Design Process
Cuddles was built to play Logo Motion and had several design achievements mind: maneuverability, high scoring capability, and reliable minibot deployment. The team quickly identified that one of the hardest things in a match would be driving, so mecanum wheels were chosen to give our driver highest level of maneuverability. Another design challenge that the team overcame was deciding upon which motor would lift our arm. The team settled on two window motors because when the arm was fully lifted, the robot would not have to constantly feed power to the motors to keep it up. Instead, the worm gear within the window motors would keep the arm locked in place.
Naming
During the lunch period of the Saturday of week 5, students gathered in Mr. Coupland’s classroom to decide upon a name for the 2011 robot. Students took their time to suggest names to captain Jeffrey H. After a bulk of suggestions were suggested, each name was reviewed by the entire team with a vocal confirmation. If a majority of students said a yes, the name would continue to round two; if the name was largely disliked, it was removed from the suggestions board. Only 4 names made it to round two, and the each team member had one vote. Students and mentors voted upon the name that they most liked.
The robot had a claw that largely resembled a eagle claw. One student thought that due to the resemblance to the eagle, the robot was hug-able and cuddly, thus arriving to the name suggestion of Cuddles. With a great majority of the team on board with naming the robot Cuddles, the 2011 robot’s official name was therefore Cuddles
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Robot Specifications
Drive Train
- 4 CIM Motors
- 4 Toughbox Minis
- 4 8″ Mecanum Wheels
Elevator
- 2 Window Motors
- Built in two stages
- First stage was driven up by a cable attached to the window motors
- Second stage was passively attached to the first stage
Arm
- 1 Window Motor
- Pivots on a 2010 Chassis Lift Bracket
- Attached to the second stage of the Elevator
- Cable would lift or lower the arm
Claw
- 1 Window Motor
- Only middle claw was actuated
- Middle claw was attached to motor via elastic tubing
- Covered in Yoga Mat for added traction
Minibot Deployment
- 1 Servo
- Worked with Elastic potential energy
- Deployed and then driven into pole
- Based on Team 233’s ramp concept
Minibot
- 2 Tetrix Motors without gearboxes
- Chassis is made of 1” by 2” aluminum stock
- Elastic tubing covered drive shaft for traction
- Simple limit switch system started and stopped the minibot
- 1.4 seconds to go up pole
- Aluminum eagle wings for added imagery
Miscellaneous Facts
- Deployment system was redesigned 2 times throughout the season.
- 3322 was water-jetted into the side of the frame to reduce robot weight.
- Had the ability to line-track for autonomous mode.
- Used no chain!