A low-profile, agile, shooter
2013 Ultimate Ascent (2013)
Design
Shooter
We prototyped various launchers and wheel-driven shooters and decided on a quarter-circle shooter powered by a wheel. We designed the whole aluminum plate on a computer and had it machined. We then experimented with many types of wheels with different grip and riveted on the back wall. The final shooter works very well and is able to easily shoot into the middle goal.
Feeder
We prototyped different ways to catch the frisbees and load them. This included the mechanism to push the frisbees into the wheels and we tested solenoids but chose a cam. We used a 5 gallon bucket for the hopper.
Drivetrain
We tried out mecanum wheels for the first time this year and prototyped a C-channel based system but made the final drivetrain out of 80-20 extruded aluminum with four single-speed gearboxes. We also designed the wheel assemblies on the computer as well as the side and bottom panels that we machined with the team name and logo on.
Control Systems
This was our first year using mecanum drive, so creating an easy-to-use driver interface was critical. We used two joysticks to control the drivetrain: the right joystick was arcade drive while the left joystick controlled rotation. This was also the first year for us to utilize a camera to help the drivers aim.
Robot Statistics
- Robot Speed: 11.3 ft/sec
- Shooting Speed: ?? m/s
- Weight: 112 lbs
- Size: 24" x 30" x 27"
- Alternating LEDs: Orange and Blue