An overview of our previous competition robots!
Challenge:
The objective of the 2020-2021 FTC Ultimate Goal challenge is to create a robot that can score as many points as possible. The scoring elements are rings and a wobble goal. In the 30-second autonomous period (preprogrammed instructions), robots can earn points by delivering a wobble goal to the correct target zone, parking over the launch line, launching/placing rings into the low, mid, or high goal, and knocking down powershot targets. Followed by the 30-second autonomous period, the 2-minute driver-controlled period begins, where robots can continue scoring points by placing/launching rings into the low, mid, or high goals. The last 30 seconds of this period is the endgame, where robots may earn bonus points by launching rings at Powershot targets, returning a wobble goal to the start line, placing rings onto the wobble goal, and lifting the wobble goal over the front wall into the drop zone.
Mechanisms
1. We used mecanum wheels for our chassis because they can move in all directions without having to turn, ensuring that our robot can quickly move across the field.
2. We used a spinning wheel intake to pick up the rings and transport them to our shooting mechanism.
3. We used 2 flywheels that spun outward to shoot the ring into the targets with a precise and accurate trajectory.
4. We 3D printed our own claw and used a rotational motor to allow the robot to pick up and move the wobble goal in the game.
5. We used suspension odometry pods to get more accurate location tracking in our autonomous.
Challenge:
The objective of the 2019-2020 FTC Skystone challenge is to create a robot that can score as many points as possible. The scoring elements are “stone” bricks that can stack on top of each other and the foundations are like legos. In the 30-second autonomous period (preprogrammed instructions), the robot can score points by repositioning the foundation or a skystone (a special type of stone) to the building zone, parking on the midfield tape, or placing a stone on a foundation. After the autonomous period ends, the 2-minute driver-controlled period begins, where robots can continue to score by moving a stone completely under the alliances’ bridge to the building zone and stacking the stones onto the foundation. The last 30 seconds of this period is the endgame, where robots can earn bonus points by placing a capstone (a premade element unique to each team) on a skyscraper (stack of stones), moving the building foundation with the skyscraper on it completely out of the building zone, and parking the robot in the building site.
Mechanisms:
1. Our chassis is a mecanum wheel drivetrain that can move in all directions without having to turn with a chain drive for control, ensuring that our robot can quickly move across the field.
2. Our arm mechanism is made of a rack and pinion system that allows the robot to extend horizontally to pick up stones and move them laterally to an accurate location.
3. Our lift mechanism is made up of a pulley system with 12-inch drawer slides and is necessary to keep the robot under the height limit, while still being able to expand to stack the stones.
4. We used a one-armed “arm and static piece” claw to pick up the “stones” and added lego drives to the claw for friction, giving it a better grip.
5. We used a metal bar as a hook to move the foundation block across the field. It was attached to the robot at both ends and required quite a bit of force to move the foundation.
Challenge:
The objective of the 2018-2019 FTC Rover Ruckus challenge is to create a robot that can score as many points as possible. The scoring elements are silver and gold “minerals”. In the 30-second autonomous period (preprogrammed instructions), robots can score points by landing on the playing field, placing their team marker in alliance-specific depots, and moving the gold mineral completely off of its starting location (however, if a silver mineral also moves, those points are nullified), and parking in any of the craters. After the autonomous period ends, the 2-minute driver-controlled period begins, where robots can score by placing a mineral in an alliance’s depot and placing silver or gold minerals in the designated cargo hold. The last 30 seconds of this period is the endgame, where robots can earn bonus points by parking partially or fully in a crater (parking the robot fully in the crater earns more points in comparison to parking partially), and latching onto the lander and lifting off of the playing field.
Mechanisms:
1. Our chassis is a mecanum wheel drivetrain that can move in all directions without having to turn, ensuring that our robot can quickly move across the field.
2. Our rack-and-pinion lift mechanism is used to lift the robot up and down from the lander (the highest-scoring action in the game) as well as lifting the claw to drop minerals into cargo holds.
3. We experimented with the sweep mechanism quite a bit, before settling on rotating rubber flaps to pick up the “minerals” and transport them to the depots.
4. We attached a simple bucket/scoop to the lift mechanism, whose purpose was to drop minerals into the cargo holds.