DEWBOT XII Boulder Intake
From DEW Robotics
Contents
Intake Objectives
- Pick Boulders off floor
- Load Boulders into Catapult
- Eject Boulders into low goals
- Secures Boulders during Outer-Works crossing
Intake Specifications
- Intake should be as near to full chassis width as possible
- Intake should capture any Boulder it touches
- Intake must reliably load the catapult
- Needs to capture Boulders and load catapult quickly
- Must hold Boulders in catapult while crossing Outer-Works defenses
- Must be pre-loadable with (1) Boulder without any robot element extending beyond the frame perimeter for game start
- Don't jam
- Don't load Boulders into the chassis x-catapult
Design Considerations
Focus was on an over-the-bumper intake mechanism from the start, as this was most compatible with a wide capture zone.
A 2-roller intake was prototyped, tested and designed.
DEWBOT XII's intake went through three major stages, with small modification along the way. The three major stages three discrete intakes, each of these built from scratch.
- Intake #1 was built with the robot. It was used during all of the qualifying events ( Hatboro-Horsham, Seneca and Westtown). The abusive nature of Stronghold led this intake to seriously degrade at Westtown. Welds broke and had to be patched. Sprockets came off. It was time for a new intake after Westtown.
- Intake #2 was build in the run-up to
Drawings
Experience & Post-Design Modifications
New Manufacturing Techniques
Photographs
Kevin with prototype
Testing the prototype
Madi with ball intake weldment
Grooving a polyurethane roller on the CNC lathe
Andrew Weissman and Madi assemble a boulder pick-up
Grooved polyurethane roller for ball pick-up
