FlyWheel = New Meta for Rapid Relay?

I have been asking many questions about the the Choo-Choo and the Swish mechanisms to the users of VEX Forum these days. One day, I started to remember those videos I saw from the VEX IQ game piching-in. They used flywheels to shoot the balls and I wondered if flywheels are going become the new meta. I just wanted to listen to your opinions about the flywheel becoming the new meta. Thank You!!

I do think it will replace the 2-shot cata as the new meta.

Personally I do not think flywheels will be better.
This is a small sample but I think it shows enough.
For pitching in, said flywheel you spoke of I’m assuming was the Ben Lipper one.
Comparing that to the catapult robot he made, it’s very clear which one was better.
The catapult was able to score all the balls and hang in comfortable time whereas the flywheel was barely able to score all the balls in time.
Especially with the way the goals are this year, I foresee it will be easier to score with a Catapult than a flywheel

While they were most definiteley not the meta in Pitching In, I have seen some really good Chinese robots this year that use flywheel to great effect.

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I went to worlds during pitching in, and the meta was exclusively catapults. With the vex IQ system, catapults have proven to be easier to tune and run consistently than flywheels.

I don’t expect long-distance flywheels to be the meta in IQ. Maybe some short-distance rubber rollers though.

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It’s not like they would not be meta it’s just they are way harder to use in rapid relay.

problem with FW that i have noticed alot in VIQC is that if you want it ot be wide. like for this year its hard to prevent shaft wobble. you also have to gear the motors up usually with a compound gear ratio. this usually introdiced alot of frition into the system and since VIQC is all plastic there is alot more flex in the robots menaing they arent stiff enoughf to get the hole very well alighned once again leading to more friction. and it doesnt help that the VIQC motors arent particularley strong

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One thing to note about pitching in was that there were 22 balls on the field, and they all had a low weight and small size. In rapid relay, there are three balls that are big and heavy. Also keep in mind that the rate of balls being scored will depend on both bots on the field, compared to one in pitching in. Many people also say it is or isn’t part of the meta, but what if it could be “Part” of it? Not leaking what the team is working on, but we have a robot that can shoot consistently from the other side of the field.

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Our current robot HAS a flywheel and its been working really well. High of 196 points. The one major concern is, as these balls are heavier, the battery goes down a lot quicker, which results in the need for 3+ batteries per team just for a 2 hour practice of continuous driving.

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Any concerns about the deterioration of the ball over the course of a tournament? We’ve not had our first tournament but I’d be worried about the balls getting worn with lots of use and then negatively impacting the effectiveness of a FW.

We’re concerned it could effect our intake, specifically for auton.

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I have seen scenarios in which the string that sews the ball together starts to unwind and the interior starts showing, but that should not be a concern in tournaments as the refs should be checking for deterioration on the ball and if found, should replace them. But in the competitions already hosted, I have not come across a scenario in which a game object being out of shape/broken has negatively impacted a teams ability to perform.

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That’s so cool!
Have you been to any competitions with the flywheel robot, and if so did it work well?
If not, are you planning to go to any competitions with the flywheel robot?
And do you think that you will stick with that robot?

Our balls just keep getting ripped more and more. Our supervisor sews them but they keep coming off.

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The robot is working pretty well, besides the fact that the battery goes down crazy fast. In teamwork, since we have a multi-wheel intake, the starting pass is simple. We are in NJ, so the first competition currently listed is in January, and the State Championship is supposed to be in March. We are going to prototype some other robots but in the end I think this robot is a keeper.

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Wow, January seems late for a first event!

Our first competition was in August and our States are happening in October. Compared to that it is very late.

I’m in Ohio and our first competition was in November. Guess it varies.