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Battlebots with stamps? — Parallax Forums

Battlebots with stamps?

jeffjohnvoljeffjohnvol Posts: 197
edited 2007-07-06 18:02 in General Discussion
I'm not planning on building a battlebot, but I'm curious if others have considered it using some form of autonamany using stamps or propellers.· I was watching some matches on TV, and there were some pretty innovative creations, but the bots where dumb in that they had to have a remote.

I think it would be too hard to build one that was completely automatic especially competing with a human with a remote, but I imagine some functions could be handled by stamps, to add an extra punch.· Besides, rules say that you can have some automated features, but they have to be able to be shut off via remote.· Also, there has to be a light on to say when they are in use, and they have to disable 4 minutes if no response from the remote.

Does the group think·the response time of the stamps/sensors be adequate for those battlebot matches to make any difference?

·

Comments

  • GadgetmanGadgetman Posts: 2,436
    edited 2007-07-04 19:55
    You mean, like using ultrasonics to detect when the opposing robot is in range and firing the ramrod?

    Oh yeah...

    Go ahead and make MAYHEM on the battlegrounds!

    Please...

    Carve up those play-pretend robots.

    Please!

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    Don't visit my new website...
  • jeffjohnvoljeffjohnvol Posts: 197
    edited 2007-07-04 20:18
    yeah, something like that.·

    You could have multiple stamps doing different functions.

    lol, or send out a bunch of minibots to find the sucker and then call the others to cling on and start drilling.

    ·
  • bulkheadbulkhead Posts: 405
    edited 2007-07-05 04:07
    Actually, autonomous bots could outperform remote controlled ones. Just look at the autonomous sumobot.
  • jeffjohnvoljeffjohnvol Posts: 197
    edited 2007-07-05 12:27
    I don't know how well it would do against some of those monsters with a 3,000 lb flipper bar. The sumobots I've seen roam until they see something to act on. Someone with a remote controlled beast could ram it right off, unless you are referring to a sumobot I haven't seen. When I googled it, I only saw small hobby ones.
  • LSBLSB Posts: 175
    edited 2007-07-05 12:34
    I've read a few of the team's websites and some do use microprocessors internally. I think the rules prohibit "automatic" weapons for safety's sake.

    My thought was to use an mcu to allow steering a two wheel spinning 'bot--slight variations in motor speed to offset the axis of rotation... then it dawned on me that a spinning bot would have no reference point for right, left, forward, or back. Consideration of a bigger question followed: what does a hammer need a brain for?
  • jeffjohnvoljeffjohnvol Posts: 197
    edited 2007-07-05 12:44
    I looked at the rules, you can have automatic weapons, but they have to be initialized through the remote, have a light on when in use, and deactivate after 4 minutes if it doesn't see a remote signal.

    I thought a good model would be an octagon shaped one where the outer "skirt" was hinged, so when one of those flippers gets underneath and lifts it up, the bot stays on the floor, but the segment of metal goes up, and then activates a pincher or something to grap the opponents flipper bar. Then, once grabbed use weapon of choice [noparse]:)[/noparse]

    You can also use grapple hooks provided that the cable is 8 feet or less.
  • sailman58sailman58 Posts: 162
    edited 2007-07-05 17:09
    I belong to a club called Pennbots that has a standing $250 prize for the first autonomous bot to win a competition. They compete in three classes: ant, beetle and flea. The weight limit for an autonomous bot is twice that for an r/c bot which gives you a two pound limit for an ant. One of the (many) things that I have yet to figure is how to differentiate between the enemy bot and the cage walls, something a sumo doesn't have to worry about.
  • jeffjohnvoljeffjohnvol Posts: 197
    edited 2007-07-05 17:24
    That sonic range finder that Parallax has would work great for that I would think.
  • bulkheadbulkhead Posts: 405
    edited 2007-07-06 03:44
    Check out these Japanese sumo bots (they call it "robot sumo") youtube.com/watch?v=gIYMAymGzdI

    Post Edited (bulkhead) : 7/6/2007 11:58:52 PM GMT
  • LawsonLawson Posts: 870
    edited 2007-07-06 17:41
    I've used a stamp In a battle bot. (admittedly a battle bot that didn't work quite right. Not the stamp's fault though) It was used to sequence a complex weapon so that it was easy to control. Eventually I planned on adding an "automatic" mode that would activate the weapon when some whisker switches were triggered. For weapons that require precise timing or have a complex sequence needed for re-arming them, a stamp makes a LOT of sense. (means I can pay attention to driving more) Although, I did find the BS2 I used too slow for the job.

    My current little 1lb bot, Micro Vice, is simply remote controlled. But if it ever gets a crushing jaw I'll upgrade to a semi-automatic weapon. ( www.youtube.com/results?search_query=microvice&search= for some videos of it's first competition) Also, Micro Vice is going to get a mini-sumo brother one of these years.
  • jeffjohnvoljeffjohnvol Posts: 197
    edited 2007-07-06 18:02
    Thats a cool little bot.·

    I wish I could ever get the time/ambition/skills to do something like that.
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