Team History: 2007-2008

Game Description - Overdrive

FIRST Overdrive is a game played on the track. Two alliances, one red and one blue, composed of three teams each, compete in each match. The object of the game is to attain a higher score than your opponent by making counter-clockwise laps with your robot around the track while moving large trackballs over and/or under the overpass that bisects the track.

A match is 2 minutes and 15 seconds long. A hybrid period starts each match in which the robots are controlled by pre-programmed instructions and/or transmitted information from the robocoach (human player). The hybrid period is followed by the teleoperated period during which the drivers assume control of the robot. There may be a short pause between hybrid period and the start of the teleoperated period as the player's controls are activated. The robots continue to play the game until the teleoperated period is over.

Scoring

During Hybrid Period:

Each robot that crosses a lane marker, the opponent's finish line, and its own finish line will score four points.
Each track ball that is removed from an overpass or hurdled over its own overpass will score eight points. Each trackball crosses over its own finish line will score two points

During Teleoperated Period:

Each robot that crosses its own finish line will score two points.
Each trackball that crosses its finish line will score two points. Each trackball that it hurdled over its own overpass will earn eight points. Each trackball that is on the overpass at the end of the match will earn twelve points.

Robot Description

D-Fence 3.0

After much discussion about whether or not to have our robot go fast and score points by racing around the track, or to have it hurdle the trackballs, the team finally came up with a "compromise" robot. It was designed to be a very fast robot, but have the ability to herd and lift the balls up to score at the end of a match. The robot base was custom designed to fit our needs. It had six wheels, with the middle two offset a little, to make turning easier. The axle that the arm was on is a double axle, meaning that there were two axles, one going through the middle of the other. The outer axle rotated the manipulator at the bottom, therough capstons and cables. The inner one raised the whole arm. The manipulator made use of a four-bar linkage allowing the wrist to stay parallel to the ground no matter how far up or down the whole arm moved. That way, the trackball wouldn't fall off while the robot was placing it on the overpass. The claw was not mechanised, the robot would scoop the ball up and the claw would cup it.

D-Fence 3.1

At the competition the team discovered that the "claw" designed to hold the trackball often got in the way when the robot was screaming around the track or going through tight spaces since the claw was wider than the robot. It was also found that, since there were only two trackballs and our partners' robots would often be able to handle the trackballs better than us, our mechanism for herding and placing balls was never used. A decision was made to cut off the claw and to allow better agility. The ping pong balls were moved from the end of the claw to the remaining parts of it to make it look like antenae.

D-Fence 3.2

After some experience at the competition, and observing other robot designs, the team felt it was advantageous to add "pin wheels". To do this the arm was completely removed and the double axle was repurposed to raise and lower the pin wheels. The point was to be able to knock balls down from the overpass, allowing us to either keep our opponents from scoring at the end of a match, or to gain points by knocking a ball down during the hybrid period. The "pin wheels" would hit a bar of the overpass, spin, and knock a ball down.

D-Fence 3.3

At our first off-season competition, BattleCry, the robot was beat up pretty bad in a match. As a result, our chassis was bent out of shape. Thr robot couldn't even be driven because the bent part got in the way of the chains connecting each wheel. To prevent this damage from happening again, the team put a metal bar in front of the indent left from where when the manipulator was. A bumper was also added to the front, which was, by accident, painted upside down.

Competitions Attended

Savage Soccer
Savage Soccer North
Boston Regional
BattleCry@WPI
Mayhem in Marrimack
Where is Wolcott?
RiverRage

Awards Won

Finalist - Savage Soccer North
Gracious Professionalism Award - Boston Regional
Cotton Eye Joe Award - Mayhem in Merrimack
Medal of Honor - BattleCry@WPI
Because We Like You Award - Where is Wolcott
We're Nutty about your Nuttyness - Boston Regional

Match Results

Boston Regional

Match	Red 1	Red 2	Red 3	Blue 1	Blue 2	Blue 3	Red Score	Blue Score	Video
Q-1	578	2447	61	174	1735	246	56	44	Watch
Q-11	155	1735	350	1699	2409	97	10	10	Watch
Q-23	2589	1735	2043	549	1350	2262	26	64	Watch
Q-31	2110	1916	1559	2125	1735	1768	12	28	Watch
Q-42	1965	1761	2127	1735	2079	2409	10	20	Watch
Q-48	1779	2126	1995	1735	1965	2009	38	14	Watch
Q-54	61	1559	1735	2423	20	2009	56	56	Watch
Q-61	2124	549	69	88	1735	1100	88	76	Watch
Q-71	1779	1735	549	677	125	839	34	16	Watch
QF 1-1	1474	40	20	2447	1735	2079	112	40	Watch
QF 1-2	40	1474	20	1735	2447	2079	120	36	Watch

Battlecry@WPI

Match	Red 1	Red 2	Red 3	Blue 1	Blue 2	Blue 3	Red Score	Blue Score	Video
Q-7	175	811	1735	1519	195	1468	38	26	n/a
Q-14	1991	1027	1289	350	1735	1685	66	22	n/a
Q-22	166	1153	190	1735	529	1474	36	30	n/a
Q-31	1468	1991	1735	529	1733	1058	106	66	n/a
Q-39	1735	173	1153	2079	467	571	52	44	n/a
Q-48	1761	809	562	1735	2079	126	36	50	n/a
Q-55	61	1735	809	2342	40	271	46	134	n/a
EF 1-1	121	40	1474	1735	228	1761	126	42	n/a
EF 1-2	121	40	1474	1735	228	1761	130	38	n/a

Team 1735: The Green Reapers

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