Combat Robotics
Ted Cruise
Timeline: 4 Weeks
For my first combat robot, my team built a 1lb plastic ant weight class vertical spinner. With this robot, we had three priorities: ease of control, weapon effectiveness, and armor modularity. Several design choices were made in service of these goals, including the drive motors, weapon design, and front mounting. We came up with various different weapon and protection configurations to counter many of the different robot archetypes we might encounter. This robot received first place at our local competition and will hopefully see a comeback in the near future.
Hammer Down
Timeline: 8 Weeks
From the team that brought you Ted Cruise, our next endeavor was a full combat 1lb robot. This time around we decided to take a crack at the hammer saw archetype, which consisted of a vertical spinning blade mounted on an arm that could swing up and down, aiming for the opponent's battery. What it had in weapon power, it lacked in almost everything else. While it was a very educational experience to design and test, other important aspects of robot got overlooked, such as drive and protection. The drivetrain was nowhere near competitive in terms of controlability, and the armor was an afterthought due to weight constraints. This was reflected in out 1-2 record at the one competition we attended with it before retiring it for good. That being said, I learned a lot working on this robot and will carry that to future combat robots I work on.
Breaker
Timeline: 8 Weeks
This full combat class vertical spinner was my first solo designed robot, sporting a carbon fiber top and bottom plate and a 3/16" AR500 steel blade. This robot only fought in a single exhibition match but was successful as a learning experience for learning how to implement different materials and more in depth design analysis. While it showed potential, this robot had issues with its center of gravity in relation to its drivebase, which is something I hope to address in future iterations.