lbs/person. Though high, it’s not excessive for students/mentors who are in good physical shape. (Who else has ever mixed concrete for a sidewalk in their yard, using dozens of 80lb concrete bags? As long as you lift them correctly (and one at a time), they aren’t unbearably heavy.)
Design your robot to be easy to lift up. If you are going to lift it by the frame, file it down well. Otherwise, handles on your robot work great; Team 228 installed four on our 2007 robot before the ship date. (If you are going to use bumpers, seriously think about handles of some kind.)
http://www.team228.org/gallery/61/slideshow/weeksix-114.jpg](http://www.team228.org/media/pictures/view/2929)
Build a low cart. Not only will it make getting through doorways easier (such as after match, when arm/elevator/appendage is still sticking up), but you also don’t have to lift everything as high. (The opening in the front of the cart is for storing our operator interface.)
http://www.team228.org/gallery/65/slideshow/S4300621.jpg](http://www.team228.org/media/pictures/view/3152)
Don’t lift up the robot when it’s on. Turn it off first.
If you need help, ask someone. Don’t try to carry eight batteries at once. Get another team member (or two, or three) to help you.
Use common sense.
There is a slight serious health hazard in lifting a robot BUT ONLY IF YOU DO IT INCORRECTLY. The steps mentioned above / below (depending how you got your CD options set up) describe how to use your body properly in lifting 120+ lbs. robot or any kind of heavy weighted object.
My personal belief and I have seen my old team continue to stand by that belief is that 1 person goes for the cart and wheels it as close to the exit as conviently possible (there is 2 desginated exits for leaving the field) W/O getting in the way of other teams or even field resetting crews, so that the people who are lifting the robot don’t have a great distance to travel. 2 people ONLY should be on the field to collapse the robot, properly lift and remove the robot safely off. Properly designating 2 - 4 lift points on the robot should take place when building the robot keeping in mind that Hands / Fingers should not be coming within close quarters of Electronics / Wires (A small jolt may make you lose your grip), Chains / Sprokets / Gears (A small risk in which clothing or bodily parts may get snagged by those objects).
Lift points should be created some where around the base of the chassis (preferably in the center of all 4 sides), edges should be filed round (Sharp edges or cutting / drilling burs can cut you after the part has been drilled / cut). If you have weight to spare / or not try incorporating removable handles that will be able to handle the weight of the robot safely making it easier to transport on / off the cart or field. Ummm other then that you should be fine.
I believe there are hazards in improperly transporting robots around the arena, and even worse in other environments where we transport them such as sponsor and school demos. A design of cart or other device should account for the hazards of navigating through doorways and crowded areas (rounded corners, permit overhang of bumpers or provide bumpers on the cart, etc.). The device must be rugged enough to handle the weight and rough usage over rough parking lots, door thresholds, etc. - losing a wheel on a robot cart can be dangerous as the load shifts and feet can be crushed.
Also, our carts need to be safely stored in the pit area and be light enough to be transported in or as part of the shipping crate. Brakes on the cart might help steady it while loading and unloading. Some guide rails or locating device might help position the robot into it’s most secure position. Also we sometimes use our carts to transport tools, parts, and other items. Provision to more safely perform this task might be considered.
