So I just watched the 2021-2022 season intro video. I see what they mean now, high bar/low bar hanging. I also watched the 2022-2023 season intro video about slapshots. So does each season have a different game object (ball vs cube vs discs) or do the game objects stay for a few seasons? I’m interested in buying a few discs, a competition upgrade kit, and a second battery, if my son wants to do more with the robot.
Each season, the game changes, which means new scoring elements (last year it was the yellow balls, this year it is the orange disks), but it also means that the elements on the field change, so you would have to purchase new field kits each year.
OK I see. So basically each year is a new game! It’s more than publishers crank out college textbook editions! Do people use past setups for mock competitions/practice?
Many summer camps use the past setups and mock competitions to teach students but I am sure that you can’t find these mock ups now.
I teach 8th graders and use Vex IQ to teach some basic logic/coding. We do not compete in the yearly game.
This year I got new version 2 kits to upgrade from my old kits. I’m frustrated by the clawbot’s front heavy design. I have designed many of my tasks to use the cubes from a few years ago, these new clawbot design can’t even pick up one block without tipping forward. Seems like a serious flaw. It would probably be better if they had used a rear wheel drive design.
Maybe I’m doing something wrong. So far the new brain and optical sensor seem to be a big improvement to me.
Well, trainers aren’t meant to be great robots (although I agree the basic clawbot should be more stable). But it seems like an easy solution can be developed by your students… and it gives you the opportunity to teach about center-of-mass with a hands-on example.
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I use my robots across 7 class periods. So, I don’t allow them to make engineering changes to the robot. I use them to teach the coding. So, I’ll have to redesign for all 8 of my robots.
As stated above, I really use these to help the kids (of all abilities) start to think logically and about how a code works.
I guess my frustration is that the design is basically useless without modifcation.
I still use the gen 1 clawbot. Is there a reason you can’t do that?
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I’ve not attempted that with my son’s gen 2 edu kit. Can anyone confirm that I can construct gen 1 clawbot with gen 2 edu kit, or do I need more parts like the competition kit upgrade? My son will be thrilled to have that clawbot at home. He just won his first “award” for clawing enough balls into a designated area at school.
Pretty sure you’d need to use different towers for the arm as there are no plates that size in the Edu Kit. You could easily modify the 2nd Gen clawbot to have a much smaller arm like the 1st Gen one.
Thanks we will try. My son is at the stage of getting a hang of the tank drive so he’s not at the designing or improving stage. It’s important to have a reliable clawbot to drive around and pick up stuff.
It seems as if you had a previous design that worked with your lesson plan, you should stick with that. If the old clawbot design fit your needs, then why worry about the 2nd Gen Clawbot design?
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Well, because the gen 2 has some advantages in sensors, controller and drivetrain. But you’re right, I’m working on building a hybrid design that will incorporate some of both generations.
My frustration is that the gen 2 design’s claw is cool because it stays level, but is nearly useless for lifting.
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Nothing precludes you from using the sensors & controller on the Gen 1 clawbot design. You can also improve the design by keeping the claw parallel to the ground or putting the Gen 1 arm on the Gen 2 drivetrain.
The world is your oyster.
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