Sometimes it takes a little flair to differentiate yourself from the rest of the pack. In my rookie VEX year, the Build Chairman would often joke around about scoring what he called “Transformer Points.” Sometimes bots transform right at the start at the match. Others don’t do so until the very end. Either way, it’s amazing how teams can manage to pack such cool features within the 18" cube.
All efficiency bots in gateway had some, if not an extreme, degree of expansion.
For example: hopper expansion, and manipulator roller expansion.
Here is one of our robots we build for round up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQbsKrvokTA
It’s a shame we don’t have video of the net expanding during the beginning of the match.
oh the memories I remember seeing that bot for the first time. I was blown away! I thought our D team had it right that year with their hoarding system, but your robot was simply amazing.
I think this robot was the best transformations I have ever seen in vex, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=el7RcGNxJLo I believe it was ready for gateway world champs, but the team who built (Michael Bay?) it never got to a qualifying tournament to make it to worlds, a right shame in my opinion, as a robot like this is certainly build/design award material.
The 1138 Round Up bot was named DECON. Basically the name is a short for Disconnected, because our brain would disconnect alot. We learned the issues with this brain recently, and we figured out the issue, (with the help of vex support guy at worlds). And thanks for all the positive comments on the robot.
Ok that is probably the most creative/innovative vex bot ive ever seen. I remember seeing this in 2010, and if the concept was used for other games it could really change how we look at the competition.
Yeah that’s right. The hanging “catch” on both robots was pulled over when the lift reached a certain height (it was pulled over by the pulling of rope), and the de-scorer was powered by a motor. EDIT: It also was able to pick up and move goals, (and throw the goals with pneumatics ;)).
Our Gateway worlds robot (as well as 720p’s and Massey University’s) had the side rollers that flopped down (like most), but also the sides of the basket would pop up as they would be out of size if they weren’t folded back.
The most transformer-like robot I’ve ever helped build was Quetzalcoatlus: A Wild Quetzalcoatlus Appears! - YouTube, [http://www.aura.org.nz/archives/1114
The video doesn’t show it unfolding from its starting position, but the roller at the top folded down from above along with the front section of the ramp.
The “deck” where the objects sit is about 3.5" above the floor at its highest point.
When expanded, the deck was just over 30" wide at the back.
The drivetrain (8 motors), lift mechanism, and the pneumatic unfolding mechanism for the flaps were all below that, along with the cortex, power expander, 2 batteries, a pneumatic tank, and of course various sensors.
Edit: some of the photos on the aura page are from before a rebuild that included changing from 6 wheels to 4 wheels, making it lighter and allowing the deck to come lower.](http://www.aura.org.nz/archives/1114)
