Final Robot Report

Overview
Faced with a multitude of problems and inaccuracies on the first robot, Buster, we decided as a team that despite the limited amount of time, we would need to start over from scratch. The final product, Panic, was designed late Monday night, manufactured Tuesday and assembled Wednesday morning before the 12:30 deadline.

The Panic design took the concept of simplicity even further than what was attempted with Buster. While the overall strategy and MCM design remained essentially the same, everything else was cut down to a bare minimum of functionality. Despite this, the challenges of building a slotbot in 32 hours led to misfires and incomplete functionality which would ultimately lead to the elimination of Panic in the first round at the hands of Ghost Robots.

Functionality
As we had decided to stick with the original strategy and concepts in the redesign, Panic had in theory the same functional aspects as the final design iteration of Buster. The MCM involved two parallel three-bar linkages, both powered by the 6-speed motor, and joined by a large front plate that would be used to corral balls. The front plate moved in a circle, which was designed such that the lip would contact balls at just the right angle to avoid catching friction. The balls would be held in the front of the robot against a stationary front plate.

The double gearbox motor was mounted in the back of the robot for driving. Turning would be accomplished by running each motor in opposite directions, causing the robot to rotate about the motor. The front wheels would need to slip for this to happen, and as such were not fitted with rubber bands like the driven wheels.

Manufacturing
Panic was essentially born in the laser cutter. The many plastic plates used were all laser cut for speed and accuracy. The linkage bars were cut in the water jet and the two aluminum rails were manufactured on the mill. Finally, the lathe was used to create the robot’s bushings and shafts to complete the design.