Raider RobotixRobots

A developmental history 2000-2006

A Lineage of Success

Cradle Robber 2000

National Champion

RoboKong2001 National

Final 8

Silver Scorpion 2002 National Div. Champion

Evil Machine 1National Finalist

Evil Machine 2

Well it ran!

Evil Machine 3

SC RegFinalist

A Lineage of Success

2006 Evil machine 4National Finalist and recipient of National Delphi Driving Tomorrows Technology award

Parts to Consider

• Robots can be considered as the sum of several key systems

Chassis

Manipulator Mechanism

Sensors and

Programs

Drive Train

Drive Trains

• A look at the changing 25 drive train• 2000-2002 chain and sprocket drive• 2003 first integrated gear assembly• 2004 removable gear assembly• 2005-6 use of interchangeable gear

linkage modules

Drive trains

03 Prototype (nylon) 03 Used

04 Used-spare module

2005-06 Modular Transmission Design

Stack of 4 Transmission Modules

Chassis Showing Wheel Gearing

Installing a Modular Transmission

Inserting a Transmission Module

Meshing the Motor Axis gear with the transmission

Bolting on the Motor Plate

Overview of the gearing

Chassis development

•2000- welded aluminum sheet

•Pros- very supportive

•Cons- heavy

•Welds could break in crashes

•2001- Aluminum sheet joined by threaded standoffs

•Pros- flexible

•Cons- loss of screws at times

Chassis development

2002 Aluminum Tubing with Nylon Connectors

Pros- tubular construction

Cons- difficulty fastening plates wo. Weakening frame

2003 Aluminum sheet with drive train module integrated

Pros- reduce weight dramatically

Cons- attachment of manipulators made modules unwieldy

Chassis development

• 2004-2006 Extruded Aluminum with Aluminum Sheet

• Strength good with ease of attachment

• Angle joints need reinforcement

• Bumpers integrated into recent modules

What About Wheels?

• 2000-2001 robots used the Skyway wheelchair wheels in the kits

• 2002- 2006 made custom wheels from Skyway beadlockwheels

Customizing Wheels

Team 25 customizes our wheels with treads specific to the game at hand

Manipulators

• For balls- 2000, 2004- claws• Jump the Wall/Move Ramp- 2001- the prongs• Move Rolling Goals-2002, 2001- pincers• Ramming Wall- 2003- Pneumatic wings• Climb and Hang- 2004- arm with hook• Hoist Rings- 2005- telescoping arm with elbow• Shoot Balls- 2006- pitching machine• 2007? – we find out tomorrow

Grabbing claws

• 4 fingered claws worked best for us

• Small motor drives a screw mechanisms that pulls up tabs on base of each finger

• Fingers pivot on fixed attachment points

• Ball self centers, fingers have friction surface on tips to insure grab

• Claw functions best from above with ball in fixed spot2000

Cradle Robber claw

Jumping the Wall

• Prongs attached to wall and anchored

• Robot pivoted on central axis driven by chain drive

•Program included a jump mode routine- 8 sec

•Potentiometer sensors told machine arm position for preset positions

2001 RoboKing

Grabbing and Moving Goals

• Claws made of thick aluminum plate- gear driven

• Preset positions sensed by potentiometers

• Reach home mechanism 2002 Silver Scorpion

Pneumatic Arms

• Our first and only use of Pneumatics

• Carriage lifted by sprocket and linkage mechanism

• Arms extended and retracted with pneumatic pistons

•Frame heavily fortified with bumpers

•Robot extremely fast and powerful when retracted

Evil Machine 1

Towers for Reaching and Lifting

•2005 Telescoping Tower

•Cables on pulleys lift arm

•Take up reel supplies power

•Various cable related foul ups

•2004 Jointed Arm

•Motor driven gear mechanisms hoisted joints-three axis

•Later- gears replaced with chain and sprockets

Towers for Reaching and Lifting

Note failure of tower structure in picture below

2005 Evil Machine 3

Sensors and Programs

• Team 25 has used sensors since 2001

• Potentiometers- sensed arm position in 2001, 2002 , 2003 and 2004 robots

• 2006 used camera to aim shooter mechanism

Awarded Potentiometer-based control system in 2004

What About the 2006 Robot- Evil Machine 4 ?

• Uses 6 wheel drive train as previously discussed

• Top loading- human player loaded

• Camera seeks light and aims turret

• Turret driven by globe motor• Manual and auto target modes• Dead reckoning auto modes-

12 in all• Shooter mechanism paddle

driven and with nested axles

Evil Machine 4

• Tilt mechanism, axis drive and paddle wheels on nested axles

• Motors mounted on side plate

Evil Machine 4

•Turret driven by a series of gears run from a vertically mounted globe motor

•Potentiometers feed back position to processor

Note- contained and coded wiring in lower chassis

Evil Machine 4

• Protected camera aims turret• Color coded switches denote

various autonomous modes-can switch mode on the field

• CLEAN wiring

Evil Machine 4

Servo Brakes- we developed them in 02 and use them regularly

2007

?

Evil Machine 4

Hours of work and thought go into every team 25

robot …

…And every year we look for new ideas to improve on our prior performance

• Thanks for allowing us to share our story with you