2011 - LOGO MOTION™

"H.A.N.K"

Overall Design

"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away"

-Antoine de Saint Exupery

Taking this message to heart, simplicity was the goal since kickoff. A standard 6 wheel tank drive, modularity and few moving parts all fell into the design.

Modular Drivetrain

Removing 9 bolts allows for an entire drive assembly to be taken out from the main chassis.

A series of centre axle plates with varying amounts of drop allows for fine-tuning of the rock in the chassis.

Drive Automation

By using an incremental encoder on the lift, pre-set heights for all of the pegs were set.

In autonomous, an IR rangefinder and line trackers, as well as optical encoder on the gearboxes allow for consistent placement of the ubertube on the top row.

Gripper & Lift

Accommodating all three shapes of game pieces, in varying stages of inflation was a key to the gripper design. The 2 large paddles provide this flexibility. Attached to our 2 stage elevator via a pneumatically powered wrist joint, it reaches all heights of pegs with ease. The lift is powered by a 775 through a BaneBots 64:1 P60 via a gates belt pinned to the moveable stage. The second stage rides inside the first, and is moved by a 2-way cabling system. For faster travel, a continuous force extension spring was added to counterbalance the weight of the system.

Minibot & Deployment

A quick minibot is nothing without a robust, reliable deployment mechanism. The drawbridge style deployment features 2 passive degrees of freedom (rotational and linear on the horizontal plane) for a 1 foot wide tolerance on hitting the pole.

The minibot activates when it contacts the pole and switches into dynamic braking mode for a controlled descent after triggering the tower.

2010 - Breakaway

"G.R.A.C.E"

Overall Design:

The key to the 2010 FIRST game challenge was to get control of the balls as soon as they fall off the return and getting them into the offensive zone. Given this, the robot was designed to play the midfield. Playing this position requires agility, speed and pushing power. To accomplish this, full omni-directional swerve was used. On top of this, the largest area possible was allocated to the kicker to facilitate ball possession. Thus, the long side was reserved for the roller/kicker combo.

Ball "Magnet"

Possessing as well as kicking the ball was crucial to the challenge. A rotating stucco paint roller was the mechanism of choice for possession. It sucks the ball against the robot, allowing the ball to move with it. These had to be designed such that they did not collide with the bump when the robot traversed it lengthwise. Part of the mechanism slides vertically along tracks as the bump contacts it to facilitate this. Many sketches were done to ensure that this geometry, along with the robot's overall shape worked out correctly.

Kicker

Simplicity was a key to designing the kicker. The design relies entirely on the geometry of its components to wind the kicker back, keep it there, and then release it to strike the ball. It only required a CIM, an off-the-shelf 144:1 gearbox, and an encoder for position control, eliminating the need for a complicated latching mechanism. It uses stored energy in surgical tubing for the force behind the kick. The kicker is stored in its loaded position, which is high enough so that it can clear the bump when the robot traverses it.

Full Holonomic Swerve

In order to maximize maneuverability, full (8 motor) swerve drive was used. This allows the robot to spin while traveling in an arbitrary direction, and does not sacrifice any pushing power. The serve modules use headset bearings from a bicycle as a robust solution to facilitate the steering.

Field-Oriented Drive

Driving a robot with such a complicated drivetrain is quite intuitive. Using a multitude of encoders and a gyro, the robot's position is controlled with reference to the field. For instance, when the drive pushes the joystick forward, the robot moves forward no matter which direction it may be facing. It is drive using two joysticks, not dissimilar to a First Person Shooter (FPS) video game. One joystick controls direction while the other controls rotation.

2009 - Lunacy

"F.R.E.D"

Drivetrain:

4-wheel skid

2 Andymark Toughboxes, 1 CIM each, total reduction of ~25:1

Ball Intake:

Star shaped pool noodle

Ramp up to short conveyor system, made from PVC and surgical tubing 90-degree angle to vertical section done with 3 pool noodle rollers. All powered by one globe motor

Turret Mechanism:

Lee Valley lazy Susan bearing

Turned by a window motor

Tower:

Vertical section conveyor using Vee-Thane

90-degree angle accomplished with 3 pool noodles rollers

All powered by one CIM (in later revision)

Launcher:

Four 6" 2008 KoP wheels, with tread

Turned by a window motor

Tilt Mechanism:

Actuates the angle of the launcher

An RS-545 motor through a Banebots 64:1 planetary gearbox, attached to a lead-screw

Sensors:

Limit switches on turret to stop at maximum travel

3 Limit switches on tilt mechanism for low, medium, and high positions

2008 - Overdrive

Drivetrain:

Six 6" IFI wheels, 4 powered

2 Andymark Shifters (Gen 1), servo shifting, 2 CIMs each

Kitbot chassis

Tower:

4x6" Aluminum extrusion, machined

Pillow blocks mounted on top

Arm:

1½" square aluminum tubing

Actuated by a window motor through a modified Toughbox transmission

Ball Intake:

2 KoP 8" wheels with tread, spun by a globe motor Hinged bent PVC 'jaw'

2007 - Rack n' Roll

2006 - Aim High

2005 - Triple Play

2004 - FIRST Frenzy: Raising the Bar