Robo-Cross B

[jander14indoor]

Unofficial, not place for clarifications, etc.

I agree with UQOnyx, but would go a little further.

To be a functional change it must somehow change the way the device works. Simple cosmetic change or moving a part from the left side to the right probably won't cut it. AND, the competitor should be able to explain/defend what the functional modification is and why its important.

Example, changing the wheels from all red to all blue probably wouldn't cut it. Changing from small wheels that barely make it over the qtr round to larger ones that easily cross the barriers should. Especially if the student can talk to WHY they made the change.

Kit bashing (integrating parts from multiple kits) should work. Example, take car kit as the base, mount an arm. You now have a device that can do things neither could do alone. Pretty significant modification even though you may have only used a couple of screws to attach the arm to the car.

The last is NOT a suggestion on how to solve this problem, just a random example of my thinking of what a functional modification of a kit is.

Jeff Anderson
Livonia, MI

[UQOnyx]

Does anyone have any ideas on how to make a claw? I tried making a pincer-like claw, like two fingers, but that didn't work very well. I was thinking of making a claw like the shovel on an excavator, except two ways, so it would be like two shovels opposing each other, or something like that, like those claw prize machine thingies. Does anyone have any ideas on how to implement that?

[goodcheer]

Does anyone have any ideas on how to make a claw? I tried making a pincer-like claw, like two fingers, but that didn't work very well. I was thinking of making a claw like the shovel on an excavator, except two ways, so it would be like two shovels opposing each other, or something like that, like those claw prize machine thingies. Does anyone have any ideas on how to implement that?

Just Google "robot claw" for some ideas on claws. We used a scooping shovel device with a door one year.

[tetrixbot50]

Hello,
I'm new to the board and just have a question about Robo-Cross. Is there still a voltage restriction on the battery of 9.6V? I want to use my TETRIX robot kit from Pitsco and they come standard with a 12 V battery pack. Please let me know! Thanks.

[chalker]

Hello,
I'm new to the board and just have a question about Robo-Cross. Is there still a voltage restriction on the battery of 9.6V? I want to use my TETRIX robot kit from Pitsco and they come standard with a 12 V battery pack. Please let me know! Thanks.

I infer from your question that you haven't looked at the current rules, but are familiar with a previous version of the rules. You really need to closely read through the current rules since there are significant changes compared to past years. Your question about the max voltage is clearly stated in rules 2.g for example.

[dferdjr8]

Can your robot be computerized?

[dferdjr8]

Can you simply buy a product that can complete all of the tasks be penalized

[jander14indoor]

One person's opinion, not official, you might want to ask for a clarification on the national site, etc...

Can your robot be computerized?

I see no language in the rules that prevents you from having computer elements on your robot. But keep in mind, while the playing field setup is fairly well specified, there is still room for variation and it may be difficult to program a robot for all contingencies that you may see. Be sure to try it out across the range of what you might see in competition.

Can you simply buy a product that can complete all of the tasks be penalized

See para 2.c of the rules (discussed previously in this string). That sounds like a possible construction violation, which would take you to tier 3 in the scoring.

Jeff Anderson
Livonia, MI

[UQOnyx]

The thing with using a pre-designed program sequence, there is always, always going to be room for error. Servos often shake or jitter. There may be glitches. And there are always tiny discrepancies and variables. For example, what if you programmed your device to go forward a certain number of turns anticipating a plywood floor, but instead you get tile or anything else. It would completely throw off your whole sequence, maybe going a single centimeter too much or too little, pushing away the ping pong ball. The rest of your sequence may depend on the sequence before it. And if one fails, like a domino effect, the rest fail. The best thing to do would be if you want to use micro-controllers, is to have certain actions programmed. For example, one sequence for scooping, one for dumping, etc, that you can control yourself, using a toggle switch or the likes. That way, you can intervene if things go wrong, and you save time from doing repetitive things, with a bigger margin of human error, than computer error.

[Olympus1701]

Hey, I have a Lego NXT Brick, a Hi-Technic Samantha Module, and Hi-Technic motor controllers. All of these are frome the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC). Anyone know if these are allowed in Robo-Cross? If anyone is in FTC, please let me know if the FTC game controllers are allowed. Thanks all.