So.. I decided that since a majority of what I’m posting here is about robotics, I might as well introduce you to my team’s robot. Here it is!
Image 1
This robot was entirely student designed and built. We started thinking about ideas in late April when the Vex Competition was released in Dallas, during the Worlds competition. Some of the ideas from that first night ended up being implemented and others weren’t.
The robot uses all Vex parts so that it is able to compete in the Vex competitions. It uses nine motors and a total of seven sensors to operate.
The triangular drivetrain (or the base with wheels connected) uses omni-directional wheels that allow them to be positioned at 60 degree angles, relative to each other. This is called a kiwi or kilo drive and is very useful because it enables the robot to move in any direction without the need to rotate first. Another key advantage is that you can drive in a given direction and rotate at the same time.
In Round Up, the goal of the game is to score tubes (similar to ring-toss tubes) on the goal posts around the field. This robot accomplishes this with a large claw (shown in image 2) that picks up the tubes and placed them on the goal posts. The advantage of this design is that, at the beginning of the match, all of the tubes are in stacks of four so they are easily picked up in bulk. The claw is also good at removing the tubes from the goals if the other team scores. The disadvantage is that it becomes slightly less effective if the tubes are scattered on the ground instead of neatly stacked.
We have only attended one regional competition this year but we are also hosting our own in February. This robot won the Amaze award at our first competition and we are hoping to do even better at the next one.
Image 2